(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — Jacob Young is returning to the soap that started his daytime career back in 1997. This fall the Daytime Emmy Award winner will reprise the role of Eric Forrester (John McCook) and Brooke Logan’s (Katherine Kelly Lang) son, Rick Forrester, on the CBS daytime drama “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Four months after it was announced that “All My Children” would be ending its run on ABC in September and just a month after learning that Prospect Park, a 2-year-old production company, had picked up the show as part of its yet-to-be-named infotainment network set for a January launch, Young (JR Chandler on “AMC”) has become the second actor to bolt the daytime drama series. The first being Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard), who is heading to “The Young and the Restless” later this fall.
In an interview with TV Guide Magazine‘s Michael Logan, Young reveals that he will be returning on screen to “B&B” beginning Monday, September 26, which will also mark the first time in 41-years that “All My Children” was not on the regularly scheduled ABC Daytime lineup. “The Chew” replaces “AMC” on this date.
“When I started talking to ‘B&B’ I didn’t think it would happen so fast. But I guess it’s good that way. I was looking forward to wrapping up ‘AMC’ and having a bit of a hiatus, maybe a month or two to travel with my family,” said Young. “As it turns out, I’ll probably have my ‘AMC’ and ‘B&B’ schedules overlapping and be shooting both shows at the same time. I’m like, ‘You guys figure it out and point me in the right direction.'”
Although he hopes the deal with Prospect Park and “AMC” can come together even without him and Morgan, like many of his co-stars Young is concerned about the hiatus between the soap ending on ABC and taking off on the internet. Young thinks a January 16 debut is an optimistic time table for when “AMC” could end up back on the air considering the facts of the situation so far. His advice to his co-stars in the meantime is “to get out there in the business and see what’s crackin’. Anybody with common sense would do that.”
With Prospect Park yet to confirm details of when “AMC” will pick up production due to union issues, the company has been unable to reach out to actors to try and iron out contracts, leaving an actor exodus a strong possibility before the online version of the soap even debuts. Interestingly enough, news of Young heading back to “B&B” comes on the heals of that soap returning from a three week production hiatus.
In an interview with Soap Opera Network during the “All My Children” Fan Club Weekend, Young shared his hopes for fans who would continue with the show online and where he sees his character as the show comes to a close on ABC.
For more from Young’s TV Guide interview where he discusses both “AMC” and “B&B, click here.
About Jacob Young
Young put the character of Rick Forrester on the map on “B&B” from 1997 to 1999. The role was last played by Kyle Lowder (ex-Brady, “Days of Our Lives) in 2011. Young moved on to ABC’s “General Hospital” as Lucky Spencer, the son of Luke and Laura Spencer (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis), from 2000 to 2003. Keeping a track record of playing the son of some of daytime’s most important characters, in 2003, Young landed the role of Adam Chandler (David Canary) and Dixie Cooney’s (Cady McClain) son JR Chandler on “AMC.” That role had previously been played to much acclaim by Jesse McCartney.