Melody Thomas Scott is not so restless anymore
Soap opera star Melody Thomas Scott is celebrating more than 41 years on “The Young and the Restless” with a new memoir, “Always Young and Restless: My Life on and off America’s #1 Daytime Drama” (Diversion Books, $24.29).
The former child star has spent decades with her character, Nikki Newman, and the two have a certain resilience in common. Ms. Scott was abandoned by her teenage mother and raised by her mentally ill grandmother, who got her working in show business as a toddler. The abuse she suffered and her will to move past it are all recounted in the book.
Do you think you were so good inhabiting a character because of the abuse you survived?
I’ve never really considered that there would be a correlation there. The thrill of performing is what attracted me to acting. But you are correct . ... One of an actor’s greatest joys is completely immersing oneself in another character.
How did writing the book make you feel? Vulnerable? Resilient? Strong?
It was a huge undertaking that took about 10 years from start to finish. Once it was completed, I did feel unexpectedly victorious over the many dark aspects of my upbringing. I was always very strong and resilient growing up. And let’s not forget stubborn — Aries! I wouldn’t say that I felt vulnerable, but I would say that that is definitely a trait of Nikki’s.
What was your motivation once you left your grandmother’s house and moved out? Were you looking for acceptance, love, financial security — all of it?
My only motivation, if one can call it that, was to be happy, to finally live the normal life that had been denied me for so long. I wasn’t looking for fame, fortune or love, though they eventually did find me. I would have been quite happy living a solitary life while, of course, doing theater or acting in any form. I spent a lot of time alone as a child, so I am quite content with solitude. It’s the simple things, even now, that make me happy. As far as looking to the future, what other direction can one look? You can’t go back. You can only move forward.
Who is your character Nikki to you? Does she come home with you?
She is just that: a character. She has been very good to me but is nothing like me, nor I her. She certainly doesn’t “come home with me.” She is out of my mind the second the scene is over. If, God forbid, I should ever start acting like Nikki, please slap me!
Somehow you found a way to not be infected and defeated by the evil and negativity around you as such a young child. It’s amazing.
I actually was aware that there was something else out there that was much bigger than us as a child. Not really a religious realization, more of a spiritual one.
With each year that I am on this earth, I read and learn more and have been able to connect so many dots from what I experience today to what I felt and suspected as a child. The core of my strength was my belief in myself. I know that is oversimplifying it terribly, but I was a very confident child. I can’t explain why that was, but Lord knows I certainly needed it. Perhaps my guardian angels were watching and assisting. Yes, I’m certain that they were. And they still are.