I had watched Y&R off and on for a few years before becoming a regular viewer, so I was familiar with the Victor Newman character. I had heard some people compare him to JR Ewing, so I read some history on the character, and had taken a liking to him, but it was just something about Eric Braeden, more so than Victor. It was rare to see a "vulnerable" side to Victor, but the one scene that had stuck with me the most, was when Victor visited his biological father in the nursing home before the man died.
The story was that Victor's father had abandoned him and his mother, and she in turn left him on the doorstep of an orphanage at a young age. I believe his mother was already dead when he made the trip to see his father. George Kennedy played the part; he was so nasty, that even some of the Victor haters felt bad for him, and in the end Victor, who was known as this "ruthless" and "cold hearted" human being, sat outside of that room and cried like a baby. I recall reading about how he had millions of fans crying along with him, me being one of them!. That scene was just plain AWESOME, and no one but Eric could have pulled that off! Over the years, this man has rocked it out on Y&R like no other.
I have heard - and read, about many celebrities who won't interact with fans, and some even pretend that we simply don't exist; leaving those feeling rejected by their favorite celebrities. But, every once in a while, fans come in contact with some of the most generous celebrities, who will so graciously interact with the fans in person and on social media.
Eric Braeden is one of the most fan friendly celebrities. He continuously thanks the fans for watching the show, and he is always responding to us on Twitter; we follow each other, and for him to follow me, has been a true gift - second best for not being able to meet him. I can't even imagine how many tweets he gets every few seconds; as he has millions of fans from around the world, and he is awesome at answering as many people as he possibly can.
Eric truly cares about his fans; he knows about Jeff's disease and has asked me about him on several occasions. For as many fans as he has, he doesn't show even an ounce of arrogance! A few weeks ago, a follower/friend of mine was on her way to see him in Canada, and offered to take my book to him; so I mailed it to her, and not only did he get the book, he allowed pictures of him with it! Once I completed the basics on my website, I tweeted the link to him, and he so graciously retweeted it, and told me that he happily supports me because I've been a loyal fan for years; there is no way I can thank him enough!
Eric has allowed so many of us to get to know the man behind Victor Newman, and I for one, will be forever grateful to him. EB, THANK YOU for being this AWESOME and down to Earth man, and the example of true kindness to everyone you come in contact with; both in person, and on social media. I will never forget your kindness in helping me with launching my new career as an Author; and if I do succeed, I hope to do the same for someone else one day.
Hey Lisa! Thank you for joining my site and for the comment! There's no doubt that Eric really does correspond with us; WOW, you got to talk to the man on the phone! That's quite special!
Spot on, Amy! I always look froward to your blog posts but this one in particular was one I was especially excited to read. I have been asked many times if I really believe that it is Eric Braeden that is speaking back to me on the internet? Yes, I sure do! I had the opportunity to speak with him only one time on the phone but from even that brief encounter he selflessly gave enough of himself that I believe his correspondences are genuine and real. Thank you for writing this. I often feel it is underappreciated how much some people truly give and more, give BACK to their art form. He is certainly no exception. Thank you, Amy!