Bold & Beautiful’s Sean Kanan Shares His Sound Advice for Deacon — and Us! Plus, Why Bill and Ridge Might Want to Start Worrying
“It’s definitely time for Deacon to reap a few rewards!”
If you’re riding the struggle bus, The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Sean Kanan (Deacon) feels your pain, because he’s been there, too. “I found myself in a place a while ago where I’d had some pretty significant success, but I’d had some epic failures, too, some of which were rather well publicized. I had no prospects for acting work, was 35 pounds overweight and was still dealing with some demons I thought I had said goodbye to.”
In other words, things weren’t looking particularly awesome. “I realized I needed to do something different very quickly. So rather than wait for my ship to come in, I decided I was going to build the ship.”
A year later, he’d lost the weight, written a second book (Success Factor X) and spearheaded nearly every aspect of Studio City — which, not for nothing, received 16 Emmy nominations (including a win for Outstanding Digital Drama). “I don’t say all of that to impress people,” he insists, “I say it to impress upon them what is possible when you get clear on your goals, when you come up with a course of action and not only start getting honest with yourself, but really cultivating emotional intelligence.”
Yes, Kanan says, Season 2 of Studio City will be coming soon…
Credit: Studio City/Amazon Prime
More: Krista Allen speaks in defense of Brooke
As he explains in the self-help book Way of The Cobra: Unleash Your Inner Badass, the secret to getting things back on track is a simple concept that some find difficult to get behind. “It’s the difference between discipline and self-discipline,” he explains. “The best way to equate it is that discipline is when you go to the gym three times a week and you have a trainer, which is great. But self-discipline is when you wake your butt up at 6 a.m. three times a week and do it yourself.”
Translation: Reading his book is a great start… but it won’t get the job done. “I’m able to teach all sorts of strategies and philosophies that I know have the ability to be transformational in people’s lives, but without action, they’re useless.”
One of the things he’s most enjoyed about personal appearances at which he gets to meet fans and readers is hearing stories about how people have put the tools he’s provided them to good use. “When people come to these events, they ask me questions about their personal life,” he says. “They ask me about some of the struggles that I’ve had and how I’ve overcome them. It winds up becoming a very gritty, honest conversation, and I like that sense of community.”
One upcoming event he’s particularly excited about is the May 19 book signing at the Barnes and Noble in West Hollywood’s The Grove. Why? Because it’s a family affair with dad Dale Richard Perelman (author of Death at the Hotel Cecil in Los Angeles) and sis Robyn Bernstein (author of Songs From the Other Side). “It started out as dad’s signing,” laughs Kanan. “He asked if I wanted to join, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to steal your spotlight!’ Then we brought in my sister, so people are going to get all three of us!”
Kanan would suggest Deacon stop dreaming of a better life and make it happen!
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
More: The Netflix show outsoaping the soaps
One person who could probably use a little of Kanan’s motivatio is his Bold & Beautiful alter ego, Deacon. “Yeah, the guy needs to get himself out of that broom closet,” laughs the actor. “I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if Deacon Sharpe actually had a legitimate financial base and was on equal footing with guys like Ridge and Bill. What would that look like?”
Certainly, Deacon’s been putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to having changed. “Now it’s time to see some forward momentum,” suggests his portrayer. “It’s not about having fancy clothes and that sort of thing, but that he’s working his way out of this massive hole since he got out of prison and he’s incrementally putting his life back together. Eventually, he could become a real power player.”
Check out this photo gallery to see just how far Deacon has come over the years!
