John McCook Moved by Fans’ Farewells During ‘Death’ Storyline

It sure looked like Eric Forrester, played by John McCook, was headed to that great soap opera in the sky on The Bold and the Beautiful last year. Thanks to his grandson-in-law Finn and daughter Bridget that didn’t happen. Now, McCook gives thanks to the loyal B&B followers who sent him nothing but well wishes — no matter how it turned out.

John McCook: Living in Gratitude

“The best part about the storyline for me was all that reaction I saw,” McCook tells Soap Hub. “I was getting these wonderful paragraphs saying, ‘I hope you enjoy your retirement. You’ve brought us so much happiness.'”

Messages like that told McCook not only that he was loved and appreciated by fans, but also that the show’s writers had done a great job making viewers think that Eric might not make it. “People bought it and actually believed that this was the way they were going to get Eric to go.

“If I wanted to leave the show, I would hope that they would spend that much time getting rid of me as they did with Stephanie [Susan Flannery],” McCook says with a smile. The actress got a huge send-off 12 (!) years ago when a dying Stephanie gathered friends and family in the mansion to say goodbye similar to the way Eric did recently. Fortunately, Eric had a much different ending than his late wife did. But folks weren’t sure which way it was going to play out. “People really did believe he was going,” McCook says. “It was fun to see all that [but]…you can’t get rid of Eric.”

“I’m so happy [John’s] not leaving,” chimes in Jennifer Gareis, who plays Donna, Eric’s love interest. “What would I do without him?”