Bold & Beautiful Exclusive: Jennifer Gareis Teases the ‘Scary Side’ of Donna That Might Shock Even Eric Senseless
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
Celebrating her Daytime Emmy nomination — her first in nearly 30 years in soapdom — Jennifer Gareis isn’t just looking back on the material that helped her earn the accolade, she’s looking forward, too. But what the Bold & Beautiful leading lady sees in Donna might give Eric — and viewers — goosebumps.
On one hand, the veteran of Young & Restless is just delighted that she got to be at John McCook’s side during Eric’s health scare. “It was really rewarding to suddenly get something so deep and well-written,” she tells Soaps.com. “It had been a while since Donna was front and center in a storyline, so it was really an honor to be such an integral part of that plot. It really was.”
Gareis also says that it wasn’t just the fraught twists and turns that allowed her to shine but her leading man. “I really think that working with John just makes me a better actress. He takes me on a journey every single time we do a scene, and I love the ones when I don’t even know what’s going to happen.
“In those moments, I don’t make any judgments and just let it flow,” she continues, “and sometimes we go places that I’m like, ‘Whoa, that was really cool.’”
As for the future, the sky’s the limit for Donna, her portrayer reckons. “It would be nice if Donna and Eric had some sort of obstacle or challenge not related to Eric’s health, but something still heavy and deep and heartfelt. I’m not sure what, though.”
Perhaps a surprise pregnancy? “Maybe it happens accidentally,” Gareis muses. “Would they want a child? I don’t know. It’s hard to say right now.”
One thing of which the blonde bombshell is sure is that she’d love Rena Sofer to return for a Donna/Quinn rematch. (Unlikely since General Hospital now has Sofer playing her old character, Lois, but still… ) In particular, “what I would like is to redo the scene in the office where she was pushing that chair at me.
I want to be pushing the chair at her this time — that would be really good.
“I mean, Quinn was scary!” she adds. “But Donna could have a scary side, too. It would be kind of fun to discover the strength in that.”
Quinn, Eric… none of us may know what hit us!
