IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Dying to know what’s going to happen between “All My Children’s” Brooke (Julia Barr), Adam (David Canary) and Dimitri (Michael Nader)? Well wait no more, because the-soon-to-be (or not-to-be) onscreen Mrs. Chandler has revealed what’s in store for the savvy journalist’s future with the two men and more!
Fans were over the moon when it was announced that formerly retired Canary would be joining the show once again when it debuted online — only to be met with the sad reality that he’d only be seen onscreen once in a… well, blue moon. While seeing the actor pop in and out definitely beats never seeing him at all, the predicament leaves Brooke — who’s engaged to the busy businessman — in a very lonely place. Enter Michael Nader’s Dimitri, who is obviously crushing for the redhead. But should Bradam fans worry?
“Brooke [is] devoted to Adam,” the actress assures matter-of-factly. “I think her focus at the time is… the issues that this family has, with JR and all of the things around that and Colby coming back. That’s where her focus really needs to be, and then, you know, running Chandler Enterprises and starting a new online venture. I think the last thing on her mind would be anybody coming from anywhere with romantic interest.”
However, that’s not to say that Brooke will be able to ignore Dimitri’s advances forever. “Sometimes things can catch you up when you least expect it,” she teases, adding that when the show resumes production in mid-August, they’ll be filming some really exciting material. “We’re right at the verge, I think, of going into a new phase. They did a lot to sort of bring new [viewers] on and sort of start in the middle and yet explain things. So now, I think, after these first 40 or so episodes have aired, then the next ones we start taping can really begin to take us more forward. We’re at the point where everyone is interested in what is going to happen with this group, or you know, ‘Are these people going to get together?’ So I think that’s what everybody is anticipating.”
As for working with Nader, Barr says she’s had a blast. “He’s a dream,” she shares. “It’s so nice, because we have a very similar approach — even though our characters are so different — to working. And we both have a sense of humor, which, you know, sometimes in the course of a day, that’s a requirement. It’s really lovely to work with him. I’m very glad that the show decided to bring him back.”
Fans are equally thrilled, but it seems many want Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane to enter the picture as well — if only for a few more of those iconic Brooke/Erica cat fights! “I love Susan, and I love everything that we’ve ever done,” Barr says in agreement. “I hope that we can redo that at some point.”
For now, there’s no Erica to be had. But there will be plenty of drama ahead for the Brooke/Adam/Dimitri triangle once the show resumes production. However, Barr doesn’t know if the immediate upcoming scenes will include Canary. “I’m not sure… where they’re keeping him and what kind of arc we’re going into exactly,” she shares. “Obviously, there are things that are coming up that are sort of in conflict, and she’s feeling very, you know, she loves him, but she feels very stressed all alone, with everything that’s been going on. So I think something has to give in some way. But as far as seeing a script addressing any of that, I haven’t yet, but I’m sure it’s something they’re working on.”
Also on the books is Brooke’s relationship with absent-Adam’s kids, JR (Ryan Bittle) and Colby (Brooke Newton) — which Barr says is turbulent at best. “[Brooke has] known JR from the day he was born and has a relationship with him. She also knows he has had many issues, [but] after a certain while, it becomes very hard to forgive them,” she says. “He also has been raised by a very… strong-willed father. So, you know, there’s a lot of complexity in that relationship, which I think she acknowledges. But at a certain point, you realize somebody’s an adult. They can’t blame all their problems on somebody else. They have to step up. And I think she’s ambivalent. She doesn’t quite trust him, but she would like him to step up and show that he can be trusted, that he’s actually ready to be a mature person and take responsibility for his life.”
And she feels the same way about JR’s bratty sister. “She’s drawn a line in the sand for Colby,” the actress states. “She realizes that Colby’s not had a lot of, you know, hands on [parenting], and she’s maybe a rich girl who doesn’t feel so loved, and I think that’s something that Brooke very much identifies with. But again, you can’t let somebody just run all over you because they didn’t get the love that they needed when they were growing up so. I think she loves both of them, but she definitely feels like they need to step up… and grow up.”
No matter how it plays out, Barr is sure it’s going to be juicy material. “[The writers] have such a familiarity with the show,” she explains. “They really want to concentrate, and this always what an actor wants, no matter what: Things that are character driven. So with that as sort of, you know, the Bible that writers go by, then whatever they come up with, you’re going to be pretty happy with.”
