Y&R icon talks finding love in daytime
Melody Thomas Scott wasn’t looking to find the love of her life when she left The Waltons to play The Young and the Restless’ Nikki Reed 45 years ago, but the daytime icon managed to find him – twice!
Off-screen, the actress, whose first film role was in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964 thriller Marnie, has built a life and a family with Edward J. Scott – her former The Young and Restless executive producer, who is now a supervising producer on sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful. The couple celebrated 38 of marriage last October.
Then, there’s Scott’s work husband, Eric Braeden, who plays the inimitable Victor Newman. While Victor and Nikki’s onscreen romance has certainly taken many hits over the years, the super-couple’s milestone anniversary proves they can survive anything – including the tests of times, temptation, divorce and even death!
“What a blessing,” Scott marvels. “Eric is an incredible scene partner, and in the beginning, we had no idea what an astounding opportunity we had been given.”
Y&R star Melody Thomas Scott Reflects on Nikki and Victor
Scott was first paired with Braeden back in 1981 in a My Fair Lady story that saw dapper businessman Victor take young, struggling stripper Nikki under his wing.
“Over the years, they have become an iconic couple in the fans’ eyes because they started out as the most unlikely pairing you could ever imagine,” Scott says. “And then against all odds, they fell deeply in love, and everyone was rooting for them.”
After a few false starts and the birth of their daughter Victoria, the couple finally tied the knot in 1984…and 2002…and 2013.
“Invariably, things have gone south,” Scott says. “They separate, they marry others and they get back together. It’s become a long saga of push/pull that the viewers have become enamored with. They’re very invested in Nikki and Victor. They feel that they know us or want to know us, and I’m so honored to be half of that.”
Y&R star Melody Thomas Scott talks chemistry with Eric Braeden
While their chemistry seemed electric from the start, Scott reveals it took her and Braeden by surprise.
“Even back in the stripping days, we didn’t know we were going to have the chemistry that we had,” she admits. “We didn’t understand why Bill was putting us together, at all. But Bill, in all his wisdom, knew what he was doing.”
Scott is referring to The Young and the Restless‘ creator, William J. Bell, who had a knack for spotting chemistry between his players.
