Michael Damian is back as Danny Romalotti (my favorite actor on the show) on The Young and The Restless to celebrate it’s 35th Anniversary this week, but before we see him on CBS he answered some of my questions like what it is like to be back performing on the show and what he is up to now!
SOW: What is like being back on The Young and the Restless? MD: It was a lot of fun. Sort of like a high school reunion. It was wonderful to have a chance to see all my old friends again and meeting some new ones. The cast and crew surprised me with a standing ovation when I walked on the set. It was a very touching moment for me.
SOW: What was your reaction when they asked you back to celebrate their 35th year on TV? MD: It was a great call to get. It was a pleasant surprise. It was sort of funny because my first question was, “what is the story going to be?” but they had no answer because it was during the writers strike. So it was all a big mystery until I got my first script.
SOW: What was it like singing on the show again? MD: Surreal. Specially since the concert that I’m performing on the 26th had almost the entire cast in the audience. That was a first. Looking out in the crowd and seeing Victor Newman bustin’ a move was really fun. I think this was very important for the character of Danny. When I came back to the show in 2004, Danny didn’t perform any music which seemed to be out of character for him. The fans really gave me a hard time about that.
SOW:Any chance of you going back to Y&R full time? MD: That depends on 3 things. 1. Y&R would have to make me an offer. 2. It would depend on my schedule as a film director. 3. I would only return to Genoa City full time if I could wear my 80’s hair and spandex.
SOW: When are we going to get a new album from you? What can you tell us about it? MD: My new EP is available on iTunes now featuring my new single “Getting So Much Better.” which I will be performing on Y&R March 26th.
SOW: You recently directed and wrote the movie Moondance Alexander, can you tell us about it? How do you like being behind the camera? MD: I love writing and directing. It is such a creative process with so many moving parts. It really is a tremendous challenge but is equally rewarding. It’s a thrill when you see the final result on the big screen. I wrote the movie with my wife, Janeen. It is based on her adventures in Mississippi with her Pinto pony named Checkers. It’s an against all odds story that leaves you feeling inspired. We wanted to make a film with positive family values that was also fun and entertaining to watch. It stars Kay Panabaker, Don Johnson, Lori Loughlin and James Best. We were fortunate to have great success in the festivals. We won best picture at Newport Beach, the Grand Jury Prize in Vienna and Best screenplay at L.A. Femme, 20th Century Fox is releasing the film on DVD April, 29th 2008.
SOW: Tell us about your radio show? Where can we listen to it and how did it come about? MD: I enjoy guest hosting for the Independent Music Network. It’s great to always keep up with the newest music scene and helping introduce new artists is a real thrill for me. The show airs all around the world but you can always catch it on www.michaeldamian.com.
SOW: What else are you working on if the above is not enough? MD: Janeen and I are writing a new script right now. We are also gearing up to shoot our next movie “Christmas at Castlebury Hall” this fall.
I hope that they bring Michael Damian back to Y&R because I miss him spandex with ’80s hair! That was a good look for him! Even though he looked great in the ’80s, his career is only getting better in the new millennium with being back on Y&R, a new EP Getting So Much Better, writing and directing two features Moondance Alexander and the upcoming Christmas at Castlebury Hall and a radio show on The Independent Music Network!
BTW he looks the same as he did when the started on the show back when had ’80s hair and wore spandex! He hasn’t aged a day!
Thank you to Catherine for setting up the interview and Michael Damian for taking the time to do it!
