Supercouples Sessions
Inside Michael & Lauren’s Lasting ‘Y&R’ Love With Christian J. LeBlanc & Tracey E. Bregman (VIDEO)
“We didn’t just get paired; we literally begged to be together,” says The Young and the Restless‘ Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore) of how she and costar Christian J. LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin) wound up as one of Genoa City’s most enduring duos. “We worked very hard,” muses LeBlanc. “Whether they liked us paired or not, we were pairing all over the place.”
Despite their imperfect pasts, the characters found a kindred spirit in each other, much like the actors in real life, which has only helped their onscreen chemistry. “We’ve had these emotionally rich storylines, but I also think it has a lot to do with our dynamic and our comfort with each other,” observes Bregman of “Likey’s” longevity. “Because I think that plays. It plays how we feel about each other, that nothing’s uncomfortable.” Adds LeBlanc, “I have played enough couples that it’s really interesting when you automatically have a comfort with someone, a physical comfort, especially.”
One time, the duo was so engrossed in their performance that they lost all sense of time. “We were sitting there, they had cut,” recalls LeBlanc. “It was one of those long days where everybody left set and we were still talking, and we still had our hands like we were sitting there when we were Michael and Lauren.” One of their former costars walked on set and spied the two chatting. “[The late] Kristoff [St. John, Neil Winters] came in and said, ‘You know, guys, the scene’s over.’ We didn’t even notice,” LeBlanc shares.
Brian Lowe / jpistudios.com
Their off-screen connection is so strong that even Bregman’s real-life love has picked up on it. “You can’t just manufacture that. It has to be there, and I really think that’s what shows up onscreen,” says Bregman. “We had dinner with my boyfriend, and after dinner, my boyfriend looked at me with this odd look and said, ‘You and Christian are so close!’ And I went, ‘Oh, my God, what did I touch?'”
Both performers count the lead-up to Michael and Lauren’s December 2005 wedding as a high point in their on-camera journey. “Our engagement and our wedding, but specifically the engagement show. I thought they were so beautifully written,” praises Bregman. LeBlanc reports that the nuptials were particularly moving. “Watching someone come down the aisle, even at your fake wedding, is so emotional,” he shares. “It hits you.”
Confirms Bregman, “It’s so true. I was so nervous — and I was married at the time! I was so nervous the night before our TV wedding like I was getting married for real.”
That Michael and Lauren are still together 20 years later is a point of pride for their portrayers. “We’ve never broken up, we’ve never been divorced as a couple,” points out LeBlanc. “I don’t know if that makes us the longest continuously married couple on daytime.”
In this installment of Swooon’s Supercouples Sessions, Bregman and LeBlanc remember the script that made them cry so hard during rehearsal, the story they didn’t like, how they’re like Lauren and Michael in real life, and so much more. Check out the full video above!
The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS
