Telma Hopkins and Valarie Pettiford of ‘Half & Half’ Reunite: ‘Aging Ain’t for the Meek!’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The beloved duo shares laughs, a candid take on aging and hopes for more ‘Y&R’ drama together
Searching for a long-lost child is always high drama, but with Half & Half divas Telma Hopkins and Valarie Pettiford reuniting on The Young and the Restless this week, it was nothing but laughs behind the scenes. In this Q&A, Pettiford and Hopkins sit down with Woman’s World to dish on 20 years of friendship, reflect on keeping their minds sharp as they mature, and reveal which one of them is playing with retirement… sort of!
Plus, wonder what it’s like to work with Nate’s portrayer Sean Dominic and how Family Matters alum Bryton James (Devon) felt about being left out of Hopkins’ latest The Young and the Restless sitcom reunion? Read on to find out!
‘Half & Half’ alums Pettiford and Hopkins tease their ‘Y&R’ reunion
Woman’s World (WW): It’s been almost 20 years since you two battled on Half & Half. Telma, you’ve since worked on Dead to Me, Are We There Yet? and The Young and The Restless, where you reunited Bryton as P.I. Denise – and Valarie Pettiford, before coming to Genoa City to play Amy, you did time on The Blacklist, The Family Business, and Being Mary Jane. What has it been like to come back together on The Young and the Restless after all these years?
Telma Hopkins: “Well, we’ve worked together. I actually did her show Family Business… although she chose not to be around when I did! But coming together, it’s always easy. There’s a level of family with her. I can come onto the set, and I may not know anything else, but if she’s there, I’m more comfortable. And I know we’re going to have a good time.”
Valarie Pettiford: “That’s right. Life is so good when I know she’s around, whether it’s on a set, walking down the street, or at an audition. I just love her so much. She’s my hero and always will be.”
Hopkins: “We don’t act like it on Half & Half! But the fact that we had that love for each other enabled us to be as awful as we were to each other on that show. And after all these years, Half & Half is still one of my happy places, getting to work with that many women and have that much fun for four whole years. They say, biblically, ‘Laughter is good medicine.’ I like delivering the laughter.”
‘Half & Half’ alums Pettiford and Hopkins tease their ‘Y&R’ reunion
WW: But you’re coming back together to bring the drama on The Young and the Restless. Will your characters Amy and Denise get along better than Big Dee Dee and Phyllis did?
Hopkins: “Oh, it’s totally different characters. I’m an investigator, so I’m out being nosy, and she’s a fabulous actress, so she’s out there boohooing and just carrying on, giving you drama.”
Pettiford: “My character, Amy, reached out to Nathan to help find her son and his half-brother. She basically just showed up at his place saying, ‘Hi, you have a brother.’
Hopkins: “That was a good episode!”
Pettiford: “Oh, I don’t watch myself.”
Hopkins: “I don’t either, but I can watch you.”
Pettiford: “Thank you, baby.”
‘Y&R’ star and sitcom vet Bryton James wanted in on the ‘Half & Half’ reunion
WW: So Denise is called back to canvass to help Amy find her son?
Hopkins: “Right, and thankfully, Nate turned to Bryton’s character Devon, who turned him onto me. You know, Denise is retired, but Devon keeps going back to her. This is the third time he’s yanked me back in again!”
WW: “Does that mean you’ll also get to cross with Devon and have another Family Matters reunion?”
Telma. “No. Bryton called me though. He let me know that they had a lot of nerve booking me without him. He was like, ‘I’m gonna call somebody!’”
‘Half & Half’ alums Pettiford and Hopkins dish ‘Y&R’ hunk Sean Dominic
WW: You two have such a strong dynamic. How does Sean, who plays Nate, fit into all this?
Pettiford: “He’s funny, he’s gorgeous, and he’s just beautiful–“
Pettiford and Hopkins (in unison): “Inside and out!”
Hopkins: “Although the outside is a LOT. He is scrumptious, and also so easy.”
Pettiford: “He’s a good man and a brilliant actor. I started off acting in soaps (on Another World and One Life to Live), but I was scared to death when I came here! I had a lot of emotional material, and you want to do your best job – and to do that, you want to have a great scene partner to create and discover with. That was Sean for me. It was so delicious. He just wrapped his arms around me as an actor, and I am having the best time with him.”
‘Half & Half’ vets Valarie Pettiford on Telma Hopkins talk making music and retiring
WW: “Valarie, you are a one-time Tony nominee who got her start in The Wiz and released jazz album, Hear My Soul, in 2005 – and Telma, you started out as part of the hit-making pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn. Your careers have spanned decades and genres. Was there ever a point at which you considered leaving entertainment behind?”
Hopkins: “Well…. there may be a time or two when I thought the entertainment industry had left me, but no, I never considered it. I mean, what else would I do?”
Pettiford: “I know! But I’m gonna be very honest, I’m getting to the point where I want to retire soon… but that doesn’t mean I’m getting out of show business. I’m creating, choreographing, and directing our youth and our dancers – and I freaking love it! It’s bringing me so much joy, like when I first started dancing.”
WW: So maybe you’re ready to stop performing and spend more time behind the scenes?
Hopkins: “You said it out loud for her!”
Pettiford: “Yes! But I have to say… if somebody calls me with a great role…”
Hopkins: “That will be the real test.”
WW: “Well, I guess we’re glad Y&R tested you!”
‘Half & Half’ vets Telma Hopkins and Valarie Pettiford get candid about aging
WW: Our readers are always looking for new ways to keep their minds sharp, and at 64 and 76, you two are still memorizing lines and delivering performances – in the fast-paced soap world, no less. What is your secret?
Hopkins: “That IS what keeps our brains sharp. I’m not saying that something can’t happen that changes all of that, but the fact that I’ve had to keep going and keep learning has kept my mind fresher. ‘Cause you know I’m getting up there, right? But so far, I can remember a script!”
Pettiford: “You know… I’ve actually gotten better. At one point, I felt like I was forgetting stuff or I didn’t think I was on [my game].”
Hopkins: “It was probably hormonal! As women, we go through so much.”
Pettiford: “You’re right. And now, with these Y&R scripts and shows I’ve been getting, woah, it’s a lot, but I’m there!”
Telma Hopkins and Valarie Pettiford agree aging “ain’t for the meek!”
Hopkins: “Before the interview, we were sharing and found that we have a lot of things that we’re going through physically, as women, that trigger a lot of stuff. You just shift as women.”
Pettiford: “The aging process, everybody’s going to go through it, so let’s not get it twisted. But aging ain’t for the weak–“
Pettiford & Hopkins (in unison): “–or the meek!”
Hopkins: “Some go through it worse than others…”
Pettiford: “Right, and what are you going to do? Roll over and die, or deal with it?”
Hopkins: “But it’s been a process. And we’ve been with each other long enough to remember when things really worked well!”
‘Half & Half’ vets Telma Hopkins and Valarie Pettiford want more ‘Y&R’ drama
WW: With your The Young and the Restless reunion episodes set to air on Thursday, December 19, and Friday, December 27, any last thoughts before we let you go?
Hopkins: “I just wish we were working together more.”
Pettiford: “Me too. I love this human more than life, on and off screen.”
Hopkins: “Maybe something will happen in the future, and Denise will have to come back and see Amy again.”
Pettiford: “We’re putting that out there: Bring her back and have her in my life.”
Hopkins: “Bryton too. If I come back twice and don’t work with him, it’s all over! In the meantime, you just gotta watch!”
Conversation
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