Singer/entertainer/author Marie Osmond recently had an opportunity to appear on her favorite soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, and she owed it all to her good friend B&B executive producer/head writer Bradley Bell.
Speaking to Soap Opera Digest, Osmond admitted that she'd been a longtime fan of The Young and the Restless before picking up B&B. She had watched Y&R in her early days when she had starred alongside her brother Donny Osmond on the Donny and Marie variety show in the 1970s. Osmond shared that Bell had approached her with the idea of a guest role on B&B years ago, and she had told Bell that she would love to. "So it's always been on my bucket list," Osmond shared.
Unfortunately, it took years for it to happen. Osmond explained that she and her brother Donny had a residency in Las Vegas for eleven years, and they would work five days a week. Between summer tours and Christmas tours, Osmond had a grueling schedule that left little time to do anything else. "Brad would check in now and then and I'd have to say, 'I'd love to but I just don't have the time,'" she said.
All that changed when B&B called while Osmond was in Los Angeles, helping her daughter who had just given birth to Osmond's ninth grandchild. "I said, 'Why not? Let's do it!'" she revealed. Osmond was thrilled to learn that they had written a great part for her instead of having her make a cameo of herself. Her only request to Bell had been to let her have some fun. He asked, 'Do you want to play this jerky countess?' and I said, 'Yeah,'" she admitted.
That's how the haughty Countess Von Frankfurt was born. The faithful Forrester client will make the decision about which designer put the best collection together. Will it be Eric or Ridge? We will have to wait to find out. In the meantime, Osmond teased that the Countess had an attitude and was hilarious. "She definitely lives in her own world," Osmond shared.
Preparing for the role was a whirlwind for Osmond. She was given only two days to memorize her lines, so she had to rely on her Broadway experience from when she appeared in The King and I and had to learn the lyrics of numerous songs. Osmond was also grateful to everyone from the cast to the cameramen because each had been lovely and helpful. "You could tell they all get along great and they're a happy family," she revealed.
John McCook (Eric Forrester), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester), and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) will all be part of the drama that unfolds, and they will be joined by Y&R's Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore) and Kate Linder (Esther Valentine) when the two ladies enjoy a crossover to join in on the fun. Osmond had nothing but praise for everyone. "It was long hours, which I'm not afraid of, and it moved very fast because they basically do everything in one take."
Osmond confessed that years of experience in the industry made her a low-maintenance guest. She brought her own hair and makeup person to accommodate the time constraints, so that she could focus on learning her lines. "I wanted it to be easy for them at no extra cost or anything," she explained. Osmond also brought in her own wardrobe for the show to select outfits for the Countess. She explained that she had an understanding and appreciation for the production side of things, and she had no desire to be a diva.
Osmond's impressive career has spanned 51 years, and she has a loyal and passionate fanbase that still surprised her with their enthusiasm. She revealed that her current album titled Unexpected debuted number one on the Billboard (Classical Crossover chart). "Isn't that crazy? I've had number one albums but never that debuted at number one," she said. Osmond shared that the album had been a challenge to herself. "I sing opera, American songbook, standards, legit soprano, orchestral; it's 17 songs in five languages."
Osmond explained that she was twelve years old when she recorded Paper Roses, and it went to number one when she was 13. She recalled at the time that Loretta Lynn had asked her why she had picked country music. Osmond conceded that it would have been easy for her to go the pop music route, since her brothers -- The Osmond Brothers -- had connections in the industry. Osmond had told Lynn that she loved all kinds of music, so Lynn had advised Osmond to sing them all.
Osmond also gets a kick out of gaining younger fans. She recently had a show where fans as young as 15 years old were sitting in the front row. She stopped the show and asked the young fans if they even knew who she was. "And one girl goes, 'We found out you were the Nutrisystem lady, so we listened to your music and fell in love with it!'" Osmond said.
What's next for Osmond? She will resume her busy touring schedule, but she didn't rule out another visit to B&B. She wants to see how the viewers respond to the Countess, but she acknowledged that it had been fun to play her. "Never say never," Osmond said.
Marie Osmond's first appearance as Countess Von Frankfurt was October 27, 2023. She will appear again on October 30 and 31.
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