John Driscoll Interview

Michael Fairman has a new interview up at Advocate.com with The Young and the Restless star John Driscoll, who plays Chance. Among other things, Driscoll talks about the early rumors that his character was going to be a love interest for Rafe:

Your debut on Y&R was so highly anticipated. There were online rumors and reports about if your character was going to be gay or straight. Were you aware of this?
Yes. I was trying to do some homework before I started, and one of the websites said there might be a budding relationship between Mac, Chloe, and Rafe. And I said, "Rafe? What? That does not sound like a female’s name. This character has been gone such a long time they don’t know what his affiliation is. Is he gay? Is he straight? What’s the deal?" I thought, You know what? If it’s going to play that way, that’s OK. As an actor, you are always looking for the next challenge. I don’t find anything taboo behind it. I have played a gay character before on a short-lived show called The Book of Daniel with Aidan Quinn and Ellen Burstyn on NBC. I actually worked opposite Christian Campbell, formerly of All My Children, where he played Bobby Warner. We had this romance on the show, and if the show had not been canceled, you would have seen the budding relationship between our two characters. It was really funny doing double duty while I was doing Guiding Light. So during the day I was having bedroom sexual scenes with a female, and then at night on set in bed with a man. It was crazy. I needed a couple of drinks! [Laughs]

As an actor in this day and age, do you still find a stigma attached to a straight actor taking on a gay role, and that it could ruin your career? It certainly didn’t for Sean Penn.
If you look back at the classics, you had a lot of gay actors playing straight men, and a lot of times they kept it very secret. You had women swooning over these guys, and they just kept it a secret. But nowadays it’s cool, and who cares? If you can pull it off as an actor and make it work, more power to you.

Can we at this point say that Chance is straight?
At this point, yes.

It's nice to hear him talk about The Book of Daniel. I really thought that show had potential, especially with his and Christian Campbell's characters, but it was another show that was gone before its time.

I also find the subject of Chance's sexuality interesting, since the character is a virgin. I doubt that Y&R would actually go there and add a third gay character, but it would be interesting to see Chance question his sexuality. It would at least provide him with something in common with his father!

Y&R: Family Matters

On today's The Young and the Restless, Philip and his son Chance finally met for that cup of coffee that they'd arranged to have at the start of the week. It began as awkwardly as you'd expect, with Philip clearly nervous and Chance still referring to his father rather coldly as 'Sir'.

Chance suggested they start with Philip telling him why he'd left. His father explained that it had come down to a choice between going off to find his truth or staying and living a lie. Chance asked why he couldn't have found his truth in Genoa City and Philip told him that he was gay.

If Philip expected an explosive reaction to his revelation, he didn't get one. Chance didn't seem bothered at all about finding out his father was gay, but he was perplexed as to how Philip being gay explained making his family think he was dead for twenty years. I can see where he'd be confused by that, since it's not part of your typical coming out process! I still haven't heard a reasonable explanation for why he didn't just leave and move to New York or San Francisco or anywhere else in the world.

Philip told his son that it was difficult for younger people to understand the way the world was back then, that there was a lot less acceptance and gay pride (definitely true, but we're still talking about 1989, not 1959!), and on top of all of that, he had all the expectations of his position in the Chancellor family weighing him down and was just trying to play a role, one that he could only play with the help of a lot of alcohol.

Chance said it sounded like Philip was going through a lot back then, but nothing could explain the fact that he'd had a wife and a child that he'd abandoned, that he'd run from his responsibilities. Chance wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever did the same.

Philip said he hoped Chance was never faced with such an impossible choice himself and Chance pointed out that Philip had obviously come out to the family since his return and no one was trying to drive him out of it. How impossible a choice could it have been?

Philip agreed that they may have accepted him twenty years ago, but at the time his fear had told him they wouldn't. He'd known he could never be the husband or father his family needed, but when Chance protested that he'd never even tried, Philip said he had, in the beginning, telling Chance that he'd fed him, changed him, and held him when he cried.

Chance dismissed this by saying they'll never know how things might have turned out if Philip had stayed, and Philip FINALLY apologized to someone for his actions, telling Chance he was sorry that he'd left him, but then he quickly tried to shift blame again, saying that maybe if he'd had a mother like Chance did in Nina, things might have been different.

Chance did thank Philip for being brave enough to come back and be tested for Huntington's Disease, especially knowing all that he'd be facing by doing so. Philip said he hadn't been brave, he'd just been trying to be a father.

They wrapped up the conversation with Philip telling Chance that he didn't have to leave Genoa City if Chance wanted him to stick around. Chance didn't really respond to that, though, so Philip shook his hand and told him to let him know.

After meeting with his son, Philip went to see his mother, Jill. They talked about the meeting with Chance and Philip said that he couldn't tell if his son was burying his rage or just didn't care at all about him. Jill recalled how she used to tell herself that Philip's anger at her at least proved he'd cared.

Philip then brought up his abandoning of his son and claimed it was part of a family pattern of putting his own needs before his child's. Jill went on the defensive, pointing out that she'd sent him to boarding school for a few years, yes, but she hadn't left his life completely or let him think she was dead!

Philip said that he wasn't trying to lay blame (yeah, right), but instead wanted to begin healing their dysfunctional family, starting with forgiving her for the past and letting her know that he knew she'd been the best mother she'd been able to be. It ended up being the first real mother/son scene the two have had since Philip's return.

Meanwhile, Chance was meeting with his own mother. Nina asked how things had gone with Philip and Chance told her he'd found out the guy was gay. Nina asked how he was feeling about that and Chance said it didn't make any difference to him. Nina pointed out that Philip was still his father and Chance admitted that the only reason he'd even agreed to meet with the guy was because he thought Nina was still in love with him. Now that that wasn't the case.... The look on Nina's face, though, brought Chance up short and he asked her to confirm that she wasn't still in love with Philip.

Nina confessed that Philip had been the love of her life and even with all that she'd found out recently, he still was. Chance was clearly not pleased to hear this.

Well, I've wanted to see a scene where a parent comes out to their child on a soap for some time now, and we finally got one. Of course, the way I imagined it, the parent wouldn't have been a stranger to the child to begin with. That added a whole different dynamic to the story and still leaves another sort of parent coming out to child story to be told by some other soap.

Chance's non-reaction may mean he really isn't bothered by Philip's sexuality or it may just be a part of his overall attitude towards Philip, which is cold at best. Time will tell how okay he actually is with this piece of news.

Slow Week So Far; Kish Interview

So far, this has been a pretty quiet week in the world of LGBT soap characters. The only real action was on The Young and the Restless on Monday, when Philip decided it was time for him to get back to his life in Australia.

Nina tried to convince him to stay in Genoa City so their son Chance could have the opportunity to get to know him. Philip felt that Chance could look him up in Sydney when he was ready to find out more, but Nina warned that if he walked out of Chance's life again, that would be the end of it.

They discussed how well their son had turned out and Philip said he'd had very little to do with that, but Nina said that she often saw Philip in a look or a gesture of Chance's. After a bit of flirting with a waiter, Philip asked if Nina had told Chance he was gay yet and she told him not to worry about that, saying again that he'd be fine with it.

Later, Nina asked Chance to consider taking the opportunity to get to know his father, saying that she didn't necessarily expect him to form a life long bond, but that for all his faults Philip was warm, funny, and kind hearted. Chance said it sounded like Nina had forgiven Philip and she explained that she's trying not to judge him too harshly and she just hopes her son will do the same.

Shortly afterward, Chance called to ask Philip if they could get together the next day and Philip happily agreed and cancelled his plane reservation. Chance, meanwhile, told Chloe that he'd called Philip for his mom's sake: she was still in love with the guy.

That's been about it as far as onscreen action this week. Offscreen, One Life to Live's Brett Claywell (who plays Kyle) and Scott Evans (who plays Fish) gave an interview to Out.Com about Kish:

Brett, you’re from Greensboro, North Carolina, which isn’t necessarily the most gay-friendly of states. I know that’s a generalization but --
BC: It is a generalization but it’s absolutely the truth. Like I said before, when I began this storyline, I had to go through all the emotions of this story including calling my father to let him know who and what I was playing on One Life. So in reality, it was like I was coming out to my parents. There have been a lot of real emotions that have tied my reality and [the show’s locale] Llanview together.

Hopefully, your casting and talent will help change people’s perceptions down south.
BC: That’s the entire purpose of this storyline. When I spoke to our executive producer, Frank Valentini, about this character, I said my intent was to make Kyle the homosexual next door -- who doesn’t fit any stereotype, who just happens to have a different sexual preference.

It’s ironic that Scott, who is out in real life, is playing the character in the closet and Brett, who is straight in real life, is playing the out-and-proud gay character --
SE: I think it’s ironic but some of the dialogue and scenes I’m playing out have happened to real-life people I know, so it’s easy in a way. I’ve seen the struggle up close and personal.
BC: I think the fact that Scott is an out gay man makes the dynamic between us more effective because it’s almost like I’m putting myself in Scott’s shoes, so it allows us to understand each other better.

Check out the whole interview. Everything I read about Scott Evans makes me love the guy even more. It's ridiculous, by the way, that One Life to Live still has not signed him to a contract! Recurring was one thing when he was just the sweet, bumbling cop who didn't really have a story of his own, but now that he's one half of Kish, they'd be foolish not to show him the dotted line.

Y&R: Like a Virgin

I was hoping for some more Rafe & Adam on today's The Young and the Restless, but no such luck. We did have a few scenes with Philip and Chance, though.

Chance showed up at Crimson Lights, the local coffee place, with Katherine and Chloe. He'd just finished telling them that being in Iraq had made him realize that he had to cherish all the time he could get with the people he loved when Philip showed up and asked to speak with his son privately. Philip felt that Chance must have a lot of questions to ask him.

Chance, still addressing his father as "Sir", said he didn't have any questions and that if he did, he'd just ask his mother. Philip said he'd like his son to hear his side of the story from him, but Katherine pulled him aside to advise him to back off and give Chance time. The only father he'd ever known was another husband of Nina's, Ryan (who is dead now) and Philip couldn't expect him to just welcome him with open arms after all he'd done.

After Katherine left, Philip attempted to talk to Chance again, but his son told him that since he'd 'died' when he was a baby, Chance never knew him, never missed him, and that Philip just has no bearing on his life at all now.

Philip left, leaving Chance alone with Chloe. During their conversation, Chance revealed that he'd never had a girlfriend. Chloe made a comment about meaningless hook ups and Chance told her that he wasn't into those, either: he's a virgin!

Chloe couldn't believe that he'd go off to war without ever having had sex and asked if it was a religious thing, or if he was gay. Chance said no to both (and didn't seem to be at all bothered that someone might think him gay, which could be a good sign for when he finds out about Philip) and explained that it had just never happened and he wasn't going to pay for it or do it with someone who means nothing to him just so he can say he's done it.

Chloe, impressed with meeting her first hot male virgin, wasted no time in kissing Chance, saying that he'd never been kissed right if he hadn't wanted to take things further.

That was really all that happened today and it was more about Chance than it was Philip. It doesn't look like they'll be bonding any time soon, but Nina may have been right that Philip's sexuality won't be an issue with his son.

Y&R: Two In One

First up, last Friday's episode of The Young and the Restless, which picked up where Thursday's show left off, with the surprise return of Philip Chancellor IV from his tour of duty in Iraq. On Friday, once he'd received the effusive greeting from the women in his life and told them he now goes by the nickname Chance (which will spare us from having to say III or IV to differentiate between Philips, at least), he spotted his not so dead father across the room.

At first, I assumed that his mother, Nina, had already filled him in, since he didn't show the slightest bit of shock, but instead just called out an almost angry sounding "You!" As we soon found out, though, Chance had no clue that his father was still alive until he saw him standing there, yet he remained completely unemotional about it, to the point of shaking Philip's hand and telling him that it was nice to meet him.

Chance noted that he'd seen a lot of people die but never seen someone come back: what was Philip's secret? Katherine quickly changed the subject, saying that they could talk about that later. Chance did make a few more mild inquiries, like how long Philip had been in town, did anyone else in the family know he was alive before this, and who was Cane, really?, but he remained oddly detached.

In the middle of all of this, Philip got the call letting him know that he was not a carrier of Huntington's Disease, which meant that Chance couldn't have it, either.

Later, after Chance had left the room, Nina, Jill and Katherine discussed the soldier's calm attitude and attributed it his military training. They also talked about telling him the truth and Philip interrupted to tell them to back off:

"Don't rush him, don't fix him. Let the kid be. I mean it, I don't want you driving him away, like you drove me away."

Oh, man. Get over yourself!

That was all that happened on Friday, but it was a bit surprising, to say the least, to see Chance have basically no reaction at all to finding out his father was very much alive.

On to today's show. Philip showed up at the Chancellor mansion to see Nina and his son, only to find himself crashing his half brother Billy's birthday party. Since they hadn't had a chance to talk since Philip's resurrection, Billy took the opportunity to tell his brother that he understood the pressures he'd been facing and had escaped them himself, just in a different way. At this point, of course, Billy doesn't know that his brother left because he's gay.

Nina suggested that she, Philip, and Chance have lunch together, but Chance quickly bowed out, telling them that he was still tired and had some unpacking to do. After Nina and Philip left, Chance got to know his Uncle Billy's ex, Chloe, who asked him what he thought of his Dad and if he had any memories of him from before he 'died'.

Chance told her that having just met the guy, he doesn't have an opinion one way or the other about him.

Over lunch, Philip told Nina that since Chance would barely look at him he was either hiding a deep anger towards him or just had no interest in getting to know his father at all. Nina asked Philip to give Chance time, saying that he'd come around. Philip wondered how Chance would react to finding out that, on top of everything else, his father was gay. Nina assured him that their son would be okay with it, but Philip seemed unconvinced.

That was all, two pretty low key episodes as far as this story goes. It will be interesting to see where they go from here with Chance. His detachment is a twist I didn't expect, so I'm curious to see what it's leading up to. I'm also hoping to see Chance dealing with having just returned from war, since no one comes back from combat and blithely resumes their former life without any issues.

Y&R: What a Jerk!

At the start of today's episode of The Young and the Restless, Jill, Nina, and Katherine were discussing the Philip situation again. Jill was more willing to be understanding after some time to think if over: how often did someone get a second chance like this? Katherine was still bitter about Philip taking the coward's way out and leaving them to suffer with guilt and grief for twenty years. Nina, meanwhile, was just sort of playing referee between the two.

Philip soon showed up to let them know that he'd been tested for Huntington's disease and would have the results later in the day. His son may have the disease, but had left to serve in the military without being tested, not wanting to face it. The main reason that Nina wanted to exhume Philip's body in the first place was to test it to see if he's a carrier for the genetic disease; if he's not, then their son doesn't have it.

Katherine congratulated Philip on standing up for his son and asked when he was going to do so for the rest of the family. After some more arguing, Philip admitted that Katherine was right: he hadn't had faith in his family. However, he said he wouldn't apologize because if he had it to do over again, he'd probably do the same thing.

What?! Okay, I officially don't like Philip very much at this point. He's pretty much a selfish jerk right now. Hopefully we'll start to see something more develop with the character soon.

Katherine felt much the same way I did at his remark, telling him it was a 'vicious slap in the face' to all of them. Even Nina couldn't let his words pass, finding the fact that he'd choose to abandon his son all over again if he had the choice unforgivable.

There was some more talk of what he'd done to them all and some more protests from Philip that he hadn't had any other choice because he hadn't fell safe coming out to them. Again, I feel for his motivations, but not his decision or the fact that he's still completely unrepentant twenty years later.

At that point, Cane showed up to say goodbye to Jill, the woman who'd thought she was his mother for the last couple of years, and to Katherine, who'd thought for awhile that she was his grandmother. Philip tried to get Jill and Katherine to see that Cane wasn't a bad guy and that they shouldn't let him just leave, but Cane was literally forgotten by them all when a hunky soldier in army fatigues walked in the door.

Yes, Philip Chancellor IV made his debut at last, swarmed with hugs and greetings from his mother, grandmother and Katherine while the father he's never know watched from across the room. I can't really say what emotion Philip III was feeling, since his face wore the same expression it always seems to, but presumably we'll see some drama between the two tomorrow.

I do have to say that one look at Philip IV in his uniform made me wish that the rumors of a Philip IV/Rafe pairing had proven true! Then again, daytime has done stories where fathers and sons romance the same woman, so why not a Philip III/Rafe/Philip IV love triangle? Now that would be groundbreaking!

Y&R's Rafe Gets a Man! (?)

UPDATE 5/9: The source has now changed their story to say this may just be speculation. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I just read some great soap news! The Young and the Restless is giving Rafe Torres, the latest LGBT character in daytime, a love interest. As if that wasn't good enough news, the new guy is a legacy character from a core family!

Better still, the show has cast a popular soap star who was recently let go from Guiding Light to play the role, which shows they're serious about this pairing!

I'm talking, of course, about John Driscoll, who until recently played Coop Cooper on GL before the character was killed off in a car crash. He's joining Y&R as Philip Chancellor IV.
This isn't Driscoll's first gay role, either. He played the love interest of Christian Campbell's character on the short lived prime time show The Book of Daniel a few years back.
I'm really looking forward to this story now. The Young and the Restless is certainly a lot better written than As the World Turns at the moment, so there is potential for a great story here.