If you think you know everything there is to know about “The Young and the Restless’” sexy star, Daniel Goddard (Cane Ashby), you’d better think again! Soap Opera Network caught up with the actor during the sudser’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, and he let us in on a few secrets — including the fact that he’s a sucker for all things wedding!
While many guys would much prefer guns, bombs and business to the generally more feminine love, romance and courtship, Goddard isn’t one of them. “I’ve had a lot of action sequences; I was on a show before that was an action-based show [“Beast Master”], and for me now, it’s all about just connecting with the audience and with what I think the audience is responding to,” he says. “This is daytime, and it’s about love and romance.”
As if that isn’t swoon-worthy enough, Goddard goes on to say that matters of the heart are the bread and butter of life. “I’m a sucker for romance,” he admits. “Cane and Lily’s weddings [have been my favorite moments on the show]; I love working with Christel [Khalil], and I love weddings.”
Considering daytime dramas are known for love and those tying the knot scenes, Goddard is in the right place. And he’s thrilled that “Y&R” has recently been delving headfirst into love-centric storylines. “[The romance element] is much stronger, and that’s what the show should be about,” he opines. “Daytime started with women — mothers, grandmothers, everyone at home while their men were at work. That’s where soaps came from. [These women] want to escape from their daily life, and this gives them a chance.”
And the Australia native says what you’re seeing on the screen now is only the beginning: “The doom and gloom is gone, and in comes the era of romance.”
But the show is also known for tackling serious non-romantic issues, such as the recent anti-bullying storyline, which Goddard also thinks is an important element to a successful daytime drama. “We don’t do that many sort of like off the cuff farcical sort of stories, which is why I think the fans respond so strongly to us,” he notes. “[We’re] dealing with issues like racial segregation, like Lily’s hysterectomy at the age of 21, dealing with cancer, dealing with socially relevant issues that have touched the lives of viewers. And I think once you do that, you form a bond with the audience, and you have them, because it’s very close to home.”
And speaking of important stories, Goddard teases that this year brings Cane and Lily their most difficult challenges yet — both relationship wise and issues with Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper)! “Cane and Lily are at the moment going through probably one of the toughest times in their relationship; they’ve had that before, but at this point, now they have children… and anyone can relate to that… a working husband and a working mom trying to make the love and the romance as strong as it was before you both were working and had the kids,” says the actor. “So it’s an interesting period for Cane and Lily. Then Katherine Chancellor has some medical issues that come up, and Cane becomes her rock. And I’m so grateful to have that opportunity, because I love working with Jeanne. So we’ll see where it goes and how it pans out, but I’m very excited for the year.”
No matter which way the storyline goes, Goddard is thankful for the opportunity to portray the character he’s played since 2007. “I’ve learned from my cast mates that the most important thing you can do on this show is honor the show, show respect to the show and realize that this is an opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve learned that from Jeanne Cooper, Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters), Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott), all of the people who have been here 20-plus years, you realize what a gift this show is to be a part of,” he says, adding that he’s honored to be a part of the show’s 40th Anniversary. “This is a huge day for us, and it’s a huge day for everybody who works in daytime. There are only four shows left. And the shows that are left are keeping that bar to the echelon of the show creators… Bill Bell and Lee Phillip Bell. They had a vision when they made the show, and I’m honored to be able to keep that vision going.”