Rick Hearst’s Whip Jones may have gotten the girl, but can he ever win her love?
Whether you love him or hate him, it’s hard not to get tangled up in the persistent charm of THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Whip Jones. A flagrant opportunist who specializes in emotional manipulation, he’s the type of guy who can talk his way out of any situation or talk himself into the most exclusive party in town. Like LEAVE IT TO BEAVER’s Eddie Haskell all grown up, Whip has an ingratiating attitude that can really grate on people’s nerves.
Yet at the same time, there’s a kernel of something genuine dwelling in the heart of this sexy spin doctor. "Some people may dislike him," notes his portrayer, Rick Hearst, "But he’s not a hateful character, per se."
Take his recent wedding to Brooke, for example. In adopting her as his latest pet project, Whip hopes their union will prove mutually advantageous. "Ultimately, he’s trying to get what he wants and hopefully help the people he’s ‘playing chess with’ get what they want," says the actor. "It’s sort of a friendship turned to love for him."
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
Of course, Whip certainly will have to pull out every marketing trick in the book if he ever hopes to gain Brooke’s love — or even convince her to hop in the sack with him. But just as Whip has begun to win over fans, Hearst thinks he’ll also earn his reluctant bride’s affection — eventually.
"Slowly but surely, he’s gaining that conscience and that heart and that voice of vulnerability that you have to have in order for a character to have any longevity," he explains. "It doesn’t take away the dimensions of his wit and playfulness, but it gives him a base from where everybody can root for him."
The Mind Of A Married Man
If Hearst could offer his alter ego any words of marital encouragement, he might tell him to hang in there, since relationships, like wine, only improve over time. At least, that’s how he describes his own 12-year marriage to wife Donna.
Unlike Whip, Hearst admittedly had the advantage of not having to drag his bride kicking and screaming to the altar. The two met in 1984 while performing in a college production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Today, they have two sons, Nicholas, 11, and Cameron, 6.
"I’m happier being married to my wife now than I’ve ever been in our entire married life," he says. "I never tire of her. In fact, I look forward to the next thing I get to find out about her. If you have the right person and you really know it, then treasure it."
Rick Hearst
