1980s TV Shows: A Trip Down Memory Lane with… Daniel McVicar (Clarke Garrison in “The Bold and the Beautiful”)

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

The Bold and the Beautiful was a soap opera which aired on CBS from 1987 until present. At the moment there are around 9,000 episodes shot since it premiered. The show is about the Forrester family in Los Angeles and their fashion empire. John McCook (Eric Forrester) and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) are the only two cast members who have remained on the show since it first aired in1987. Daniel McVicar played Clarke Garrison from 1987 to 2009.

KB: “The Bold and the Beautiful”: What was the show about?

The Bold and the Beautiful was about good-looking people with big problems. It was a soap opera without apology—they’re bold and they’re beautiful. But underneath all of that, it was really about family. I think that’s what made it universally appealing in every culture around the world.

KB: How did you get the part as Clarke Garrison?

I think that this is pretty well know. I originally tested for the role of Ridge. When I did, I wanted him as a smiling devil, but they chose more of a prince character, and Ronn Moss did a great job as Ridge. However, my audition stayed in their imagination, and they created the role of Clarke Garrison based on that test.

KB: What did you like about the character and how did you make it your own?

I thought that Clarke was always very interesting because you never knew what he was going to do. He could be good one day, bad the next. He was always on the fence—he would redeem himself and then do something malevolent to honor his ambition. That’s what I liked about him. He always kept the audience guessing. People would say he was a cad with a conscience, a heel with a heart.
Also, in terms of his look, we borrowed from old movie stars like Cary Grant and Clark Gable. The costume department and I worked together to make him a kind of matinee idol. That was a very conscious, collaborative choice between the writers, myself, and the costume designer.

KB: You had the most scenes with Darlene Conley. What was it like working with her?

Darlene Conley was certainly one of a kind. She was always a challenge to work with because she was so good and so connected to her audience. We remember her fondly, always with a smile.

KB: How did a week on the set look, from getting the script to filming?

In the first year, we worked in the rehearsal space in the morning, and then we started shooting at 12 o’clock. We shot one show a day. We were really creating the rhythm of the show. We’d do read-throughs and see what the other actors were doing.

I realized my character added a different rhythm, and that’s where I brought in a kind of Howard Hawks 1940s rapid-fire dialogue style. That carried on with Kristen, Margo, and later with Sally—our group became almost a 1940s-style unit.

Later, as the show became more established, production got more efficient and they started shooting more than one episode a day. But in the beginning, we were building it—Bill Bell, the writers, the actors—creating something from the ground up. The fact that it’s still on the air almost 40 years later means we must have done something right.

KB: Where was the show filmed?

It was filmed at CBS Television City in Hollywood, a studio originally associated with Danny Kaye. Shows like “All in the Family” and “Three’s Company” were done there.
We were right next to “The Price Is Right”, so sometimes you’d hear “Come on down!” while we were shooting, and across the hall was “The Young and the Restless”. It was a great environment and a great memory for me.

KB: Do you have a favorite episode where you starred in and why this one?

A couple of episodes come to mind. One favorite—also for others on the show—was when Clarke was trying to hold on to Kristen. He had borrowed $100,000 from her to pay off Margo, who was going to have his baby, and he had to explain where the money went.

He pulls over at a construction site and tells her he’s building a house for them, walking her through and improvising—“this is where the wet bar will be.” It was charming, shot on location, and we had a lot of fun with it.

The fashion shows were always impressive visually—there was one with a big video screen and Clarke in a teal suit that stands out. But really, my best memories are of the friendships. We spent so many years together that whenever we see each other, there’s a lot of love and joy.

KB: Are you still in touch with actors from the show?

Yes, over the last few years I’ve seen Ronn Moss many times. When my fellow actors come to Italy, we get together. I’ve spent time with Katherine Kelly Lang and Ashley Jones in Ischia at the Ischia Global Festival.

Through Instagram I stay in touch with John McCook and his wife Laurette. I recently spoke with Gordon Sweeney from camera. I visited the set a couple of years ago with my son Pietro and saw John, Katherine, Brad Bell, and many others.

We exchange messages and see each other when we can. I’m based in Italy, so it often takes an Italian trip—but when it happens, it’s always a joy.

KB: Looking back now, would you have played Clarke differently?

I would leave the work where it is. Clarke was a very interesting character, and it’s there for people to see. I’m working on independent films here in Italy and in Europe, both in front of and behind the camera. That’s where my focus is now. But Clarke lives on very well in people’s memories.

KB: How do you explain that this show is still beloved after 40+ years?

I think that ties everything together. The show is durable because it’s about family, and that allows it to continue for generations. It’s still good-looking people with big problems, and it arrived at a time when television was changing internationally.

It remains one of the most widely watched shows in the world, and I’m proud to have been part of it from the very beginning. As long as television is around, I think it will be too.

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