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Leading Men, Shocking Emotions

Canyon News

Posted by Tommy Garrett on Jul 1, 2011 – 5:44:25 PM

HOLLYWOOD—This week’s Leading Men Gold Standard goes to Stephen Nichols, who portrays billionaire Tucker McCall on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless,” and Adam Gregory, who portrays ambitious Thomas Forrester on CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Both men showcased strong and yet tortured men this week, with Nichols doing some of the best work he’s done in decades as Tucker and Gregory able to portray remorse, guilt and betrayal like few young thespians can do in this industry.

Stephen Nichols is one of those actors you just want to watch forever. The ruggedly handsome actor puts so much into his roles, whatever he plays can be counted on for dependability. He has played hero, villain and everything in between. But this week, Nichols played a convalescing Tucker who woke up remembering that it was Abby, not Ashley, behind the wheel of the car that struck him weeks ago, the night before his wedding with Ashley.

His romantic and poignant scenes with Eileen Davidson, as Ashley, sent shivers down my spine. So determined to be a romantic, Tucker asked Ashley to marry him immediately and to start their future. Ashley, like most women, could not resist the troubled businessman. However, his joy soon turned to rage, as a weakened Tucker forced his mother Katherine out of his hospital room when she told him how she’d made difficult decisions about his company while he’s been in a coma. Tucker was furious and the scenes between Jeanne Cooper and our favorite leading man, Stephen Nichols, left me in tears. It was chilling when Tucker viciously ordered Katherine out of his hospital room and from his his life and when he was handed the discharge papers and you realized Tucker could not even understand the words he was signing off on.

How Nichols, an acting genius playing a giant of industry businessman, played the scene with real confusion in his eyes is beyond me. All I’ll say is, thank you Maria Bell for not killing off Tucker. Stephen Nichols is far more thrilling than most leading men on television today.

 Adam Gregory is such a nice young man, a good standup guy, who always tells the truth. Why is it that Thomas is the opposite of that? The role he plays is a polar opposite of himself; but it’s exciting to watch Thomas weave his lies and get what he wants. He wanted 25 percent of Forrester Creations. He got a paper saying he’d get just that, but the thing he had to do to repay grandma Stephanie was to lie about an affair that he claims happened with stepmother Brooke. Thomas’s rage and shame for setting up his stepmother, who is always supportive of him, was thrilling to watch. More thrilling were the exciting scenes played by a splendid young leading man, who proves he’s a hell of a lot more than just a handsome face, chiseled muscles, tall, dark and handsome! Alright, you get the picture. If you are not watching daytime dramas, you are missing out on great entertainment, especially “B&B” and “Y&R,” better known as soaps Bell-style.

 “Y&R” and “B&B” both air weekdays on CBS.

 Photograph is Courtesy: Stephen Nichols by John Paschal, JPI Studios

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