Peter Bergman is celebrating his 35th anniversary with The Young and the Restless. The actor took over the role of Jack Abbott in November 1989 after Terry Lester’s departure. As a recast, Bergman had big shoes to fill, which is why he expected his job to be short-term.
Lack Of Confidence
Before being cast as Jack on Y&R, Bergman began his soap opera career on All My Children. From 1979 to 1989, he played Dr. Cliff Warner, whose romance with Nina was a famous storyline. Despite his popularity, Bergman was fired, shocking him and fans. But he wasn’t unemployed long when he landed his job at Y&R.
Although he was grateful for the role, Bergman had his fears. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, the actor admitted he thought he’d be gone after a few months.
”We had [recasts] on All My Children that just didn’t work; there were not too many replacements who lasted long-term,” Bergman explained. “And so I kind of felt that I was going to be one of those, that six months later, they were going to say, ‘No, let’s just kill the character.’”
Although he won over fans as the new Jack, Bergman wasn’t confident in his job security. His perspective changed when he won his first Daytime Emmy in 1991. “When I walked up on that stage to get my first Emmy as Jack Abbott, that’s when I said, ‘Yep, this part is mine,'” Bergman said.
The star also credits his wife Mariellen with helping him regain his confidence during the transition between soap jobs.
“She said, ‘No, Peter, you were on that show for 10 years. You lost your ability to believe in yourself, to believe that after this job, there’s going to be another job, and after that, there’s going to be another job. You lost that with the consistency of All My Children. It’s a lesson in believing in yourself the next time.’ And she was absolutely right.”
Now 35 years and multiple Emmys later, Bergman remains one of Y&R’s top leading men.
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