‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ (B&B) spoilers find that star Don Diamont recently sat down with Soap Opera Digest to discuss the complex character he has played since 2009, the man we love to hate (but really, we love) ‘Dollar’ Bill Spencer.
Of course, no one knows Bill like Don does, and he was first to jump to Bill’s defense when Soap Opera Digest insinuated he was really a bit of a villain. Not exactly the ‘shoot your son while aiming for his wife’ villain, but he wasn’t exactly a ‘nice guy’ when first introduced to audiences.
In case you don’t remember, Bill was blackmailing Donna Logan (Jennifer Gareis) into cheating on her then-husband Eric ‘Honey Bear’ Forrester (John McCook) with the age old “sleep with me or your husband will go to prison” threat.
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Spoilers: Star Don Diamont on All Things ‘Dollar’ Bill Spencer.
Though Don agreed it wasn’t Bill’s best moment, he also explained that Bill has layers and a lot of his outward persona is only there to hide how he really feels inside.
“I play him as being quite self-loathing and a lot of what he puts out there is a façade,” Don explained. “Being that self-loathing, maybe it’s a certain lack of self-respect that clouds his judgment and informs some of his poor decision-making when those emotional buttons get pushed. When you don’t have self-love, it’s hard to love others in the way they need to be loved, so that’s what I try to bring to who he is. I think it is the most crucial part of playing this character.”
So, why would the character who ‘has it all’ be so self-conflicted, Soap Opera Digest (and fans) wanted to know.
“He is a bastard son and to some degree, we have explored that, but not really fleshed it out from the paternal side,” Bill reminded the all-thing soaps outlet. “Nothing is ever good enough. No matter how many successes in business, there has to be more. It’s feeding that black hole that exists to prove himself to be good enough.”
But it isn’t only business where Bill struggles to feel fulfilled.
“That’s the awful part. He doesn’t feel worthy of having it all. He doesn’t feel worthy of love. He doesn’t feel worthy of his success and so it’s this wonderful yin and yang that exists in Dollar Bill.”
Obviously, the character has evolved somewhat from misogynistic black mailer to the man willing to go to jail for his son, Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton). What, or who, does Don think has tempered Bill and his ‘win at all costs’ mentality over the years?
“Well, Katie [Logan- Heather Tom], no doubt. Katie coming into his life softened him. In fact, it was that moment where he could have taken advantage of a drunk Katie and he didn’t. That’s when you saw some heart, some scruples, some glimmer of a moral conscience.”
Don also equates his past (but kind of present) love for Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) for realizing he cannot treat his personal life the same way he treats his business without, in Don’s words, “creating chaos”.
However, it was the not one, but two surprise sons that really threw a spanner into Bill’s life.
“Liam threw him for a loop and forced him to grow in ways he never anticipated,” Don concurred. “Bill had to adjust to being a dad and it was not easy.”
And then along came Wyatt Spencer (Darrin Brooks).
“Wyatt challenges Bill in a moralistic fashion and forces Bill to examine his behavior.”
Don further told Soap Opera Digest how much he enjoys the dynamic between Bill and his sons, explaining how his character takes a “very mafia approach to family.” Don continued with a laugh, “He could punch his kid in the face, knocking him out cold, but nobody else can touch his kid!”
However, there is one more (now defunct) relationship, that Don says was hardest to see dissolve on screen.
“Arguably his most important relationship is with Justin [Barber- Aaron D. Spears], the person who knows where the bodies are buried,” the 59 year old actor said. “He’s the person who has been like a brother to him, who Bill believed he could trust with his life if push came to shove, so that breakup was devastatingly heartbreaking for Bill.”
Fans can all agree, both Don and Aaron acted the heck out of that ‘break-up’ scene, leaving us all thirsting for more Bill and Justin scenes. Does Don think we might see the two repair the fractures of their bromance?
“I think they could find their way back to each other again, but that would take quite a bit of work, and Bill is always a work in progress.”
After asking Don to describe ‘Dollar’ Bill in three words, to which the actor responded, “Powerful. Complicated. Passionate,” Soap Opera Digest had one final question for Don about his alter ego.
“What question do you get most often from fans?”
With a laugh, Don replied, “Right now, it’s ‘Where is he?’”
We couldn’t agree with that question more! Hands up who wants to see more Dollar Bill…and Katie…and Wyatt? Heck, we’ll even take Flo Fulton these days! Okay, that one might be a step too far, but if we get to see some great Quinn Forrester (Rena Sofer) and Bill- parents of the groom scenes, we are 100% on board.
Has The Bold forgotten that Wyatt and Flo are engaged?
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