AsVictoria Rowellprocesses the loss of her friend and longtimeTheYoung and the RestlesscostarKristoff St. John, she’s hoping to get an opportunity to pay tribute to him on the daytime drama that launched their on-screen partnership.
The actors were first paired on the soap in 1991 after Rowell’s character Drucilla Winters had been introduced a year earlier and become a fan favorite, with St. John joining the cast as her husband Neil Winters as her storyline expanded.
“[Series creator] Bill Bell approached me and told me that there was a lot of popularity with the Drucilla character and he was growing out the family, and he was looking for a love interest the next year,” Rowell recalled. Without a single screen test, she said Bell soon told her “’I found your love interest.’ And Kristoff showed up on set. Of course, he was a consummate [professional] after having worked — he’d already doneRootsand all kinds of shows and worked with big stars, and it was immediate. There was a symbiosis there that he can’t put a price on.”
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Indeed, due to Rowell’s departure amid outspoken critiques of the show’s lack of diversity and handling of racial issues, the actress has had a rocky —and occasionally litigious— relationship with the soap’s production company and studio.
Nevertheless, Rowell, who will appear in Lifetime’s upcoming adaptation ofPride & Prejudiceand produces the streaming soap satireThe Rich and the Ruthless, said she hopes to be able to honor her creative partnership with St. John onscreen. Until then she continues to work through her grief.
“I don’t think in my lifetime I won’t have a long-term scene partner like that. … Kristoff has been in my life for 26 years, the same for the fans he spent in living rooms,” she said. “So in my solitude, I quietly mourn his loss, but love is immortal and time heals.”
Rowelldid appearin aspecial tribute episode ofY&R,joining the cast on-set to reminisce about their dear friend, share their fondest memories and relive some of St. John’s most memorable scenes.
source: people.com
