Victor Newman Y&R
Credit: CBS

“Practice,” he says of memorizing lines, “makes almost perfect.”

There are many reasons to love The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden, not the least of which is that Victor’s portrayer is never shy when it comes to sharing his opinions. Whether he’s offering praise or condemnation, one always knows where they stand with him, thanks in large part to his active Twitter presence.

Recently, Braeden gave viewers a glimpse into what life is really like behind the scenes of a soap, posting a picture of himself with co-star Eileen Davidson (Ashley) and sharing that the cast had filmed 110 pages on Thursday and another 100 pages the following day. “That takes an extraordinarily disciplined group of actors and crew,” he wrote.

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To give people an idea of just how massive an undertaking that is, he pointed out that “the average film” shoots around two-three pages a day, while primetime shows typically film between eight and 12 pages.

 

If anyone knows what goes into productions outside of daytime, it’s Braeden. Over the years, he has appeared in everything from Titanic to The Night Stalker, Gunsmoke to How I Met Your Mother.

As people asked questions about other aspects of production, Braeden took the opportunity to shut down one persistent rumor. “We do not use [cue] cards or teleprompters,” he said, using all caps and several exclamation points to drive home the point that the actors really do memorize all those lines.

“People,” he wrote, “even in our business, have no idea how insanely fast and hard our cast and crew work. I have great respect for my cast members!”

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Braeden also took the time to discuss both Victor’s current and past storylines. When a fan suggested that allowing Adam to victimize the Newman family made Victor look weak and foolish, the actor admitted it was true but also explained things from his alter ego’s point of view. “[Victor] is a father first to all his children, and when one [Adam] is obviously in trouble, especially emotionally, [Victor] steps in to help. Psychological pain is often worse than physical distress!

“One doesn’t abandon one’s children, ever,” he added.

Before heading to the comments to debate whether or not the relationship between Adam and his dad can ever be salvaged, consider clicking on the gallery below to relive some of Victor’s greatest (and not-so-greatest) moments.