Exclusive Interview: Veteran Actor Sean Kanan Talks Soap Past

Sean Kanan has appeared on many different soaps — he was A.J. on General Hospital and Jude on Sunset Beach — but soap fans know him best as Deacon Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful and also on sister soap The Young and the Restless.

Sean Kanan — Exclusive Interview

The character debuted back in 2000 as the biological dad of the late Becky’s (Marisa Tait) son, little Eric, who was being taken care of by Becky’s late husband C.J. (Mick Cain) and her cousin Amber (Adrienne Frantz). Deacon having a legal claim to the baby boy — whom he later called ‘little Deke’ — thrust him into the forefront of the show.

Deacon seduced and wed Bridget (then, Jennifer Finnigan), but he later fell in love with his mother-in-law Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang). The two slept together and she gave birth to his daughter Hope (Annika Noelle).

Currently, starring in the Amazon Prime series Studio City as soap star Sam Stevens, Kanan took some time to chat with Soap Hub Insider about Deacon — currently in jail for attempting to kill Quinn (Rena Sofer), but is he the true culprit, or was he framed?

My guess is eventually BB will age up Rosie, Logan, and little Deke. Are you up for coming back and playing scenes with a teenage son?
Sean Kanan: [Chuckles] That’d involve me being on the show so, sure! Listen, if I ever came back, it’d be fun to work with my [teen] son. I would love to go back to BB at some point. In the meantime, I’m moving ahead with Studio City.

Did Deacon take a shot or two at Quinn — or was he framed?
I don’t know if he actually did it. I think there’s speculation out there that he’s innocent. Deacon’s been a thief, but never a killer. He has a propensity for violence, but he’s never killed anyone.

Is Deacon your favorite character from daytime?
Absolutely. Without a doubt. At BB, I was given a great deal of latitude to put my stamp on the character even though I’m the only actor to ever have played him. I felt I was in a very giving creative environment working with Brad (Bell, executive producer/head writer) and [the rest of the producers]. At BB, the buck stops with Brad. Deacon was always championed by Brad.

What was the most surprising thing you got to do as Deacon – he did some edgy stuff!
I used to smoke on the show, which NOBODY did on daytime. You didn’t see that. We really pushed the envelope between Deacon and Brooke to the point where we shot it two ways so they could show the network [a less racy version]. There were things I was able to do then that I don’t think you’d be able to do now [on TV]. That would make it a challenge to have the character be interesting under new parameters. It’d be a lot of fun.

How’s the business right now in light of COVID-19?
I’m very lucky I’ve got Studio City, but unless you’re on a big show [it’s tough]. If you’re an actor right now and you’re out of work, it’s difficult to get employment.

Have you ever worked with Annika [Noelle, Hope]?
No. I worked with Kim [Matula, ex-Hope]. She’s terrific, a really strong actress. After she left BB, she did a sitcom where she played a flight attendant. She has a cameo in the comedy rap video I did called I’m a Soap Star. I have heard Annika’s doing an amazing job. It’d be a lot of fun to go back to the show and work with a new actress in the role.

Studio City is streaming now on Amazon Prime. The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.