When Peter Bergman left "All My Children" after ten years, he had a three-year-old son, and his wife was pregnant. Needing to support his growing family, the actor knew he needed to find a new gig, fast. Still, in an interview with Soap Opera Digest in 1999, Bregman admitted he almost turned down an audition for the role of Jack Abbott on "The Young and the Restless" when it was offered to him.
He was still playing his character Cliff on "AMC" when he got the all-important phone call from the producers of "Y&R." The soap star wasn't interested in relocating his family from New York, where "AMC" was filmed, to Los Angeles. However, his good friend and costar, Debbi Morgan, gave him the push he needed. According to Bregman, she told him, "Peter, it's one of the ultimate roles in daytime. Run, don't walk, to audition for that part!"
And while Bergman did end up taking the career-making part, the switch wasn't easy for him. He told Michael Fairman TV in 2019 that he felt nervous about taking on the role that was left to him by actor Terry Lester. Bergman said, "Every prop person, every set decorator, every lighting person knew more about Jack Abbott than I did. It was daunting. It was really daunting. I'd try something, 'Eh, I'm going to try this,' and they'd cut it short and go, 'No, no,' and they were right!" Of course, Bergman eventually found his footing and became the iconic Abbott patriarch that fans know and love today.
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