The Bold and the Beautiful: John McCook’s surprising reaction to Rebecca Budig being hired
What John McCook said to Rebecca Budig about joining The Bold and the Beautiful — before she even got on set or shot her first scene.
John McCook of The Bold and the Beautiful on Soapy
On Soapy with Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart, a CBS podcast for all things daytime drama, John McCook was their most recent guest. As fans of The Bold and the Beautiful know, McCook is one of only two original cast members of the show, playing the iconic role of Eric Forrester (the other is Katherine Kelly Lang, who plays Brooke Forrester).
The podcast began with Budig arguing about who adored McCook more, with both calling him their favorite. Budig, his current B&B costar, shared a fond memory with Rikaart and viewers. (Rebecca Budig plays Dr. Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful, and Rikaart is Leo Stark, Days of our Lives and also Kevin Fisher on The Young and the Restless.)
Budig called McCook one of the nicest men in Hollywood, and said she could prove it. She pulled out her phone to read a text message she had received from McCook when he had heard she’d been hired for The Bold and the Beautiful. She said it was the first text she received from the show upon booking. The message read:
“Rebecca, this is John McCook, “the old guy” on B&B. I want to welcome you to our show, and assure you you’ll love it there — best show in all of L.A. to work on. I won’t be in until after you’ve shot your first days but when we meet, you can tell me all about it. Thorsten Kaye [Ridge Forrester, B&B] is great fun (don’t tell him I said that) and Taylor has needed a wonderful player for years. Enjoy and see you soon.”
“Isn’t that the nicest text ever?” Budig asked Rikaart. When McCook joined them for his interview, Budig recalled what it was like as a newcomer joining a show that was “a well-oiled machine” and how it felt to receive a welcome text like that from the legendary actor. “I can’t tell you how much that meant to me,” Budig told him warmly.
McCook agreed it was a nice thing to do, then made her laugh by admitting he liked to do the same for all new castmates.
You can watch the full episode of Soapy with Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart here.