Peter Bergman may be best known for his role as Jack Abbott on “The Young and the Restless”. However, he’s also known for being part of the first-ever soap supercouple when he played Cliff Warner on “All My Children”. The actor has opened up about that unique time in his life.
Peter Bergman Speaks Out About ‘All My Children’ Supercouple Cliff and Nina
The soap vet stopped by the Soapy podcast to chat with “Days of Our Lives” star Greg Rikaart and “The Bold and the Beautiful” star Rebecca Budig. Bergman has been in the soap world for over 46 years, so the three had a lot to talk about.
Budig, who also appeared on “All My Children”, couldn’t help but ask him about being part of the supercouple Nina (Taylor Miller) and Cliff. They are considered the first real supercouple in the genre.
“That was my first experience as a supercouple, and that, of course, was the years of the crest of the daytime wave. We didn’t know it at the time that daytime would never be bigger than that. It was just completely crazy, and Taylor and I weathered that together and still have a lifelong friendship,” he expressed to the hosts.
Bergman played Cliff on “All My Children” for nearly 10 years before his exit. It’s a time in his life that Bergman cherishes, which made leaving all the more challenging for the actor.
Leaving ‘All My Children’ Wasn’t Easy for Peter Bergman
In 1989, Miller chose to exit the ABC soap so that she could pursue other acting opportunities. Rikaart asked Bergman point-blank whether that was the reason he decided to leave the show.
“It was a confluence of things that happened at exactly the right or wrong time. The wrong time, as I was not ready to go. These were my family at the time. I had really made some wonderful friendships there,” the actor stated.
However, his departure turned out to be the right thing at the right time, as it led to his being cast on the hit CBS soap. If Bergman had stayed on “All My Children”, he would have missed out on playing Jack on “The Young and the Restless” for the past 36 years.
Bergman did admit that he struggled adjusting to life after the ABC soap for about a year. Not only did he get a new job, but he uprooted his family from New York City and a life they loved to Los Angeles for a role he wasn’t sure would last long, given he was recast.
Fast forward decades, and life in Los Angeles has been very good to Bergman, and he has no regrets!
