The Young and the Restless kicked off a big celebration this week in honor of its 12,000th episode, and the CBS soap opera gave thanks to fans by asking popular star Doug Davidson to take viewers on a "look back" journey through his nearly 43 years of playing Paul Williams.
In a nine-minute long video posted to Y&R's Twitter page, Davidson recounts some of his best moments in Genoa City. The walk down memory lane starts with scenes from the actor's first day on the show (filmed on May 15, 1978), in which he's in the middle of a steamy make-out session. As the scene plays, he recounts how he landed the role of Paul, which is a true Hollywood dream moment.
"I had a friend, Mark Lambert, who I met in a karate class. And his wife was Victoria Mallory, who played Leslie Brooks on the show," he shares. "As a favor to him -- they were having car trouble -- I rode down with him to CBS. I was studying to be an actor at the time, but as I was waiting in the parking lot for Victoria to come out, John Conboy, the executive producer, was there. Mark introduced me, and I got an interview for the role of Paul."
Davidson continues, "I went on the interview, and I took my sister and my best friend, Rick Springfield [ex-Noah Drake, General Hospital], and they waited in the lobby when I went in to interview for the role of Paul. I thought I blew it, and the next thing I know, I get a call from the wardrobe lady, I think on Sunday, and I was to report to work! I was scared to death because I had never done a soap before, and it was shot live on tape... and we would stop for nothing. Frightening!"
The next scene that's shown is one where Paul and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) are in locker room showers, which Davidson reveals was shot at the Hollywood YMCA late at night.
"We were supposedly going skinny-dipping in the pool, and after the skinny-dip, we were showing in the showers of the men's locker room, and that's where the basketball team was," the actor recalls with an amused laugh. "You can tell by the uniforms that it was in the 70s!"
Check out Davidson's full "look back" video below -- which also includes early Paul and Christine (Lauralee Bell) scenes and clips with Eva Longoria (ex-Isabella Braña) -- and let us know what you think in the Comments section at the end of the article.
We're looking back on 42 and ½ years of wonderful memories with the one and only @DougDavidsonYR in honor of our 12,000th episode! Take a walk down memory lane with the man behind Paul Williams and tell us your favorite #YR moment featuring Paul. 🎬 pic.twitter.com/6S3rQWm5vw
- Young and Restless (@YandR_CBS) November 30, 2020
What did you think of Doug Davidson's walk down Y&R memory lane? What are your favorite scenes with the actor? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
