Soap Opera Digest - April 7, 1990

What Happens When Relatives Work Together On A Soap

Everyone's always crying, 'Nepotism, nepotism,' " claims THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS's Lauralee Bell, whose parents, Bill and Lee Phillip Bell, write and produce her show. "You've also got to work twice as hard, because you're the bosses' daughter." Lauralee's co-star, Melody Thomas Scott, who's been married to Executive Producer Edward Scott for five of the eleven years she's been on the show, strongly agrees: "When we first got married, I really felt I had to prove to everybody else that I wasn't being treated special. I felt I had to be especially excellent at what I did. I never could be late or people would be [saying things] like, 'Oh wow, guess how she keeps her job.' Over the years, though, I think everyone's just grown to accept it. But you don't want anyone to think you're getting preferential treatment."

....And time has a way of smoothing out the kinks in familial problems. "It's funny, but in the beginning [Ed] always felt like he had to give me his opinion on everything, just like he does with all the other actors on the show after a scene," remembers Melody Thomas Scott. "But then it started spilling over to our home life and I'd always have to point out to him - jokingly, of course - 'Honey, please don't give me any notes, this is our real life.' At the same time, I had trouble switching between his roles thinking, 'Oh, here comes my husband,' or 'No, here comes my boss.' After a while, though, everybody - including us - just gets used to it and it's no big deal anymore. He always says, 'If I had to marry an actress on the show, I'm glad I picked the best one.' I know he's proud of me and that's the neat thing about working together."