And coincidentally, one of his GH pals, Stephen Martines (Tony, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Nikolas, GH), landed in New York about the same time Young did. "He will always be close to me," says Young. "We played brothers so I don't think it will ever go away. I am happy that he is out here and that he is working because he is talented."

Young isn't as impressed by the portrayals of JR that preceded him at AMC. "They haven't had a JR in there that had been able to take on the responsibility the character deserves," he asserts. "I have been watching ALL MY CHILDREN with my mom since I was an infant, so I jumped at that opportunity. I have always been a big fan of David Canary (Adam); to be able to work with him was part of the reasoning." Though Young is tight-lipped about the details of JR's agenda, he does say that he aims to bring "maturity, vulnerability, passion and respect" to the role.

Young is also pursuing another career well-suited to his restless soul. "I am going to do a re-release of my album (Life is Good) after we do a couple of new songs," he reports. "It came out September 11th two years ago, so I don't think it got a fair run after all of the promotional tours that I had done, and the record company is in agreement with that.I am writing music all of the time."

All of this doesn't leave much time for extracurricular activities. "I like to relax and enjoy the company of beautiful women," he says, although when asked to elaborate, he quips, "There are so many, I couldn't even give you names." Young's last relationship, to fellow actress Julie Costello, fell victim to his career. "Unfortunately because of the move, because of age, it is too hard to keep it going without making it formal. A wedding, being married, whatever...I don't want to lock myself down right now."

Does that go for AMC as well? "We'll see how things go," he hedges. "Everybody has been very nice and genuine, welcoming me to the show. They have given me open arms there." Pause. "I should be there for a little while."

You Talkin' To Him?
"I have one big pet peeve," Young admits. "I hate people who are fake. I have no time for that at all. I am such a realist, it's crazy. I live in the now and I don't try to be phony. In this industry, everybody tries to schmooze and small talk and they beat around the bush. It's like, 'Get to the point already. This is taking up time. I could be doing something.' I like doing interviews, but I like doing them once in a while, you know? The young kids on the show are all dying to do interviews and I tell them, 'You are going to have plenty of interviews. Don't be so eager.'"

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 9, 2003 issue of Soap Opera Weekly.