Part Two: Soap Vet Thom Bierdz Talks About His New Revealing Memoir

Thom Bierdz, who played Phillip Chancellor III on The Young and the Restless from 1986-89 and again in 2009, has written a tell-all memoir titled Young, Gay and Restless.

The tome is now available for or by going to Thom Bierdz’s website. In the first of this two-part interview, Bierdz explained why he was writing the book and what the climate was for him in the 1980s as a gay actor on daytime.

In part two, below, Bierdz addresses Phillip’s surprise resurrection in 2009 after dying on-camera and theorizes as to why his character exited once more so soon after his return.

Note: Young, Gay and Restless contains nude photographs and sexually explicit language.

Read on to hear more from the actor, who has written a provocative and revealing memoir!

Were you told why your story ended in 2009? It was such a shock to see that Phillip was alive and another shock when he left town again not long after.
I wish I knew more information. Maria Arena Bell [executive producer/head writer] seemed to be gung-ho about it. When we had conversations what was to be expected, I thought she and I agreed that there’d be a gay romance [for Phillip] and that also she was going to promote my paintings because that’s how I was making my living.

Phillip was going to be a painter [too], but we were going to push that off for a little while.

My understanding is that it was going to be a thicker role than it turned out to be. I don’t know why it was diminished. Other than I’m just assuming, you know, maybe some angry mail [came in] at a homosexual mention on a soap opera. Maybe that scared them off?

Do you still watch the show? Camryn Grimes (Mariah) won an Emmy for playing a storyline in which her character’s been questioning who she is and what she wants out of life. There’s support…but also backlash.
Oh, there is? No, I don’t …continue reading on the next page —>

Continue reading on the next page…

Oh, there is? No, I don’t watch the show. I heard there was a lesbian kiss on the show. But, no, I’m not really familiar with it.

How much do you think has really changed in terms of presenting gay characters on soaps over the decades?
I don’t think Y&R is a fair example to show that because they haven’t come as far as other soaps [have]. I honestly don’t know. I don’t watch TV. But I hear that there’s a lot of gay visibility [on] TV.

What was your take on the adjustments to Phillip’s history? He and Cricket ended their engagement because Nina (Tricia Cast) had given birth to Phillip’s son, Phillip Chancellor IV, and Phillip didn’t want his son to grow up without a father the way he had. But then Phillip faked his death and left town, abandoning his son in the process.
Never in my life could I imagine faking my death. When I tried to figure out why someone would fake their death, I thought things must be horrible to fake your death. Things must be really, really bad.

When I came back 20 years later, I just assumed that we had all figured out that things must have been really bad. There must have been homophobia in Genoa City, but it was never mentioned. It was never seen anywhere. It was like Phillip was being a hard ass and not very friendly for no reason. But in my mind, well, he had to fake his death…

There are opportunities for you to return. Are you open to that if they were to reach out?
I would be. Yes. Sure.

What are you hoping that people learn about you from reading your book?
My book is jaw-dropping. I share stuff that will shock people. People don’t share what I shared in my book. I talk about taboo things. I hope that people feel more relaxed to be more open. Repression is a very hurtful place to be. There’s so much repression in the world. I hope to inspire people to be a lot more okay than what they’re okay with.

Who supported you when you were on the show?
They all were supportive. I don’t think there’s a mean person there. Like everybody else, I was in awe of Jeanne Cooper [ex-Katherine]. I felt like we understood each other. There was no judgment coming from her. Jess Walton [Jill] has always been gay-supportive.

In addition to your painting and your new memoir, what’s been keeping you busy?
The American Art Awards. I started it 10 years ago. I was at the post office mailing certificates and winners to [artists in] Japan, China, the Netherlands, and Australia…just everywhere.

Right now, I’m finishing a video where I ‘m showing the top three cash prize winners. I’ll put that online. For the next 50 days, I’ll be announcing winners. This keeps me really busy at this time of year.