JACOB YOUNG (RICK FORRESTER)

Sporting several days’ worth of stubble, he’s even hunkier in real life and it’s not hard to see why People magazine once named Jacob (37) the world’s sexiest soap star. We chat over a coffee in the canteen not far from the set of The Bold. You started out on the show in 1997 when you were 17. Tell us about that. Bold was my first show; it was my start. I was all ready to go to college and I was going to auditions to make a little extra money. Then I was booked for this show and college got put on hold. Six months later I was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. I was like, “My world has been turned upside down.” You must really like Rick to have left then come back to play him? It’s more a love-hate relationship, actually. The things I don’t have in myself are what I like about him.

He has plenty of confidence and he’s willing to take on anybody at any time.

He has a passion for making sure the family succeeds and he loves his family.

But he’s tactless too, and insensitive. He just doesn’t care. He’ll speak his mind and tell you how it is without a thought for the damage he may be doing. Do you have a favourite Bold moment? The most important scene I’ve done was when Maya (Karla Mosley) revealed herself as transgender. Everybody expected Rick to blow his top but he didn’t. I think it was probably one of the best moments in daytime television history.

When they told me about this storyline I said, “We gotta know what we’re talking about.”

They [The Bold’s creators] brought the head of GLAAD [the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender media advocacy organisation] in. Everybody came together and we nailed it – we created a beautiful love story. What do you love about the show? The unity we have as a whole. It’s a special place and anybody who’s new feels it. It’s real. I think that speaks volumes about our success. Everybody’s happy, we work together well, and we have no choice but to make a beautiful product.