It’s hard to believe Christian LeBlanc once terrorized Genoa City as Michael Baldwin. Today, Michael Baldwin is on a soul-searching mission to find out who he really is in order to understand and heal his dark past. In the process, Michael’s evolved into one of the most loyal, trusting and honest characters in daytime. And thank God, since Michael has to navigate life with his highly dysfunctional and criminal family, not to mention being paid to perform daily miracles for his top client, the very rich and very ruthless Victor Newman.
Equal parts Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Piven, LeBlanc is fast becoming an acting legend in the soap world. Born in Fort Bragg, N.C., Le Blanc almost missed his show business calling.
Surprisingly, the 50-year-old star entered the field of medicine first — not acting. But once LeBlanc was bitten by the acting bug, the Virgo immediately booked the part of Kirk McColl on As The World Turns in 1983 opposite Marisa Tomei and various successful episodic guest-starring roles on shows like The Red Shoe Diaries.
His big break came in 1991, when The Young and the Restless creator William Bell cast LeBlanc in the role of his career: lawyer-turned-stalker Michael Baldwin, a role for which he was won two Daytime Emmy Awards as outstanding lead actor.
TV Guide.ca sat down with the charming and self-deprecating actor to dish about his front burner storyline, various Emmy controversies, and his upcoming appearance on the second annual Soap Cruise.
TVGuide.ca: I hear the Baldwins are front and centre in the coming months.
Christian LeBlanc: It’s always Baldwin week! One of us is always in trouble. Michael used to never have a family; now we’re taking over the show. [Laughs] I think my character is one of the best-written parts in daytime. Heck — the Baldwin family is one of the best families in daytime, too. And look who they hired to play my family: Greg Rikaart [Kevin], Emily O’Brien [Jana], Judith Chapman [Gloria], Ted Shackelford [Jeffrey] and Michael Gross [River]. I’m really happy Y&R is finally writing for Greg. It’s about time. For God’s sake, if you own a thoroughbred, ride him! Michael Graziadei [Daniel] is also a huge find. And that wasn’t an easy role to cast.
TVG: I love to nickname the Baldwin family scenes: So You Think You Can Steal a Scene from Judith Chapman? [Laughs]
CL: [Laughs] You have to give it to Judith! You’re right — it’s not easy stealing a scene from her.
TVG: She hasn’t met scenery she didn’t like chewing. But in a great way.
CL: Listen, I’ve told her it’s her nature to taste the scenery! There’s a gift to it. And it works with her character. Fans love her. I took her to New Orleans for a charity event, and she was mobbed. Plus, she’s a real broad. Judith has that rare star quality that shines through in her performances and in real life. I had tested several Oscar winners for the role of Gloria, and let me tell you, Judith walked into the room and blew them all out of the water.
TVG: I like to refer to Michael as the bitch whisperer because he’s the only person in soaps who can effectively communicate with, and understand bitches! And speaking of the bitches, why don’t they pair Phyllis and Michael together anymore?
CL: I know, right? Michelle and I do have a couple of scenes coming up. It’s hard when you have new writers come in. It takes a while for them to fully understand all the intricate relationships and friendships these characters have on the show right away. I miss working opposite her, for sure. I would never keep Michelle or Greg out of any episode because they are simply box office gold.
TVG: Is Lauren ever going to be more than an accessory to the Baldwin family?
CL: Poor thing! [Laughs] It’s hard being a part of a happy marriage on daytime. Sometimes I worry about us as a couple. There is certainly a voice Lauren can have in opposition to Michael that isn’t always heard on the show. Tracey Bregman tries to put it in there but there is only so much you can do. It’s funny because I’ve heard people rave about Tracey’s performance in a scene without her having one word of dialogue. And that’s the mark of a great actor. Around Christmas, Lauren and Michael have some interesting scenes coming up.
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TVG: I would never break up Michael and Lauren because you have the most realistic marriage on daytime, but it’d be nice to see some conflict once in a while. Your boss Maria Arena Bell has revived Y&R this past year. What’s the mood on the Y&R set these days?
CL: She’s a hoot! I like Maria a lot. I like that there are Bells around again. [Creator] William Bell gave me the role of my career. What’s wonderful these days is the fact that the canvas of our show is really mixing it up. Of course, Michael has always been more portable as a character than most, but we’re all intersecting with other people’s storylines. And that’s the way it should be. I know it’s hard to write these shows, but if you take into consideration the volume of history these characters share, it’s easy to create storyline that projects more story and conflict into the future. For example, the Katherine/Marge storyline is riveting and inspired. |
TVG: Watching Jeanne Cooper play Marge was akin to witnessing a great Broadway performance.
CL: Isn’t Jeanne brilliant? I really like Marge a lot. And that funeral? Wow.
TVG: That’s how it’s done. The best part was seeing my Tricia Cast back as Nina.
CL: Bar none, Tricia Cast is one of the best two actresses that I’ve ever worked with. The other being, of course, my partner-in-crime Michelle Stafford. In my mind, Tricia can do no wrong. She also hasn’t aged a day. I’ve been harassing her to come back to Y&R full time, but she’s as happy as a lark in Nashville. Tricia’s consummate. Remember when Michael tied up Nina with duct tape when I was harassing and stalking Christine? I learned a lot from working with Tricia — there’s no gilding the lily; there’s no milking it with her. Hillary B. Smith [Nora, One Life To Live] is a lot like Tricia, too, in that respect.
TVG: Are you happy with Michael’s new back story, thanks to the arrival of his Zen father, River?
CL: Yeah, I am. I could’ve waited to find Michael’s father, to be honest. I don’t like how rushed stories are on daytime these days. The drama in daytime isn’t firing the gun; it’s loading the gun. We need to build things more. But Michael Gross is great to work with. He’s such a flashback! And we also have Ted Shackelford [Jeffrey]!
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TVG: I have a huge crush on The Shack! The difference between William and Jeffrey proves what a dynamic and versatile actor Ted has always been. The best thing [former head writer] Lynn Marie Latham ever did was fire Ted as William.
CL: Right! I’m not a big fan of the twin device on soaps, but thank God CBS re-hired him. And look at him now. Ted was the man back in the day on Knots Landing, and when he joined Y&R there was no attitude. He’s unashamedly grateful for this job. When he was fired, he said, “I’m going to miss this. I didn’t realize I’d love it here so much.” There’s no artifice in him. You can see it in his acting.
TVG: Do you think Victor Newman is Michael’s real father figure?
CL: Thank you for saying that, my friend! Last Christmas, Y&R finally picked up on that beat when Lauren remarked how Michael looks up to Victor. Michael reveres and respects that while Victor slaughters anyone in his path, he does it for the love of his family, which Michael has lacked for some time. Before Adam came on, I always secretly wished Michael was really Victor’s son! |
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TVG: Your Emmy reel last year was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Your performance could only be described as transcendent. I’m still shocked you didn’t win. Those scenes opposite a paralyzed William were magnificent to watch. A master class in acting, really.CL: I remember you telling me the award was mine! [Laughs] When I won the Emmy the year before, during my acceptant speech I admitted I was afraid of Anthony Geary [Luke,
General Hospital]! When he won this past year, he turned to me and said: “Don’t worry, I have never eaten a fellow nominee!” As he walked up to get his Emmy, Geary paused, acknowledged Peter Bergman [Jack] and I — and bowed. Wow. That’s class. As for my reels, thank you. I admit those were powerful scenes and some of my best work. Working with Ted always brings out the best in you. I’m still amazed I’m nominated with the likes of great actors who cut their teeth in this industry like Anthony and David Canary [Adam,
AMC]. I started in medicine — and technically, I’m still on a leave of absence from my hospital but I remember watching Tracey Bregman [Lauren] on
Y&R because she started soaps when she was 14!
TVG: Are you bummed that CBS passed on airing the Emmys next year?
CL: What? I didn’t know that. Why? I’d love it be aired, of course. The purpose of the Emmys is to make money, but also to give the business good press. It doesn’t matter which network airs the telecast because we as the daytime community need to vote across show lines to honour the industry, not our network. But it’s like any voting institution — there is no indoctrination on how to vote. The biggest problem is participation and inertia. We need to excite people about this contest. There’s no way to make this contest fair. All we can do is inspire people to vote and show up to the judging panels. NATAS made a mistake by making it easy to judge the submissions. It shouldn’t be easy to judge. This is work. I wish we still had to show up to the panels instead of watching the DVDs at home. I liked that we had a duty and had to take an oath before we voted. We were there for a higher purpose. The Emmy is really an award for your entire show no matter who wins. I remember one year Camryn Grimes [ex-Cassie] didn’t win and she cried. The best advice I heard was when Bryant Jones [ex-Nate] was nominated and his mother said if your name is called the award is for everyone on the soap. So when he didn’t win he was fine — it wasn’t like his heart and soul was ripped out of his little body!
TVG: Where do you keep your two Emmy Awards?
CL: I keep them on my piano! It’s a great way to keep me on top of my piano lessons! Hopefully, my awards will one day help my playing! [Laughs]
TVG: You’re in your early 90s — how the hell do you keep your body in unreal shape! It’s a little intimidating to see how ripped you are when Michael takes off his shirt.
CL: [Laughs] I’ve stumbled upon sexy in my dotage! [Laughs] My manorexia! It isn’t easy, but thank you. I swam a lot when I was younger, and that’s how an agent found me, which launched my modeling career. But I’ll tell you the truth: I’m so highly strung that if I didn’t go to the gym, my head would blow off! And no one wants to see Michael fat and bald just yet!
TVG: Tell me about the Soap Cruise? This is the second time you’re attending.
CL: I can’t wait to do it again. Fans should know that there isn’t a private, VIP- section where stars run off to and hide. This fan event is very interactive. Last year, the actors felt like we were a rep company travelling on the road. I brought a few friends of mine last year and they remarked it was like being in a wax museum with all these beautiful stars. Stars like Brandon Beemer [Owen, The Bold and the Beautiful] and Nadia Bjorlin [Chloe, Days of our Lives] rendered people speechless. Having said that, everyone they booked on the cruise is super-friendly and nice. It’s the best of both worlds.
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Nelson Branco is a Toronto freelance entertainment journalist, who regularly contributes to Hello! Canada, The National Post, The Los Angeles Times' theenvelope.com, TV Guide USA, tvguide.com, Inside Entertainment, OUT, and fab magazine, along with spearheading the soap coverage for TVGuide.ca's popular daytime TV hub. After graduating from Ryerson University in 1997, he moved from Toronto to New York in 1998 to take on the roles as senior news editor at Soap Opera Update. Branco first freelanced for Soap Opera Weekly as an intern in 1994, and after leaving Soap Update to help create and launch Bauer Publishing's In Touch Weekly in 2003, Branco continued to freelance occasionally for its sister publication, Soaps In Depth. Most recently, he helped create and launch Canada's first celebrity magazine, Weekly Scoop in 2005 as its news and entertainment director. Branco is also a contributor to a new TV show titled Planet Soap to air in Canada and America.
