The Young And The Restless Star Eric Braeden's Drama With Eva Longoria Explained
"The Young and the Restless" star Eric Braeden took Eva Longoria to task after she shared some downsides to working on soap operas. Whether or not you're personally into the scandal-ridden dramas Eric Braeden and Eva Longoria have spearheaded, they are still two of the most famous television actors of all time. Braeden — the one and only Victor Newman — has been a starring character on "The Young and the Restless" for over four decades. Meanwhile, Longoria's starring role as Gabrielle Solis on "Desperate Housewives" has served her better than any other gig.
But they share even more in common. Not only are both pros at breathing life into their flawed, toxic characters, but they also once shared the same set. Years ahead of Longoria's career-defining role on "Desperate Housewives," she had a short story arc on "The Young and the Restless" playing Isabella Brana. And while Longoria's soap character was far different from the role she played on "Desperate Housewives," both required her to channel her most toxic, alluring qualities as she engaged in on-screen affairs.
Unfortunately, Longoria had to face a little of that drama in real life after comments about insufficient pay inspired Braeden to blow a gasket on Twitter.
Eric Braeden said Eva Longoria wasn't 'good enough' for The Young and the Restless
Today, Eva Longoria is worth a cool $80 million, but that money didn't come from soap operas. That was the gist of Longoria's message during her interview on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?"
"When I got Young and the Restless, it didn't pay enough for me to live off being an actor," she admitted (via Uproxx). "So I continued being a headhunter and Young and the Restless. And I would hide the fact that I was on Young and the Restless to my clients because they didn't want a dumb actress handling their accounts." Longoria also revealed she refused to admit her identity after being recognized by a fan. "I was like the opposite of a publicist's dream because I was like, 'Don't tell anyone I'm on that show.' Because I was, you know, still making more money on my day job," she added.
While Longoria's comments certainly weren't positive, Eric Braeden perceived them as the ultimate dig against soap actors. "EVA LONGORIA: you just made derogatory remarks about daytime actors!" tweeted Braeden shortly after her interview. "You simply weren't good enough to survive the pressures of this medium! You were very lucky to get on that 'housewife' show! You did one show in 8-12 days, with mediocre but salacious dialogue!" Our actresses ... Would run rings around you!!" While replying to fans — some of whom did not agree with his approach — Braeden also criticized Longoria's acting.
Eva Longoria has given soaps their props in the past
Eva Longoria's comments definitely didn't win her any brownie points with Eric Braeden and some soap fans, but some people agreed with her perspective. Longoria's friends, spouses Eric Winter and Roselyn Sanchez, came to her defense. "I don't even want to give him the courtesy of reading everything he says," shared Winter on their "He Said, Ella Dijo" podcast (via Us Weekly). "Nothing Eva said was inappropriate. This guy is completely out of line, in my opinion, because he doesn't know what Eva's financial stance was at that time in her career. I guarantee you he was making a ton more money than she was. ... This guy is trying to find a way in his older age to get back in the spotlight for whatever reason and to make it a point to defend daytime [television], which she was not attacking."
Actually, Longoria does have a history of defending the soap opera genre. In 2007, Longoria appeared on "The View" and spoke quite highly of the soap stars after then-host Rosie O'Donnell asked if "soaps are a great way for actors to get their chops and to learn." She said, "I'm really careful saying that, because people who, like, Jeannie Cooper, who's been on 'Young and the Restless" their whole life, she'd said one time she hates when actors say it's a training ground because she's like, 'What am I still in training?'" Longoria also called soap acting a "great experience."