“The whole experience has taken on a life of its own,” begins Anne Makovec, a local news reporter for KPIX 5 in the Bay Area, who made her soap debut on The Bold and the Beautiful on September 9.
A daytime drama fan since childhood, Makovec had long dreamed of crossing over into the world she’d grown up. “Since I worked for CBS, I had always wanted to figure out how to get on the set just to meet people, see people, or if I could even be a waiter handing out bread or something at Il Giardino [restaurant on B&B],” she explains. “I just wanted to make some sort of appearance.”
Especially since the shows have been part of her work life for the past 15 years, she’s been at the station. “My noon newscast airs live between Y&R and B&B — so I’ve been sandwiched between them for years,” she notes. “I’ve even had to tearfully collect myself at times, transitioning from watching the end of Y&R and my own newscast, especially at big moments like the death of [Y&R‘s] Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper). And then I’m forced to peel myself from watching the beginning of B&B as I’m tasked with recording things for later news broadcasts after the noon news.”
Her chance to tap into her more dramatic side finally came through CBS Mornings‘ inspirational series, “It’s Never Too Late,” which features people embracing new challenges or second chapters. Though previous conversations hadn’t led anywhere, this time the stars aligned. “My executive producer for the morning show contacted the people at The Bold and the Beautiful, and they ran with it in such a wonderful way,” Makovec says. “I mean, not only to give me a speaking role, but to give me a name, a little bit of a backstory, and then to add in the phrase, ‘It’s never too late,’ to tie in the whole CBS Mornings series was just amazing.”
Makovec arrived at the set with her mother, Meri, a fan of The Young and the Restless who introduced her to soaps, and her brother, Matt. They were greeted by Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester), making the moment disorienting in the best way. “It’s hard to even describe,” she reflects. “It’s like you immediately just sort of get smacked into the wall, and here you’re off and running in this strange world that has suddenly come to life. It was wild, but he was wonderful. Everybody was incredibly wonderful and patient and welcoming, and I could not have asked for better people every step of the way.”
Even with her experience anchoring a daily newscast, stepping onto the iconic soundstage brought unexpected jitters. “I was way more nervous than I thought I was going to be,” Makovec admits. “Which was interesting because I am used to being on TV, but I think it was just such a surreal experience to even be in the building.”
Makovec got a firsthand look at the show’s deep roots, listening to longtime cast member John McCook (Eric Forrester) share tales from the past. “He was telling stories of Danny Kaye and Judy Garland and things that had happened in that studio,” she reports. “You could just feel this legacy, and it was overwhelming for me. In fact, I don’t remember half of the day, so I’m glad I had a photographer along with me to catch it because when I would watch the footage back, I could remember all of these moments.”
Courtesy Anne Makovec
Makovec was cast as a character named Ronna — a stylish socialite with a special fitting at Forrester Creations — named in tribute to Supervising Producer Casey Kasprzyk’s mother. From the colorful wardrobe to the impeccable styling, “It definitely felt like a Cinderella moment,” Makovec shares. “I’m a person that likes to wear black a lot, so having all that color, I just felt like it was time to go with the flow and let the experts do their job, and they did a fantastic job.”
When the cameras rolled, Makovec was ready. “I was not nervous about the acting,” she says. “It was more about where was my place in this glamorous, mythological world of L.A. fashion? But as far as the lines and the actual playing of the role, I felt pretty confident in that.”
Her scene was with soap icons Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) and Heather Tom (Katie Logan), and the camaraderie was instant. “They were fabulous,” Makovec raves. “I could totally see them being good girlfriends. They just have a fun vibe, and it’s interesting because I know them obviously as their characters, and you could see a little bit of that bleeding through, but you could tell that they’re just cool girls underneath it all as well.”
Sean Smith/Bell-Phillip TV Productions
Witnessing the process behind the camera gave Makovec a newfound appreciation for the genre she’s watched for decades. “I just have so much respect for everything that these people do all year round,” she says. “I talked to them about, ‘What happens if you get sick? Can you call in sick?’ And they rarely do because you would throw everything off. It’s such a well-oiled machine, and everything is running so tightly; it’s just amazing what they are able to get done and the quality work that they’re able to do as quickly as they are.”
Still, for a journalist used to telling others’ stories, turning the lens inward was a shift. “It was odd for me in general because I’m used to reporting on things, not myself,” she points out. “So, what to share as far as my experience and how to share it was an interesting challenge for me.”
Courtesy Anne Makovec
With B&B airing in the Bay Area right after her newscast, Makovec has big watch-party plans for her episode. “I’ll be live from 12 to 12:30 during the noon news, and then Bold and the Beautiful airs right after my show, so I’m going to hop right off the news desk and we’re all going to go in the conference room to watch it, and we’re all going to be screaming,” she predicts. “Everybody at my station has been so excited, too, which has just been really cute. It’s been so much fun, and I could not be happier about it and more surprised and more thankful.”
And this might not be the end of Ronna’s run. Kasprzyk hinted that a return could be in the cards — news that floored Makovec. “When I heard that, I don’t know how I can describe the feeling,” marvels Makovec. “I screamed. It was so hard to soak up the first time because it was so crazy, so it was a tremendous relief to think of maybe having the opportunity to come back and soak it up a little bit differently. I am very hopeful that that will come to fruition because you never do know where these plot lines go, and I’m ready to go all the way. It’ll just be a dream come true.”
The Bold and the Beautiful, Weekdays, CBS. Check local listings
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