Sarah Warsi

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a local event to meet the one and only Eric Braeden. For those who may not know, (I mean, how can you not?!), Eric Braeden is an internationally-acclaimed actor, best known for his long-standing portrayal of Victor Newman on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless.

Eric has played the role of Victor Newman – a ruthless businessman while being fiercely protective of his family – for over 40 years, and he continues to be a staple on the show to this day. While the character has evolved quite a bit over the years, these traits continue to remain the same as present-day Victor is in the thick of many corporate takeovers, all the while, ‘looking out for his family’.

The character of Victor Newman was only meant to last a few short months. However, Eric brought so much to the role in such a short amount of time, that the show’s creator, William J. Bell, signed him on for a long-term contract. Months quickly turned into decades, and here we are! We can’t imagine the show without the Great Victor Newman.

So, as a long-standing fan of the show, you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that he was coming to my hometown! I let my cousin know, who is also a huge fan of the show, and we both immediately signed up and the anticipation started building.

Eric was met with a well-deserved standing ovation. He shared stories about his childhood and early years as an actor and gave an insider account about how tough the industry really is.

He spoke very warmly of his Y&R family and how, as an actor, you have your good days and not so good days, especially when there is a lot of dialogue to learn.

He also got candid about his recent health battle in 2023 and how he persevered through it all with strength and courage. He also reiterated the importance of regular checkups and encouraged people to not be afraid to do so.

During the Q&A session, a fan in the audience shared her story about how she went to a meet and greet for Eric several years back at a local mall and passed out just before she had the chance to meet him. She finally had her moment at this event when Eric asked her to come up to the stage to greet her and it was so touching.

Another very warm moment during the Q&A was when an elderly lady with a speech impediment asked a question through the aid of a keyboard, and she was so delighted when her question was addressed and when Eric went up to greet her. You could tell that moment really made her day. Truly a heart-warming moment.

It also goes to show you just how diverse the show’s audience truly is. Fans of all ages were in attendance – from when the show first originated in the late ’70s, to those more in my category who started watching in the early 90’s, to more of the ‘newbies’ who started watching perhaps within the last 20 years or so.

So while I have many favourite Victor Newman moments over the years, there are two scenes in particular that have stood out for me:

One of them is from 2003, when Victor meets his biological father, Albert Miller, for the first time after being orphaned in his childhood. The sheer rawness of the acting in this scene gives me chills every time.

For those that regularly watch the show, Victor has also had a long-standing feud with his archrival Jack Abbott (portrayed by Peter Bergman). They have had numerous run-ins over the years and continue to do so to this day. But there is one particular scene from 2005 that is arguably one of the most iconic scenes in the history of the show – and maybe soap operas ever!

To set the tone of the scene: Jack is not exactly pleased to learn that Victor has been hired to take over his position at his family company, Jabot Cosmetics… and he’s not about to leave quietly!

I think the absolute highlight of the event for me was when I got to meet Eric himself! And it wasn’t just a quick 10 second snap of a picture and you moved on. He actually took the time to sit down and have a chat with each of the fans in attendance before taking a pic.

It was such a surreal moment to be sitting beside and chatting with a true legend in daytime drama. He was so warm and friendly and you honestly felt like you were just catching up with an old friend.

I also had the opportunity to meet other Y&R fans that I’ve interacted with through Y&R’s online community – a big shout out to Franco. He is a true soap opera super fan and I encourage you to follow him on IG for regular updates.

Overall, the entire event was truly a memorable one and us fans look forward to many more years of Victor Newman. Thank you, Eric, for gracing us with your presence!

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P.S. This is my second Y&R event. I attended one back in 2019 which was amazing and included several of the show’s prominent cast members. You can read all about that experience here.

P.P.S. My cousin also has a blog! She has some great content to share. Give her a follow here.