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When the Daytime Emmy awards are handed out on Friday, June 7, three of the five men contending for the Outstanding Lead Actor statue will be from The Bold and the Beautiful. “How cool is that?” asked an amazed John McCook when we spoke to Eric’s portrayer shortly after he, Scott Clifton (Liam) and Thorsten Kaye (Ridge) had gotten the news. “I couldn’t be happier about these nominations, and I’m so proud that we have three of our men in this category!”

While the Bold & Beautiful gents will be competing against The Young and the Restless‘ Eric Braeden (Victor) and Days of Our Lives‘ Eric Martsolf (Brady), McCook can be forgiven for hoping his show will walk away with the win. In fact, given how closely he and Kaye worked during the storyline in which a dying Eric butted heads with son Ridge, we suggested perhaps a tie was in order. “That would be great,” he laughed. “And then we could skip off into the sunset together!”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

As for castmate Clifton, “I’m sure he’d understand,” McCook chuckled. “I have such respect for him and what he brings to the table. He’s such an interesting performer and such a creative force!”

Considering the powerful storyline for which he’s nominated, did McCook know that he’d snag a nomination. “I wouldn’t admit to that if I did,” he said slyly. “But I know that given the demands of the story, and the wonderful story they gave me to play, I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t gotten a nomination.”

The big emotions on display helped propel the tale which played out so convincingly that many members of the audience wondered if it was designed to usher McCook off the canvas and into retirement. (The show had, after all, told a similar story during Susan Flannery’s final days as Eric’s much-missed wife, Stephanie.)

More: Bold & Beautiful alum joins Blue Bloods

“You can’t play this stuff sitting in a corner with a martini,” mused McCook. “You’ve gotta wave your arms around a little bit and indulge in the fear and the love. Because this wasn’t just a story about Eric being afraid of dying or wanting to maintain his dignity at the end of his life. It was a love story with Donna. We got to tell an incredibly wonderful story between the two of us, when nobody else was in the room. When it was just Eric and Donna, alone, and being afraid, not wanting to lose one another. That was a nice sidebar to the bigger, more dramatic scenes unfolding.”