Brian Gaskill has been on five other soap operas so it’s only natural that he’d run into some familiar faces now that he’s on The Young and the Restless as Seth, Nikki’s AA sponsor. The actor reconnected with one familiar face, Peter Bergman, who played his dad on a soap opera — even though the two men never shared a single scene together. Gaskill recently talked to Soap Hub about the father-and-son reunion.
Brian Gaskill: The Doctor Is Out
In 1995, Gaskill was cast as teen Bobby Warner, son of Dr. Cliff Warner and the late Sybil Thorne (Linda Gibboney), on the New York-based All My Children. Bergman, of course, wasn’t on the show as Cliff anymore. He was 3,000 miles away in Hollywood continuing to play the role of Jack Abbott, having joined Y&R in 1989. After Gaskill was cast on Y&R, he made sure to pay his “TV dad” a visit.
“First day,” Gaskill shares, “I took a risk and went over to the set he was working in to say hi. Even though we never worked together, he knew I’d played his son. I’d seen him at awards shows. He was always really, really nice. But I hadn’t seen him in years.”
Gaskill no longer looks like blond-haired Bobby but rather a man in his 50s, who is sporting hair that’s more gray than blond. “[Peter] recognized me immediately,” the Y&R newcomer says. “Big smile. Big hug. He asked me what I was doing there and I told him [I was on the show].”
Bergman was enthused that Gaskill was on board in Genoa City. “He’s such a ball of energy, so positive, so welcoming,” says the actor, who would have understood if Bergman hadn’t recognized him. “I’m going to be 54 [on January 22]. I have salt-and-pepper hair that’s getting whiter by the month. I’m fine with it. I feel like I’m blond again. I like the texture and the colors.”
Gaskill says he did initially stump Colleen Zenk, who’s been tearing it up as Aunt Jordan, when they encountered one another. The actress was on As the World Turns as Barbara when Gaskill played the part of BJ Green for four months in 2005. “She asked who I was. I told her and she said, ‘Oh, my gosh! You’ve grown up!’”
Now that he’s reconnected with some familiar faces, Gaskill is looking forward to digging into who Seth is; he won’t be surprised if a few curveballs are thrown his way during his journey. “When I did Port Charles [as Rafe Kovich], I didn’t know my character was dead and a guardian angel for the first four months I was there!” he says with a bit of a laugh. “I can’t promise to say I know everything about this guy yet but I bring myself to him. He has a desire to be a good person.”
While Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) can lean on her sponsor, Seth may have his own woes with which he deals. “We’re all very human and damaged,” Gaskill offers. “Seth’s not perfect or ‘Mr. Goody Two-Shoes.’ My goal is to keep Seth human and complicated.”