Trending:
Over the years, daytime soap opera vet Heather Tom, who has been playing publicity queen Katie Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful since 2007, has had a lot to cry about — at least when she’s in character.
Known for being one of the best criers in the soap genre, Tom, 49, has had her talent rewarded with six Daytime Emmys, for her work on B&B and also on its sister soap The Young and the Restless, where she played heiress Victoria Newman from 1990 to 2003. (She also played Kelly Cramer on One Life to Live from 2003 to 2006.)
In recent years, Tom has been more focused on directing and writing than on acting (she’s directed 36 episodes of B&B and written six), and with the March 27 episode of B&B, she’ll become the first woman in daytime to direct, write and act in a single episode of a show. Although it was “logistically challenging” juggling all of those roles on a fast-paced set, Tom says, “I’m really excited about it.”
So how does she manage to wear two behind-the-scenes hats and still nail the emotion that a scene requires when she’s in front of the camera? It’s all about “giant stakes,” she explains. “I enjoy acting, directing, writing, seeing shows with big, high, important, giant stakes. When you make the stakes high enough and big enough and really lean into those stakes, then you put yourself in a situation, in a position where if the emotion’s there, it’s there.”
As for the crying part, it comes fairly easy to Tom. “I mean, my characters have had a lot to cry about over the last 30 years, so I got a lot of practice,” she says. “But I think it’s mostly just really leaning into the stakes.”
She doesn’t just get to work out her tear ducts when the cameras are rolling. “Sometimes when I’m writing a show,” she says. “I like to go to a cafe or something like that and write because I like the company around me. But I’ll find myself crying through the scenes that I’m writing, and it’s really embarrassing, but it’s just like you have to just put yourself in that position, in that situation and really think about what the emotion would be if you were in these situations.”
For Katie, those situations have included postpartum depression and receiving a heart transplant after her brother died by suicide so she could have his heart. “I’ve been given such amazing material on Bold and Beautiful,” Tom says. “I’ve been really, really lucky that [showrunner and head writer] Brad [Bell] has trusted me with so many wonderful storylines.”
“And what I love about the character, Katie, is that the things that have happened to her really changed who she is and changed the dynamic of who the character is. And I’m always appreciative of that, where you have a big storyline and it actually changes your character’s worldview.”
Katie hasn’t had much to cry about lately, and Tom is just fine with that. “I love where Katie is right now, where she’s in her life,” Tom says. “I think that women really kind of come into their own as they get a little older, and I feel like she’s in that position right now to have a relationship with a true equal. And I would love to see whatever comes her way, see something that is challenging and also romantic and fulfills that side of who she is.”
So are there any B&B characters Tom has her eye on for Katie? “Oh, come on. There’s plenty of men to be had,” she says with a laugh. But seriously, she adds, “You can never rule anyone out. The rule is if you are not blood-related and it’s like confirmed that you’re blood-related, that anyone is fair game now.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays (1:30-2:00 PM, ET/12:30-1:00 PM, PT) on CBS. Tom’s landmark episode airs on Thursday, March 27.
Read the full article here
