9 Quick Questions for Peter Bergman

How do you feel about aging?

I’ve tried to stay in good shape. I lucked out with the genes. My father looked young for a very long time. And so for years, I was always proud to tell people how old I was because I looked a little younger than I was. Now I think it’s starting to catch up with me, and I have aches and pains that I never had before, and I have to take them seriously now, and I don’t like that, but I love the wisdom of experience. … I’ve never had a real problem with growing old, but 70 [made me think], OK, so how many more summers do I probably have? Maybe 20? And I never started to do that kind of math. I’m also of a retirement age. Do I want to retire? I never thought about that before, and now it’s something I allow myself to think about.

Bergman, seen here with his “The Young and the Restless” castmates, has played Jack Abbott on the show since 1989.

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Do you have any retirement plans?

Well, I have none at this point because I’m still enjoying my work so much. But things change. Here’s another thing that changed: I have been learning lines [of dialog] for most of my life. For 44 years I’ve been learning a lot of lines. That’s my job, and you get better and better at it until your brain starts getting a little older and you’re not as good at it as you can be, and you’re spending more time and preparation and everything. So if I get to the point where I can’t remember any of this stuff, I’m gonna retire before I embarrass myself.

Have you changed your routine to stay healthier as you age?

I pride myself in having stayed in really good shape for all of this. So the deal was, [the show’s wardrobe staff] dressed me in wonderful, wonderful Armani suits and jackets, and if my weight changes all the time, I can’t wear those incredible clothes. So I haven’t changed my suit size in the 34 years I’ve been here. I don’t have the same waist that [I’ve always had], but it’s the same suit size.

How have you managed that?

I was a runner for many years. For 28 years I ran marathons and 10Ks and such. Then my hips and my knees started talking to me about 15 years ago. I switched over to spinning, and when I can’t spin, I speed walk. I exercise probably five days a week. I exercise whether I’m working or not, and I’m a little careful about what I eat.

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You’ve been nominated for 24 Daytime Emmys, with three wins. Do you have a favorite Emmy memory?

Certainly the first time I won [in 1991], it was very exciting. I was pretty darn new to Young and the Restless, and I had just left All My Children, so when they called my name, I had this new cast who were very excited that somebody from their show won, and I had my old cast — who I missed terribly at that moment — and they were all on their feet. So it was especially loud and crazy, and it seemed like the whole audience was thrilled I was up there. In truth, it was just those All My Children people saying, “Good for you.” I got canned from All My Children, and here I was picking up my first Emmy. We were also [shooting] in New York at that time ... and everyone in New York in the following days was congratulating me. People on buses and people in subways were saying, “Hey, congratulations.” It was really fun.

After 45 years as a soap star, you must have kissed a lot of women. Is there a favorite?

That is dangerous, dangerous territory to walk. But here’s my answer, and this is actually the truth. This was not one of my leading ladies. I had a scene where I was really surprised that we had a whole makeout thing. There’s a character here named Leanna Love [portrayed by Barbara Crampton at the time]. She is supposed to lay a big fat kiss on Jack, and he’s supposed to kind of be a little weak in the knees. And [when it happened I thought] Surprise! I didn’t have to act at all. Oh my God, [I’m] literally a little weak in the knees. I don’t know what just happened. But wow, that was amazing. It happened once. That’s fun. Once. That was it.​