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In the Thick of Things
As the person who knows about Amber's secret and also happens to be Rick's best pal, C.J. is a busy guy these days. Not to mention that his mother's first husband showed up after a 25 year absence. We took a moment to chat with MICK CAIN about the Rick/Amber/Raymond debacle, reappearing family members and the possibility of love on the horizon for C.J.
CBS.com: You've gotten some slack online for not revealing that the baby may not be his to Rick. Why do you think C.J. has kept mum?
MICK CAIN: Well, although [C.J.] can be very abrasive and aggressive and strong sometimes, I think that he's a very sensitive person. When you're a sensitive person and you're caught in the middle of things, it's extremely difficult. He's trying to decide where his loyalties lie. He has a relationship with both Rick and Amber. The bottom line is that he loves and cares about them both. I think he's a young kid faced with a high-pressure situation, and he's doing the best he can to deal with it. He knows that if he goes one way, all hell could break loose. He doesn't want to be the person to do that because you know the messenger always dies first.
CBS.com: Do you think C.J. is a good friend to Rick?
MICK CAIN: Yes, I do.
CBS.com: Does C.J. still have some romantic feelings for Amber or is it friendship?
MICK CAIN: I think that in the beginning [he had] a lot, and maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he's kept that. But at this point because she was with Raymond and with Rick, and now that she's pregnant, that's something that he has completely set aside. [He] doesn't even think about at this point. I think his desires lie elsewhere, i.e. Kimberly.
CBS.com: So, does C.J. have romantic feelings for Kimberly?
MICK CAIN: Definitely. I think he sees a great opportunity with her to date a type of girl that he's probably never dated before. I figure C.J. to be kind of a wild kid dating kind of wild girls. As the episodes ensue you'll be able to see that he really does care about her. He's not trying to use her, he's not trying to lay any kind of rap on her, he genuinely likes her and sees that there could be a really great relationship there because she's a really great person.
CBS.com: You must be excited that C.J. has the possibility to have his own relationship, since he's been involved in the whole Rick/Amber thing so long.
MICK CAIN: Yes, definitely. [I'm] extremely excited because the possibilities are endless. As an actor, that really turns me on because it's something I haven't been able to play on the show before.
CBS.com: It will surely cause friction between C.J. and Rick as well.
MICK CAIN: Right.
CBS.com: We've seen C.J. display some anger this week. Tell me about filming those scenes where C.J. has an explosive reaction to the truth about Myles.
MICK CAIN: I think that's some of the best stuff that's been written for me since I've been on the show. I think that his reaction to the situation is so true. That's one thing that they've done with C.J.: they haven't made any of his reactions or anything that he's done [differ greatly]. It's true to life; it's true to what the character would do. They haven't strayed from that. And that's extremely important. Because as a viewer, you tie into somebody that way, and if they start doing things that's unlike their behavior, it doesn't fit. I think those scenes turned out great. As an actor, I really enjoyed doing them. I think if there's anybody out there going through that type of experience, or has gone through that experience, [they] will completely understand where C.J. is coming from.
CBS.com: How do you think C.J. will adjust to this extended family that has been tossed in his lap?
MICK CAIN: He's very skeptical at this point. I think [the only way] C.J, will adjust is by Myles proving himself to him. That's what it's going to take. He's watching this guy's every move. He's very protective of his family. All it's going to take is Myles and actually coming through and showing [C.J.] exactly what he's made out of and exactly how much he does care. But at this point [C.J.'s] not ready to just jump into anything. He's going to hold back, not stand in the way but not join in the family party, either.
CBS.com: We've heard that Dan McVicar will come back as Clarke. That should complicate things further.
MICK CAIN: I think it's great that they're bringing him back because I never really had an opportunity to work with him a whole lot, and the relationship between him and I was never really established. So, it would be nice to see what exactly happens. Maybe he confides in [Clarke] about Myles and his fears and insecurities and maybe he'll even try to convince his dad to keep an eye on this guy for him.
CBS.com: It's great how the Spectras have come to the front burner on the show now.
MICK CAIN: I think people relate to the Spectra gang because they're the underdogs, they're the scrappers, they're the fighters and that's what it's all about.
CBS.com: Your storyline has been really good, but is there something that you would like to see happen with C.J. that hasn't yet?
MICK CAIN: Actually, since Macy had a bit of a drinking problem at one point, I think it would be very interesting -- since Rick and C.J. graduate from high school next month and will start college -- if somehow C.J. got caught up in a scene like that and had a drinking problem. Then you could see the dynamics of who really cares about C.J., who would be there for him. Would it be Kimberly, would it be Rick, would it be Amber, would it be his family? That's something that I would really like to explore, an addiction of some kind.
CBS.com: You've been working with so many people lately. How do you like working with the B&B cast?
MICK CAIN: Adrienne [Frantz, Amber] is one of the best actresses on the show. Ashley [Cafagna, Kimberly] coming to daytime and not [having done] it before, she's done a really great job of just really picking up and not dropping the ball. So, it's really great to work with her as well. I really enjoy working with my mom [Sally, Darlene Conley] and Schae Harrison [Darla]. There's a certain energy that's brought to the set by certain people. When they come there, they come there to have fun, and that makes it a lot easier, and it makes the work ten times better.
CBS.com: What do you do when you're not working?
MICK CAIN: I play guitar a lot and I snow board.
CBS.com: Are you in a band?
MICK CAIN: I was. I'm trying to work something out but right now it's just me and my guitar, which is kind of nice at times.
CBS.com: Do you write your own music?
MICK CAIN: Yes, I do.
CBS.com: Is there anyone you try to emulate musically?
MICK CAIN: There are so many people. I'm really influenced by my father, who is a musician and his influences have trickled down to me. I can take something from country, rock and roll, techno, I can appreciate all forms of music and I thank my father for opening my mind up to those kind of things. If I had to pick one person, I don't think it would be possible, because I haven't modeled myself after anyone. I take a little piece from everything. And that's really evident in the things that I write. This sound may sound a little bit like the Beatles, and this song may sound a little bit more like Stone Temple Pilots. You know what I'm saying? It's like pulling something from everything. I think you have to be uniquely derivative of the people who proceeded you in music because otherwise, if you want to be another Eddie Van Halen, that's great, but there already is one. I'm getting together with a producer and working on a CD. I have no idea when that'll be finished, but that will come to pass.
CBS.com: What do you have in your CD player right now?
MICK CAIN: I'd have to say DJ John Kelly's Funky Desert Breaks.
CBS.com: Are you working on any outside acting projects at the moment?
MICK CAIN: I just finished [an independent] film called The Contract in December, so that should be out shortly. I'm also working on a project called Nine Days for MTV. A friend of mine is directing it.
CBS.com: Tell me about your role in The Contract.
MICK CAIN: I was [the] punk boyfriend [who] gets caught making out with the girl on the couch then talks to her the next day and tries to [hit on] her some more. Louise Fletcher, who won the Best Supporting Actress [Oscar] for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [is in it].
CBS.com: Do you ever get online?
MICK CAIN: No, I don't. I don't even own a computer!
CBS.com: Would you like to have one?
MICK CAIN: I guess a computer hasn't been on my list of priorities. I go online once in a while to check out band's websites and pick up some information on something, but I do that at a friend's house. If it came down to a $1,600 computer or a $1,600 guitar, I'd pick the guitar. That's just where my interests lie. Eventually I'll get a computer. But I'm the type of person who when you buy something, I want to buy the best. So I'm going to wait until I can buy like a $3,000 computer.
CBS.com: Do you have any plans for the summer?
MICK CAIN: Hopefully if things work out correctly, I'll be touring with Bobbie Eakes [Macy] in Europe, singing some music. But if that doesn't work out, I'm gonna try to either go home [Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois] or to Hawaii.
