‘The Young and the Restless’ (Y&R) spoilers share that Roger Howarth recently dished to Soap Opera Digest about his new role as Mitch Bacall, aka Matt Clark.
‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Matt Clark Was Nick’s Rival
Interestingly, fans suspected ever since Tamara Braun, who plays Hollywood club owner, Sienna Bacall, arrived on the scene, that Mitch was Sienna’s husband. They were right. However, there is a shocking twist in the storyline.
Longtime viewers know that Matt Clark was a romantic rival for Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow). Matt dated Sharon Collins (Sharon Case) before Nick did, but Sharon dumped him to be with Nick.
Sadly, Matt raped Sharon, and she was too traumatized to come forward. She hid the truth from Nick and her mother, Doris Collins (Sharon Hensel).
When Sharon and Nick were named King and Queen of the school dance, Matt vowed to destroy their romance. For years, he plotted revenge and, in the end, Matt supposedly died.
Yet, he’s back now, and this time he is played by Roger Howarth. Howarth won an Emmy for his unforgettable portrayal of Todd Manning on One Life to Live.
After Howarth moved to Llanview, he transitioned to Oakdale and played Paul Ryan on As The World Turns. From there, he moved to Port Charles and portrayed three different characters on General Hospital.
First, he reprised his role as Todd. Then, he played Franco Baldwin, and his final GH character was Austin Gatlin-Holt.
Howarth first collaborated with Y&R’s executive producer and head writer, Josh Griffith, when Griffith was co-head writer at OLTL in the early 1990s.
‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Howarth Worked With Josh Griffith at OLTL
Howarth remarked, “I trust Josh completely.” When Griffith first proposed that Howarth come to Y&R, he told him he would give him a great part and that he would be working with great people.
The actor beamed,
“What’s not to be excited about? Matt Clark is an awesome character!” He continued, “It was really flattering and so nice to be thought of.”
Howarth is also accustomed to slipping into new shoes as a recast. For example, he took over the role of Franco Baldwin from Hollywood actor James Franco.
The soap vet put a whole new spin on Franco, turning him from a straight-up psycho killer into a multilayered, redeemable character.
Howarth learned everything he could about his new character under the writers’ careful guidance, and they explained to him Matt’s history, what had happened in the past, and how he had become the person he is now.
The actor said,
“I think in his time away from Genoa City, he had developed an entire life, and then it changed over the years into the vision of what he is now.”
‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Howarth Feels The Main Motivation For Every Good Villain Is A Need To Be Loved
Of course, Howarth will be working closely with Morrow and Case. Howarth gushed,
“I was super excited to get to meet Josh and Sharon, and they’ve been wonderful.”
He continued,
“Lucas Adams, who debuts next week as Noah Newman, is a really sweet kid. Everyone’s been super sweet. I mean, if I were a dog, I’d be wagging my tail.”
The soap vet assures viewers,
“With this character (Matt Clark), you get to see what supports his villainy, and in terms of his past, the villainy was turned up pretty high the last time Matt Clark was in town!”
He added,
“Faking your own death to spite someone else, as Matt did in an effort to frame Nick, is not a small or insignificant thing! It’s a big, bold move!”
Howarth warns fans that time hasn’t changed Matt one bit. “I think his maliciousness has gotten louder and deeper. Yeah, this is a true bad guy.” Roger also believes that inside every villain is a need to be loved.
The actor told SOD,
“I feel like I have some understanding of why he’s behaving the way he is, and that, to me, is part of the story that you’re going to have to tune in for and watch.”
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