Darla Forrester

Last updated
Darla Spectra Forrester
The Bold and the Beautiful character
SHarrisonDarla.jpg
Portrayed by Schae Harrison
Duration
  • 1989–2007
  • 2014–2015
First appearanceEpisode 454
January 19, 1989
Last appearanceEpisode 7124
July 21, 2015
Classification Former; recurring
Created by William J. Bell
In-universe information
Other namesDarla Spectra
OccupationAssistant to Sally Spectra
Mother Sally Spectra
Half-brothers CJ Garrison
Half-sisters Macy Alexander
Husband Thorne Forrester (2004–2006)
Daughters Alexandria Forrester
Aunts Shirley Spectra

Darla Spectra Forrester is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful , played by Schae Harrison from 1989 to July 18, 2006; also appearing as a ghost in July 2007, March, April, and November 2014, and in June and July 2015.

Contents

Casting

Harrison debuted in the role in January 1989, and departed in July 2006, when her character was killed off after being accidentally run over by Taylor Hayes, but made additional appearances in December 2006 and July 2007 as a ghost. On January 29, 2014, Michael Logan from TV Guide reported that Harrison had reprised her role and would be returning to the show. [1] A representative for the show said Harrison would feature in three episodes airing from March 18. [1] The episodes saw Darla appear to her now-teenage daughter Aly (Ashlyn Pearce) as a ghost. [1] She made additional appearances in November of the same year. In May 2015, Harrison confirmed via Twitter that she would be returning as Darla again as a ghost. [2] Harrison said that she had an "awesome story line". [2]

Storylines

Darla was born to Sally Spectra and an unknown father the amount of time she spent with Macy and CJ had a permanent impact on how she viewed herself. Regardless of how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself from worrying that she would always be found lacking in some way.

From the beginning of the show, she was always Her Mother Sally Spectra's (Darlene Conley) faithful assistant, Although she had a soft spot for fashion designer Clarke Garrison (Daniel McVicar), in the end, her loyalty was always to her mother Sally. After a brief failed relationship with Bill Spencer (Jim Storm), Darla had little airtime for many years, until winding up in bed with Thorne Forrester (Winsor Harmon) one night in 2003 and getting pregnant.

A drunken Thorne didn't even realize what he was doing at the time, and Darla originally planned to have an abortion, but Thorne convinced her to give the child to him and his wife, her sister , Macy (Bobbie Eakes), who was also Darla's best friend. After Macy chose Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan) over Thorne, Darla decided to keep the baby and raise it herself. Thorne, knowing he'd lost Macy, decided to lend a hand in raising his child. When the little girl was born, she was named Alexandria in honor of Macy, who had recently died as a result of an accident. Darla and Thorne had formed a romantic attachment, each realizing that they had found the person they had searched their whole life for, and Darla happily accepted when Thorne proposed. The two were soon married.

Darla was at odds with Thorne's brother Ridge Forrester (Ronn Moss) and his wife Brooke Logan Forrester (Katherine Kelly Lang). Ridge wanted Darla to keep her mouth shut about family business and to stay out of things, constantly calling her names such as "dingbat" and "glorified secretary". Darla, however, refused to let Ridge continue to belittle Thorne. While in Thorne's office one day, printing out some photographs of Sally and her together for Sally's birthday, she left the envelope on the desk while talking to Clarke, who was trying to convince her to steal the Ingénue line from Forrester. She didn't see Megan (Maeve Quinlan) take her envelope (containing Sally's birthday photos) off the blotter and put it to the side and put the envelope with the Ingénue shots on the blotter. Darla accidentally gave the envelope to Sally. Ridge was furious, and made it clear she was either one of two things—a manipulator, or a dingbat. Darla ran out of the room in tears and went home to pack her bags, but Thorne stopped her, swearing that no matter what, he would always love her, and did not blame her.

The battle between Thorne and Ridge only got worse until Thorne told his parents that one brother had to leave the company. Both Brooke and Darla campaigned for their significant other in the meantime until Eric and Stephanie made up their minds. They chose to keep Ridge, which prompted Thorne to quit Forrester Creations. Sally saw this as an opportunity and made Thorne a job offer. Thorne accepted and he became president of Spectra Fashions. Darla's continued support and encouragement helped Thorne continue to stand up for himself in front of his family on a personal and business front.

In 2005, Sally put all her money in Thomas Forrester's designs which were competing against those of the Forresters in a fashion showdown. When Forrester Creations came out on top, Sally was devastated and knew that her company would soon face trouble. Shortly after, Sally gathered Darla, Clarke, Thorne, Thomas and her faithful Spectra employees at her office to announce she was going to shut down the company and as a retirement gift to herself, take a long cruise around the world. This of course was a ruse on Sally's part as she was really retiring due to health complications as she was now a wheelchair user. When Darla realised what was really going on with Sally, she invited Sally to come and live with her and Thorne at their beach house as Sally was like family to her.

One night, after Alexandria's fourth birthday party, Thorne's niece Phoebe (MacKenzie Mauzy) got a flat tire and was stranded at the side of a busy road. She called her mother Taylor (Hunter Tylo), but the call was interrupted when a mysterious bearded man approached Phoebe and she screamed and dropped the phone. Worried about her daughter, a frantic Taylor, who had been drinking, got into her car and rushed to find Phoebe. Phoebe had gotten back into the car and, unbeknownst to Taylor, also called Darla. Darla got to Phoebe first and insisted on changing the tire, Darla lost her balance and fell in front of Taylor's car. A horrified Taylor tried to revive her good friend and sister-in-law, and Phoebe called an ambulance. Darla was rushed to hospital in critical condition. A devastated Thorne and Sally gathered at Darla's bed as she flatlined and died with Thorne at her side. [3]

Darla occasionally appears to Aly in a cloud-like circle, and the two carry on conversations. Only Aly can see her, but she has the power to make her presence known to others, in subtle ways. In late June 2015, Aly becomes increasingly agitated about Steffy Forrester's permanent return to Forrester Creations. Darla appears to Aly on a daily basis, with her appearance changing to reflect Aly's dark and angry mood.

Reception

During a 2014 feature on what storylines were working and not working for the show, a Soap World reporter thought Darla's return to help out Aly was "a disaster". [4] The reporter wondered why the producers brought back a popular character if they were not going to use all of her, saying "forcing a fun and effervescent actress like Schae Harrison to play a 'dismembered floating head' is stupid." [4]

In 2022, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Darla 27th on his ranked list of The Bold and the Beautiful’s Best of the Best Characters Ever, commenting "Yeah, yeah, the original Sally Spectra's gal Friday was meant to be the embodiment of a dumb-blonde joke. But she had the last laugh, making us care more when she passed away than we ever imagined we would." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Bold and the Beautiful</i> American television soap opera

The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Young and the Restless; several characters from each of the two shows have crossed over to the other since the early 1990s. Set in Los Angeles, California, the show centers upon the Forrester family and their haute couture business.

Schae Harrison is an American actress. She played Darla Einstein-Forrester on the American daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 1989–2006. She reprised the role briefly in 2007, 2014, and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Spectra</span> American soap opera character from The Bold and the Beautiful

Sally Spectra is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Sally was played by actress Darlene Conley for almost eighteen years, from January 17, 1989, to November 29, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorne Forrester</span> Soap opera character

Thorne Forrester is a fictional character on CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. The character was played by Clayton Norcross from the show's premiere in 1987 until 1989, by Jeff Trachta from 1989 until 1996 and Winsor Harmon from 1996 to 2016. In September 2017, Harmon announced that the role of Thorne was to be recast, and several days after, it was announced that daytime veteran Ingo Rademacher had been cast in the role; he made his first appearance on November 27, 2017. Rademacher departed the role in February 2019. Harmon briefly returned to the role in March 2022, and once again in December 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Forrester</span> Fictional character

Phoebe Forrester is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. The first actress to play the character on a contract basis was Addison Hoover, who joined the show in April 2005 and left the following year. From July 11, 2006 to December 9, 2008, Phoebe was played by MacKenzie Mauzy, until the character was killed off. Phoebe and her twin sister, Steffy, were born in September 1999 to Ridge Forrester and Taylor Hayes. As a result of constant SORASing, Phoebe was seventeen by 2006. The character has been described as an "ill-fated beauty".

Stephanie Forrester (<i>The Bold and the Beautiful</i>) Fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful

Stephanie Forrester is a fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Stephanie is known for her marriage to the famed fashion designer Eric Forrester, and for her rivalries with Brooke Logan, who at first was a serious competitor for Eric's love, and later was involved with her two sons Ridge and Thorne. She had also rivalries with other women that were competitors for Eric's love, such as Margo Lynley, Beth Logan, Sheila Carter, Sally Spectra, Maggie Forrester, Lauren Fenmore, Jackie Marone and Donna Logan, but with some of them, she also developed friendships. She also had a good friendship with her daughter-in-law Taylor Hayes. She has been portrayed since the show's inception in 1987 by Emmy-winning actress Susan Flannery. Stephanie's lung cancer diagnosis played a central role in the series, and the character died of the disease on November 26, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Forrester</span> Soap opera character

Rick Forrester is a fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera on the CBS network. He was born in 1990 as the son of Brooke Logan and Eric Forrester. Portrayed by several adult actors, he is currently portrayed by Jacob Young, who took claim of the role from 1997 to 1999, and returned from 2011 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macy Alexander</span> Soap opera character

Macy Alexander is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Bobbie Eakes played the role from April 27, 1989, to July 2000, briefly in August 2001, and again from December 2002 to October 2003. Macy was introduced as the daughter of Sally Spectra, with many of her storylines revolving around her relationship with Thorne Forrester, whom she has been married to three times. Other storylines have revolved around her relationships with both her paternal and maternal family, and various other men, including Grant Chambers, Lorenzo Barelli and Deacon Sharpe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Spencer Forrester</span> Soap opera character

Caroline Spencer Forrester is a fictional character from the American soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. The role was played by Joanna Johnson from March 23, 1987, to July 19, 1990. She returned as a vision on June 11, 1992 and as a ghost on January 5, 2001. Johnson also plays Caroline's identical twin sister, Karen Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steffy Forrester</span> Fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful

Steffy Forrester is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Introduced by Bradley Bell, she is currently portrayed by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. Steffy and her twin sister Phoebe were born onscreen as the daughters of supercouple Ridge Forrester and Taylor Hayes during the episode airing on September 21, 1999. For the character's first five-year period, she appeared as a minor. In 2005, Steffy was rapidly aged to a teenager, and in 2008 she appeared as an adult when Wood took over the role. Wood portrayed the role continuously until 2013, when she decided to leave her regular capacity with the series. Following a series of guest appearances, Wood returned as a series regular in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrester family</span> Fictional family from The Bold and the Beautiful

The Forrester family is a family in the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. The Forresters own and run the Los Angeles-based fashion house Forrester Creations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke Logan</span> Fictional character

Brooke Logan is a fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera on the CBS network. She has been portrayed by Katherine Kelly Lang since the series's debut in March 1987. The character is part of the original four central characters and actors. Over the years, she has developed into a business woman working at Forrester Creations and a mother to five children: Rick, Bridget, Hope, R.J. and Jack. Her character is described as having "emerged as the show's quintessential vixen, always in turmoil and forever symbolic of true love and destiny prevailing." The character has also had long-time rivalries with Stephanie Forrester and Taylor Hayes. In addition to Ridge, Brooke has also had marriages with Eric Forrester Ridge's father, Ridge's two half-brothers, Thorne Forrester and Nick Marone, her brother-in-law Bill Spencer, Jr., and several others, including marriages to Whip Jones and Grant Chambers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Spencer</span> Soap opera character

Karen Spencer is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful played by Joanna Johnson. After Joanna Johnson's character Caroline Spencer Forrester was killed off the show, Karen was created to bring back Johnson to the Soap Opera. She first appeared on December 11, 1991 and remained until June 10, 1994. Johnson briefly returned to the role on April 28, 2009, and again in May 2012 for a several week brief story-arc.

Taylor Hayes (<i>The Bold and the Beautiful</i>) Fictional character

Taylor Hayes is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. The character was created by William J. Bell and originated by Hunter Tylo during the episode dated June 6, 1990. Tylo exited the series in 1994 but returned several months later. She exited again in 1996 after being cast on Melrose Place, but returned shortly after being fired from that show for being pregnant. After Tylo grew dissatisfied with her character's direction and agreed with executive producer Bradley Bell that Taylor was "played out", the character was subsequently killed off and last appeared in October 2002. Tylo reprised Taylor as a ghost in 2004 before returning as a regular in April 2005, with the character revealed to be alive. Tylo exited The Bold and the Beautiful again in July 2013, but returned for guest appearances in 2014. She returned again from April 2018 to March 2019 on a recurring basis. The character was later recast with Krista Allen, who first appeared as Taylor in December 2021 but was subsequently released in November 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridge Forrester</span> Fictional character

Ridge Forrester is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. The character was introduced in the series premiere on March 23, 1987 and has been a regular fixture ever since. Ronn Moss played the role since the beginning, and was one of four remaining original cast members for 25 years, along with Susan Flannery, John McCook and Katherine Kelly Lang. During a leave of absence in 1992, Moss was briefly replaced by Lane Davies. The character's fate was uncertain when Moss departed the role in 2012, although head-writer Bradley Bell confirmed in an interview with Michael Logan of TV Guide that he had plans for a recast should Moss choose not to return to the series. In October 2013, TV Guide's Michael Logan reported that the role of Ridge was recast with former All My Children actor, Thorsten Kaye. Kaye made his first appearance as Ridge on December 13, 2013. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Denise Richards' husband Aaron Phypers appeared as Ridge in intimate scenes with Shauna Fulton in 2020.

The Marone Family is a family in the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. They are and have been involved in running the fashion house Forrester Creations but the core of their business interests is the ownership and management of the international shipping company Marone Industries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Logan, Michael (January 29, 2014). "Exclusive: Schae Harrison Returns to The Bold and the Beautiful". TV Guide . Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Clifford, Kambra (May 26, 2015). "Schae Harrison to return as B&B's Darla". Soapcentral . Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  3. "Five Things That Happened On July 18 In Soap History". Soap Opera Digest . Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Soap opera report card: The Bold and the Beautiful". Soap World (260): 24. September 2014.
  5. Mason, Charlie. "The Bold and the Beautiful's Best of the Best Characters Ever, Ranked [PHOTOS]". Soaps She Knows . Retrieved 19 July 2023.