John McCook has earned another Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Eric Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. A previous winner in this category, McCook tells Soap Hub he submitted scenes related to Eric’s health crisis storyline to get on the 2024 Daytime Emmys ballot.
Comedy Is Easy, Dying Is Hard
McCook’s no stranger to this category. He’s received a total of four nods for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series prior to this one and in 2022, the actor won the award for his work in Eric’s erectile dysfunction story. While some performers might balk at playing something so deeply private, McCook embraced the vulnerability his character expressed — and voters responded positively.
Once again, B&B handed McCook a challenging storyline as Eric faced his own mortality in 2023. “I was having lunch with [my friend] Jerry Lacy [ex-Reverend Trask, Dark Shadows], who’s been around Daytime TV for a long time, too, when I found out I was nominated,” McCook tells Soap Hub. “Then, Eva [Basler, VP Communications and Talent Relations] called me and let me know. Then, I started getting texts, voicemails, and emails from people. It’s been very nice.”
McCook credits head writer/executive producer Brad Bell for writing the material that paved the way for the nomination. “The key is vulnerability rather than weakness,” McCook says of what makes the scenes he submitted so compelling. “You can be very determined and powerful emotionally even though you feel vulnerable. That’s what I tried to do.
“Brad is the one who gave me this nomination,” McCook says. “That’s why I’m here on this list. There’s no other explanation.”
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McCook also gives kudos to TV wife Jennifer Gareis (Donna) and TV son Thorsten Kaye (Ridge) for their contributions to this tale. “I had so much help from them and Brad and all our directors, from everybody,” the actor says. “Jennifer was so strong next to me. She threw herself into [the story] in a way I’ve never seen her do.
“Thorsten and I have a lot of fun,” McCook adds. “And it’s great that Scott [Clifton, Liam] is in this group with us, too. It speaks well of Brad and what he’s willing to give us in terms of material.”
Having won before doesn’t make the nerves or the joy this time around any more or less, the actor says. “It’s apples and oranges,” McCook says. “Each [nomination] has to do with the story. Whether it’s the first nomination or the tenth, it’s about the story. A nomination means you did good this year.”
With the help of Basler and Supervising Producer Casey Kasprzyk, McCook assembled a reel that contained highlights and key scenes related to Eric’s dying story. The reel includes Eric and Ridge in his office, with Ridge being aware that Eric is dying, only Eric doesn’t know that he knows.
The reel concludes with scenes from Eric’s “farewell” party when he learns that Ridge lied about Eric winning the fashion showdown. Instead of being furious with Ridge, Eric tells his son that his lying to him was the nicest thing anyone ever did for him. “It was about the love between them,” McCook says.
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