POWER-DRESSED in a stylish black shirt and formal pants, Don Diamont walks on to the set of The Bold and the Beautiful with a sense of authority and purpose. And it isn’t that he has a big ego. With close on three decades in the TV industry, that’s him simply wearing his proficiency on his sleeve.
With South Africa a good few months behind on the plot, I can’t delve much into the scenes tackled on the day. But I can honestly say Diamont is on fire on set. He executes his scenes with commendable dexterity and flair.
His energy and toned body belie his 48 years. The only telltale sign is his wealth of experience as an actor.
Seated in his dressing room after his scenes, I ask him whether it was difficult erasing all traces of Brad Carlton – his character in The Young and the Restless for more than two decades.
“Not at all, because he (Bill) is so dramatically different. If I was sort of playing a character very much like Brad and given another name, that would have been difficult for me. And I don’t think it would have been well received. Bill is so dramatically different,” he says.
And that was the selling point in him agreeing to the role of Bill Spencer jr.
“I was given a broad outline of him and he sounded like a pretty dynamic guy,” nods Diamont. “I immediately had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with him and I started to formulate his emotional life. And I had some strong ideas of what he would look like physically in terms of his appearance and his dress style.”
Let’s talk relationships: how does he really feel about Katie? After all, Steffy has certainly set her eyes on Bill, which will be seen on our screens later this month.
“He loves Katie. She is the love of his life and he has so much respect for her. She made him see things he wouldn’t have seen for himself. She grounds him.
“And she has sort of softened his edges a little bit and made him aware that he does, at times, have a heart,” he shares.
That he is a power-hungry bad boy who has become a serious thorn in the side of the Forrester clan is evident by the way he keeps trying to usurp control of their company and property.
On the tricky juggling act of Bill’s business and personal interests, Diamont shares: “I think viewers can already see how he can juggle things.
“He compartmentalises his life well. Sometimes where he gets caught is with his business decisions conflicting with his personal life and relationships. That does get a little bit dicey and he tries to navigate as best he can. I won’t say he is successful, but he tries.”
Interestingly, the seasoned actor hints at a temporary truce between him and the Forresters at some point down the line.
While a dynamo and a force to be reckoned with, his recklessness with his heart is going to trigger lots of unwanted drama and tension.
“His emotional life continues to make things very complex,” he hints.
There is no mistaking the fact that Diamont revels in his role and as long as he gets to play his conflicted character with juicy story arcs, he isn’t going anywhere else any time soon.
HEATHER TOM
SUCH has been her sway as Katie Logan that Heather Tom bagged the Outstanding Supporting Actress honours at this year’s 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Las Vegas.
Perfectly composed despite her big win, the 35-year-old actress enthuses: “It was a surprise, yeah! I knew all the ladies in the category and I know their work. I’ve known some of them for more than 20 years. I thought anyone of us had the potential to win it. I was rooting for all of us.”
As B&B addicts can attest to, Katie has transformed since leaving an indelible impression as a Miss Goody Two-Shoes. Unlike her sisters, Brooke and Donna, who use their sexuality to get what they want, Katie’s adopted a more wholesome approach.
“Brooke uses her vulnerability and Donna seduces. Katie uses her reasoning to navigate her way in and around problems. But they all have their Achilles heel.
“And, in so doing, she just happened to land, in my opinion, the best catch – Bill Spencer jr.
“It is very stunning to play someone who started out one way and evolves into this young independent woman who stands on her own two feet. And she recognises her own ambitions and isn’t afraid of going after what she wants. She continues to find her voice. To a large part, it is exciting to play a character like this,” she admits.
On being paired with Diamont, the actress, who has previously worked on The Young and the Restless, One Life to Live and All My Children, shares: “His character is definitely not subtle. It is fun.
“Don really cares about the work. I trust him implicitly as an actor. It is important to know you are going to be in a show with someone who gives a 110 percent.”
Getting to the discord in her character’s marriage, she says: “Katie has to kind of figure out how she is going to deal with that. And she knows Bill can’t be led by the nose.
“Besides, she doesn’t want someone completely whipped. She wants a man with integrity who isn’t a liar and a cheater.”
Given the latter part of that statement, it is easy to identify with Katie’s roused suspicion when she learns that Bill concealed information pertaining to Steffy from her.
And so the seeds of doubt are planted and the drama erupts more fiercely than a volcano.
l The Bold and the Beautiful airs on SABC1 at 6pm on weekdays.