‘The Bold and the Beautiful’: Thorsten Kaye and John McCook’s On-Screen Relationship Translated to a Real-Life Bond
The Bold and the Beautiful revolves around the wealthy Forrester family and their fashion empire, Forrester Creations. Two of the most well-known Forresters on the show are Eric Forrester (John McCook) and his eldest son, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye).
The actors who play the father-son duo have been working together for 10 years and have a great relationship in real life.
Thorsten Kaye replaced Ronn Moss as Ridge Forrester in 2013
The characters of Eric and Ridge were first introduced in 1987 when the soap opera premiered. However, while McCook has stayed in the role of Eric since the beginning, Ridge was affected by cast changes.
Ronn Moss initially played Ridge for 25 years. Moss departed the show in 2012. At the time, many fans believed the role of Ridge would go unfilled, but eventually, Thorsten Kaye was brought on to continue Moss’ work.
“I didn’t think they would do it,” McCook told Soap Opera Network of Ridge’s recast. “I thought they would cast a man, a 50-year-old man or a 48-year-old man, to play a new character. But I didn’t think they would recast Ridge, and they did. And it was a ballsy choice, man. A ballsy choice to do it.”
McCook also complimented the casting choice, saying, “They chose someone with skill and talent, and he comes in with a lot of gravitas and a lot of authority to play the part.”
Thorsten Kaye and John McCook seemed to hit it off immediately
In 2013, shortly after Kaye joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful, McCook had nothing but praises for Kaye.
McCook told Soap Opera Network, “I’m playing his dad, and he’s saying, ‘What are we doing? Would that be ok?’ And I’d say, ‘Yeah, that would be ok,’ or ‘No, that’s not ok, because blah, blah,’ and he’s really interested [in the history of their relationship and Ridge’s history in general].”
Thorsten Kaye says Ridge’s feelings about Eric ‘is exactly how I feel’ about John McCook
In a recent interview with Soap Opera Digest, Kaye opened up about his relationship with McCook when asked which family member Ridge is closest to.
“Oh, his dad, hands down,” Kaye stated. “This, of course, may reflect how I feel about John McCook [Eric] because we also have a bond in real life, but these guys on screen are equals and they have the utmost respect for one another. What Ridge feels for Eric is exactly how I feel about John. When Ridge grows up, he can only hope to be as good a man as his father.”
Kaye continued to praise McCook throughout the interview and explained how much he has enjoyed working with his on-screen father.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am when I get scenes to play with John.” Kaye said. “On top of that, I can’t tell you how happy I am that his work was recognized [when McCook won his first Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor earlier this year]. He’s not just a best actor. It’s so much more than that. It’s not just who’s the best athlete on the team. It’s about which athlete makes the team better, and that’s what John does. He doesn’t steal scenes. He’s the guy who centers the scene and makes everyone else better, and that’s why he got the Emmy.”
