John McCook and Thorsten Kaye Explain Why Everyone Wins in the Fight for Forrester

Veteran The Bold and the Beautiful fans recall that one of the show’s greatest stories was the Battle for BeLieF — the miracle solution Brooke created that makes clothing rumple-free. Now, John McCook and Thorsten Kaye, who play dueling designers Eric and Ridge, explain to Soap Hub why the conflict between them will make everyone a winner.

John McCook: Soap Stories 101

McCook has been helping tell tales since 1976 when he joined The Young and the Restless as Lance Prentiss. He brought on-screen gravitas to his role as patriarch Eric Forrester, lead designer at Forrester Creations, in 1987. The actor says while it may matter to Eric whether his design line tops Ridge’s or not, it isn’t the real issue in terms of performing.

‘The best thing about a new storyline like this is that it involves everybody,” McCook tells Soap Hub. “A love triangle usually involves just three people. This storyline involves practically everyone on the canvas.”

Bold and the Beautiful Storyline Threads

He makes a great point about that. While Ridge and Eric have decided to take their conflict to the runway, other characters are already taking sides. Donna (Jennifer Gareis) wants what makes Eric happy; Brooke is siding with Ridge. We’ve even seen Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Katie (Heather Tom) debate (granted, gently) about what’s best for Forrester Creations.

There’s also some groundwork being laid with RJ (Joshua Hoffman), who turned down his father’s efforts to get him to join the family business. Now, however, RJ is helping his granddad bring his line to light.

Kaye, a real-life father of two, can relate to RJ not listening to him. “We have kids,” he says, adding wryly, “I think I’m relevant — till I talk to my kids. This isn’t about [Eric] being told [he’s] old. It’s the machine that keeps moving.

“It’s fun to see Eric and RJ discovering that they can [design] together,” Kaye adds. “It could rankle Ridge a little bit that his son is in the business. If he’s not [actually] designing, he’s right there in the business with his grandfather — and not with him.”

Thorsten Kaye: Fathers and Sons

Kaye sees why his TV son and TV dad have a bond. “There’s something really cool about you guys sharing a platform because what Eric is going through and what RJ is going through is not that different,” Kaye theorizes. “[RJ’s] trying to find his place in the world. [Eric] thinks he still has something to say…it’s nice to see the two generations with similar conflicts. I enjoy that.”

“I’m not sure how it will play out, but the fact is there will be a rift in the company,” McCook predicts. “No matter whose side you’re on, it’s a fun story to play.”