B&B’s
John McCook and Y&R’s Peter Bergman:
They
both enjoy sports, love music, and are great family guys. But what really makes
their friendship strong is the sense of humor that Peter Bergman (JACK, Y&R)
and John McCook (ERIC, B&B) share. In fact, when SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE
interviewed the two veteran actors in tandem, it was almost like talking to a
comedy team. “Make us Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble,” said Peter with a
laugh. Here’s what we found out about these two good pals:
THE
FRIENDSHIP BEGINS
SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE: We know B&B and Y&R are taped in the same studio, but how did you meet?
PETER:
It all started when “Fred” here walked up to me in the hall after I’d be
on Y&R for about three weeks. He said, “Hi, my name is John McCook. I just
wanted to welcome you, and tell you that you’ve come here with a lovely
reputation.” I said, “Uh-oh, thanks.”
I
was well aware who John McCook was, because I watch daytime TV. He said, “I
know you have a family and I’ve got a family. Maybe we can all hook up at some
point.” I thought that was great. Our families met when we took the kids to
see a screening of The Wizard of Oz. Afterward, my wife Mariellen said,
“I’d like to get together with the McCooks. They are real.”
We
were planning a Christmas party, and Mariellen asked if we should invite the
McCooks. I said I’d love to, but thought it would be too overwhelming for them
with lots of other people around. So we didn’t But the very next day after our
party, we got an invitation to their Christmas party! Well, for two years
now we’ve been explaining to the McCooks, “We were going to invite you to
the party, dammit.”
John:
They come to our party, fit in very nicely… and by the way, they ate a
lot of our food!
ONE
BIG HAPPY
Soap
Opera Magazine: You are friends at the studio. You’re friends at home. Your
wives are friends, and your kids are
friends!
Peter:
Our wives talk more often than we do. It’s great!
John:
That didn’t even evolve. That just happened with the opening of a door.
Peter:
Sometimes when you go out with another married couple, you like him, you like
her, you like the kids, but your kids don’t like their kids. That happens. So
with all these variables, it’s amazing we found the McCooks.
KEEPING
UP WITH THE JONESES
John: My wife Laurette now has a phone in her car because Mariellen has a phone in her car. The only thing we have that the Bergmans don’t have is a third child. I don’t think they are going to do that, so we can hold that over their heads.
Peter:
(laughs) It’s clear that we want that third child, but we want them to
do it!
John:
Molly knows who Daddy is on television. Any other actor on TV is “Peter”.
TREASURED
MOMENT
John:
This year at the Emmys, Katherine Kelly Lang (BROOKE) and I were backstage,
waiting to present an award. ON the TV monitor, I saw them reading the nominees
for Best Actor in Daytime. The envelope was opened and it was “Peter
Bergman”. I screamed! To stand there and see Peter on national television
receive and acknowledge his reward. Then it was time for him to come offstage
and for me to go to the podium. We passed on another and I could feel the
adrenaline coming out of his body. We got to high-five on another onstage, on
national TV!
Peter:
It was like a scene out of a buddy movie. When I got the Emmy, part of my
acceptance speech was thanking the McCook family, who had been with me through
an incredibly bizarre year in my career. I finished the speech and turned around.
John was the first person standing in the wings and I had to go offstage that
way. It was like a movie in slow motion. It’s my favorite moment in our
friendship.
FUTURE
MEMORIES
By Rosemary Rossi
Soap Opera Magazine, not dated