Peter Bergman Previews Jack's Future on The Young and The Restless

During Jack Abbott’s search for his real birth father (who turned out to be John Abbott after all in a final twist), THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS fans were aghast when the soap hinted that he and Victor Newman could be brothers. But Peter Bergman never believed that could ever be possible. “It did not occur to me for a second that my character would be any way related to Victor,” he confided to Soaps In Depth with a laugh. “There is nothing reptilian about Jack! So it didn’t even cross my mind!”

Even if Jack and Victor had turned out to be siblings, the never-ending rivalry would have simply reached a new level. “I have no problem keeping up the animosity between Jack and Victor,” he laughed. “That comes so naturally! It’s part and parcel of who Jack is. But he was relieved when he found out that he was not related to Victor. He was like, ‘This is what I thought all along — Victor is my enemy!’”

“Being part of Dark Horse is important [for Jack].” (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)

And even as the Abbott family and Jabot were thrown into chaos by Ashley’s actions, Bergman is thrilled that his alter ego has settled in working as an executive at Dark Horse. “Oh, that is great fun on many fronts,” he enthused. “It’s a new set to work on, I get to work more with Joshua Morrow (Nick), and Dark Horse is this maverick company coming in to shake things up. I like being a part of that. The businessman part of Jack is pretty central to who he is. So I’m very happy that with Dark Horse, Jack the businessman is alive. And Jack and Nick will cause a lot of havoc for a lot of people!”

Unfortunately, while things may be looking up on the business front, Jack’s personal life remains a shambles with any hopes of rekindling things with Phyllis dashed by her recent affair with Nick. “Those were really powerful scenes, and it revealed that Jack had forgiven her,” Bergman admitted of Summer’s disastrous matchmaking attempt. “But forgiveness or no, you just don’t fall out of love with somebody, particularly if she is Phyllis.”

Might there still be hope for Jack and Phyllis? (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)

Whether it’s Phyllis or someone else, the soap vet is emphatic that Jack should have a significant other. “[Y&R] is paying me a full salary for two-thirds of what I can do when I’m not involved with a love interest,” Bergman declared. “It’s not typical of this show or any daytime show to hire a new actress over 40. I don’t think that would be a bad thing to do here, but I’m not holding my breath. As long as the women from Jack’s life keep going in and out of his life, I will have plenty to play. But The Powers That Be are only utilizing two-thirds of my strongest stuff!”

For more on your favorite Y&R stars, keep reading the CBS edition of Soaps In Depth magazine!