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Dan McVicar
Most of us imagine the life of a daytime star to be glamorous and exciting, filled with parties and perks
galore. Isn't it? Well, sometimes...but soap stars still have to get up in the morning and go to work like
everyone else! Come along with Dan McVicar, who portrays fashion designer Clarke Garrison on The
Bold and the Beautiful, to see what it's really like being a soap star for a day.
It's 8:45 a.m. on April 6 when Dan pulls into the parking lot at CBS Television City in Los Angeles,
CA. He's already taken both of his children to school and is ready for work. Dan has pretty much had
the same routine on and off since he debuted on the show in 1987. (His original run on B&B was from
1987 to 1992; he returned to the soap in 1996.) But what makes this particular day different from
usual is the fact that Dan has agreed to let CBS.com follow his every move. Nevertheless, the actor,
dressed in comfortable sweats and an orange T-shirt, seems relaxed. "You can see that when I come
to the studio I wear clothes that I can get messy, because often times we get makeup on them," he
explains.
First, Dan heads for his private dressing room, where he quickly points out one of the perks of being a
B&B star. "You come in and your clothes are hanging up in your dressing room," he laughs. "It's very
convenient." On this particular day, Dan has a brown, Hugo Boss suit waiting for him. Clarke's
wardrobe is pretty much established now, but in Dan's first five years on the show his suits had to be
tailor made to fit all 6'4" of his frame! Does Dan approve of Clarke's attire? "I wear Hugo Boss, too,"
notes the actor, who also shares an interest in fashion design with his character. "I'm fascinated by
design and I'm on the lookout to see if I can do my own [clothing] line," he reveals. "We would start
with a men's line, but it's a very expensive thing to begin. It's something that takes, really, millions of
dollars. It's a matter of finding the right partners and doing it at the right time in the market."
Just when Dan begins going over his script, he is called to the rehearsal hall, where Stage Manager
Laura Yale, Director Deveney Marking Kelly, and Darlene Conley (Sally) are waiting. They sit around
a table as Deveney goes over Dan and Darlene's scenes for the day. Deveney gives the actors
direction pertaining to their stage positions, as well as their characters' dialogue and emotions. Dan
jots down some notes on his script and soon we're off again - popping into his dressing room just long
enough to grab his duffel bag.
Dan's gym is just a couple of blocks away, which makes it easy for him to "slip in a little workout."
Since it's a sunny day in Los Angeles, Dan opts to walk there. Along the way, Dan stops off for some
wheatgrass juice and reminisces about his early days on B&B. Did you know that Dan originally tested
for the role of Ridge Forrester, but didn't get the part? It's true! Instead, he nabbed the role of Clarke.
Recalling his first day on B&B, Dan chuckles, "I remember [Studio Technician] Gordon Sweeney on
camera one helping me stay in the frame. I remember just the excitement of being here." Dan had to
adapt to what he calls the "soap opera rhythm" - being able to hold his reaction until the camera could
catch it. "I needed to hold on to the reins a little bit, keep [the emotions] in check and then release
them as the camera came back to me."
Dan spends a little over an hour working out. He rides the Lifecycle machine, does a bit of weight
training and hustles back to the studio. It's show time!
After changing into Clarke's garb, Dan then goes to the hair and makeup room, where hair stylist
Carlos Pelz works on Dan's 'do. After, Chris Lai-Johnson takes over and applies a makeup base to
Dan's face, while Charlene Jackman puts body makeup on his hands and wrists. Dan, now fully
transformed into Clarke Garrison, is ready for the stage. What similarities does Dan see between
himself and Clarke? "Clarke is a little stiffer than I would like to be right now," Dan admits. "I don't
know how he got so stiff. He used to be really loose and fun, but I guess responsibility got to him!"
Arriving on set a bit early, Dan has enough time to have some orange juice and chat with others. He
is excited about an upcoming promotional trip to Europe that he'll be taking with show publicist Frank
Tobin. "I'm going to Prague - which I've never been and [am] really looking forward to - and to
London," enthuses Dan. "I think we're going to make a little trip to Ireland, too. We'll be doing public
relations for the show, including TV appearances and print interviews. I'll be over there for ten days."
Dan joins Darlene on set to rehearse and shoot their first scene. The atmosphere stays light during
rehearsal, but when it's time to tape, the actors get down to business, shooting all four of their scenes
in about fifty minutes. "That's pretty good," grins Dan, who is officially done with his day's work at 1:20
p.m.
Dan makes a run to the commissary and grabs some lunch to take back to his dressing room, where
he removes his makeup and changes out of Clarke's wardrobe. Over vegetable lasagna, Dan
divulges another creative outlet in his life: he is also a writer. "For me, writing is a real joy," he says.
"In between taking care of business and doing all that, I like to set aside a portion of the day [to
write]." He refers to a Henry Miller book of essays, Paintings of Henry Miller: Paint As You Like and
Die Happy, that details his work as a painter. "He's a writer, but he painted for fun," explains Dan.
That sums up how Dan feels about his writing. "I write only what I want," he asserts.
At 2 p.m., it's time for CBS.com to bid farewell to Dan. "Most of our days are not that long because
we've learned how to be efficient," he notes. "We can get the work done, which leaves me the time
and the luxury to spend time with my children after school, which is what I'll do today!"
Write to Dan at dan@danmcvicar.com, and he will try to personally write back in his spare time. For
more on Dan, check out his website at http://danmcvicar.digicities.com.
