Rebecca Budig Opens up About Joining BB

Fans got quite a surprise at the end of the Aug. 6 episode of The Bold & The Beautiful when the mystery woman spying on Ridge and Brooke was revealed to be none other than Taylor… and played by soap vet Rebecca Budig !

Having gotten her start as Guiding Light’s Michelle Bauer before moving over to ABC to play Greenlee Smythe on All My Children and later Hayden Barnes on General Hospital, Budig is back at CBS to play Dr. Taylor Hayes on B&B . While it’s a bit of an adjustment, it helps that she’s once again working with her old AMC co-star, Thorsten Kaye (Ridge), who played Zach on the ABC sudser.

“I’ve always loved Thorsten,” Budig enthused to People . “He’s always been very kind to me… I’ve been to his house for Thanksgiving once, so I love Thorsten and his family… He does something different every time. He doesn’t say the same thing every time, so he keeps you on your toes — and that’s all you can ask for, really.”

While storyline details surrounding Taylor’s return to the canvas are still being kept close to the vest, Budig is looking forward to seeing how B&B viewers react to her portrayal of the long-running character of Taylor.

“I just hope they’re open to that idea and interpretation of it and that they just believe the relationships between Taylor and Ridge and Taylor and Brooke,” the actress confided. “I always thought that All My Children might’ve been the best job I ever had in terms of the people all really getting along, but I truly get the vibe here that it’s that one-in-a-million group of people that is just collaborative, kind, supportive, and just very welcoming. So I’m excited. Really excited.”