Less than two weeks ago, fans learned that Ronn Moss (Ridge Forrester) had made the decision to step away from a character he'd played for more than two decades. Moss, however, has now confessed that if it were not for a co-star the news might have been kept a secret.
In a new interview, Moss gives his most candid explanation regarding his decision to leave The Bold and the Beautiful after 25 years. The actor hints that there were signs that kept popping up that signaled it was time for a change.
"There are so many that it would take probably too long [...] to document each one. One was a car accident that my wife and I just got into," Moss told Entertainment Weekly, which also first reported the news of his exit. "[T]he last one is kind of the clincher for me. I'm in my dressing room the last day of work, last Tuesday. I'm getting dressed and ready to go on stage for the last time. I look up, I have about 10 minutes, and I hear the stage manager say, 'Ten minutes before camera.' I look up at the clock and it says 9:42 in the morning. 9:42, wait? It's 10 minutes of 11. The clock stopped! The clock stopped! It stopped at the exact moment that I was born."
As for report that money played into Moss's decision, the actor cryptically replied that it "had to do with everything involved with it, everything combined."
Less than a week after Moss revealed that he was leaving B&B, fans were stunned when it was learned that four-time Emmy nominee Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester) was also on her way out. While the two exits were not necessarily tied to each other, Moss hinted that Flannery made an unexpected announcement that forced his hand.
"[T]he reason that my leaving got broadcast out was because Susan had blurted out on stage that we were both leaving last week," Moss stated. "I knew that, and I knew that she was considering doing this. I think she's doing it sooner than she even was thinking, but I think that says something. I'll leave it there because I have to."
In a feature in Soap Opera Digest, a setside source insinuates that Flannery and Moss's exits might have to do with their unhappiness over their lack of airtime.
"Susan adores the younger actors and really believes they are doing a great job, but she thinks the writers are focusing too much on those characters," a source told Digest. "She had a conversation with Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer]. It will be interesting to see if any of her words made an impression with him."
While Moss doesn't rule out a possible return in the future, for now the actor indicates that he needs to move on.
"I need to move forward, not backwards, and I've been doing this for 25 years. I wouldn't have done it all this time if I wasn't dedicated. It's not just a job," Moss offered. "I need time. And I want to dedicate myself to this rebirth, this new life."
