Jason Thompson – The Young and The Restless

By starrymag | June 10, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) Most of my day job is over at “The Young and The Restless” playing Billy Abbott, which has been a fantastic couple of months. With the cast, crew and everyone that is involved with it has been really fun. After being on “General Hospital” for ten years it was really nice to make a change. I couldn’t imagine it going any better, speaking for myself. Not only that, but the project of being a dad is front and center for me. Those two things are where my focus is at right now.

Q) How was Billy Abbott originally described to you?

A) He was someone who walks the line a little bit. There is an edginess to him and a recklessness to him. But there is also a charm to him and an inability to not really necessarily stay mad at the guy. I’m learning more and more about him and he puts himself in situations that aren’t always the most desirable to the outside out, but at the same time (from my understanding) he always finds rhyme and reason for everything. The other thing that I think that is really kind of important about him is that he really loves his family. He really loves and he loves hard and sometimes that gets him into trouble.

Q) Is that also what drives him? He’s a very complex character.

A) He’s a very complex character and I always think there is a deeper level to him. He’s also really, really fun to play and I feel like that is the most exciting about him. There is always something exciting or another level of depth to him. He loves his kids, he loves his ex, he can’t stand his ex at times, he falls for his brother’s wife…That’s heavy. He loves his brother and doesn’t want to hurt him, but screw that because I’m in love with this girl. There is a lot going on in his world. He’s a very complex guy and as an actor you dream about a character like that. Especially in the soap world, it’s ever evolving and I get to play him every day so there is always something going on. It’s really about living another life in another way. It’s great.

Q) Was there anything you added to Billy that may not have been scripted?

A) I think that happens naturally. He was played by a couple of other actors and they all put their stamp on him. I think we all bring something different to the role. I think it is hard to compare those things because everybody does do something different. But at the same time, I’m just trying to stay true to what the network, producers and writers have in mind. I’m just trying to put my head down and be this character as much as I can. There are going to be things in me that come out naturally of me than any other person that might be playing him. At the same time, I think there is a natural thing that happens when somebody else takes on a character. I don’t know if I’ve personally added anything. I have my views about how a scene may play, but other than that I try to stay true to their idea and how they want to portray this story.

Q) Did you speak with Billy Miller to discuss the history behind Billy Abbott?

A) We didn’t necessarily talk about history, but we talked about going over there and the people we worked with over there. He just kind of wished me luck. He’s a good dude. He’s a good actor. It’s part of the business, the ins and outs of daytime. It was just catching up what it was going to be like with a little bit of a change.

Q) What do you find challenging about this character?

A) I think there is a relentlessness to him and a depth to him. I think it is really understanding some of the choices that he makes. It’s so much fun because on the surface you could think one thing, but like I said the deeper you go there is always something else that shows itself. There is always something else that comes to light, some other past scene that influences who he is. To me, it’s always something that continues to develop. The hard thing is keeping it fresh, but there is always something new that keeps you going.

Q) What was it like joining an already established cast?

A) My utmost respect to everyone over there because they have just been working on the series for such a long time. I was just grateful to have the opportunity to come over there and step in and just get to work. They just welcomed me with open arms – everyone from CBS to Sony to the actual people on the crew, writers, producers and the actors. Playing opposite Gina [Tognoni], Amelia [Heinle] and Peter Bergman…they are people that really know what they are doing. They are very smart people. So, it was really, really fun to get in there and mix it up. Just to continue to see how the relationship blossoms as it continues to develop is just a really, really good time. I’m just so grateful for them allowing me to come in and play.

Q) Talk a little bit more about working with Gina Tognoni.

A) She is a firecracker in such a great way. She’s smart and wants to have fun and go for it. I don’t think there are better attributes than that. She has the understanding and the emotional depth to tell the story and the smarts to know how to navigate it. To be opposite that, especially the last couple of months, has been really, really fun. We have a great relationship. We talk a lot and try to understand the choices our characters are making, why we make them and how do we just be true to what this might be for two human beings. We have that conversation often. With all of this going on, we’re just two human beings trying to figure this all out. So, let’s just do that. She’s on board. It’s just a great collaboration.

Q) Have you seen the positive feedback to “Philly” and how do you feel about their pairing?

A) I don’t get to see a lot of the feedback. Realistically, all I get to see is Twitter every once and a while. But I don’t necessarily know too much about it. I hope people like it or if they don’t like it or they think it is wrong or whatever, I can totally understand that. All of that is good. If it keeps them watching I guess…I think that is part of what we do in daytime. It’s constantly pushing the envelope and keeping it fresh in a way. As far as my opinion on how people like it, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. That’s not necessarily my position, but as an actor you want people to appreciate what you are doing and I hope that they do. But it’s not really my place in that kind of thing. Of course, I want them to like it. It’s part of entertaining. It’s what we get paid for – to put the show on the road. I hope they like it.

Q) Do you notice the difference between your former character Patrick from “General Hospital” and Billy?

A) Yeah, there is not a lot of militaries between the two. Maybe Billy is a little bit like Patrick’s younger years before he got married and had a child. He was a little bit more reckless like Billy, but Billy has continued to be that way when Patrick kind of grew up a little bit. I think that is part of the interesting thing for me coming into this character. I feel like I’ve gotten him at an age where he has to grow up at a certain point. There is a lightness to him. There is a childlike energy to him. We have to make sure we keep that, but at the same time his kids are getting up in years. So, there has to be some sort of transition. I find myself at that stage right now, but I don’t really see a lot of similarities to them.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable from playing Billy?

A) It was probably my first day, really getting in there and having that episode where he has that out of body experience – acting alongside those giants that I was able to work with on that first day. It was great and I think that was probably the biggest day so far. It was, “Here I am. It’s my first day on this iconic show.” I didn’t have a lot of time off between both shows so I got in there and was prepared as possible. I had a lot of fun and just let it go. It felt really, really good to get in there and mix it up with these people.

Q) What do you think it is about Billy that endears him so much to the fandom?

A) I think for the fans, they watched him grow up. You watch a character grow up and you fall in love with the hurt that they have been through. You fall in love with the happiness they have been through. You start to root for them in a way. I think, again, that is what daytime does really well. We get to do that for fifty years and continue to go on and on and tell the story on a daily basis. You get to see the struggle. You don’t get to see that on other television shows. You don’t even get to see that on reality shows. Just to see that struggle every day they start to understand the thought process and the emotional life that these people have with these characters. Our job is to bring them to life and I think with the Billy character there is something reckless. There is a little bit of a bad boy and what is going to happens next. I think that is intriguing for the audience.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the fan feedback you receive to episodes?

A) Yeah, sometimes it is really great. Sometimes it is just fun to step outside of the show for a little bit and get to know them – let them in on your world a little bit. Obviously, the future is here now and for a long time for actors that wasn’t really part of the job. Now, it’s somewhat part of the job. I just try to embrace it. It’s fun to hear that people are liking it. It’s fun to hear that people are hating it, but at the same time are respecting it. Obviously, there are some people who don’t want you there, but it’s all part of the job. I’m one of the people who if you just listen to the positive you aren’t doing yourself any good. You have to look at it all and take it with a grain of salt – the good the bad and everything. Just put your head down and do the work.

Q) What would you like to be sure fans know about Billy?

A) I think we’re always trying to understand human nature. I think that what is exciting for me is that I’m portraying a guy who is just trying to go through life and figure it out. As I said before, he loves hard and falls hard and sometimes that gets him into trouble. As far as the audience knowing about him, the only thing you can try to know is that you are always changing and evolving as a human being so let’s go on the ride together.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I would just absolutely say from the bottom of my heart thank you for the support. Over the years of being in a genre, I can’t tell everybody how grateful I am to be able to love what I do the way I do and get the opportunity to do it on a daily basis. To do it at such an iconic place like “The Young and the Restless” is a dream come true. To be able to collaborate with such a great group of people the way that I do and to have the fans support it…The daytime fans, there are no fans like them. There really isn’t. I’ve been around long enough whether it is music or TV, there is nothing like daytime fans. I’m just grateful that they have allowed me to prove myself and I continue to prove myself worthy of their viewership.