Soap Opera Digest: What word would you use to sum up your 16 years on B&B?
Katherine Kelly Lang: The first word that comes to my mind is "fun." To me, there's so much that goes into that word. Not only do I share 16 years with Ronn, Susan and John, but there are also a lot of behind-the-scenes people who have been here just as long. I think that's why there's this positive, close energy on the show. If it weren't fun, I wouldn't be here as long as I have because why do anything if you're not enjoying it?

Digest: Have the years gone by quickly or does it feel like it really has been 16 years?
Lang: For some reason, reaching the 10-year mark seemed hard for me. Once I was past that, the time has gone by quickly. There were times in the earlier years when it seemed harder. But now, I somehow missed the years between 10 and 16.

Digest: Did you think you would be here this long?
Lang: The first contract I signed was for four years. It was a brand-new soap, and they wanted everybody they hired to be here for a while. That length of time seemed kind of nerve-wracking to me at first, but I liked the idea of doing a brand-new show and creating a character from scratch. Of course, being a half-hour show in L.A. was also very appealing. I remember after the first two years, I thought, "When is this going to be over?" yet, when four years came around, I re-signed because at that point, I had already started my family. B&B was so wonderful about me being pregnant and bringing the baby to the set. Then, I had my second child, so it was a way to have my family and be able to work. After that, I just kept re-signing and re-signing.

Digest: What did you think of Brooke when you started playing her?
Lang: I thought she was very innocent because she was so young. She was also curious about life and love, and I really liked that. That was fun to play.

Digest: Brooke has never, ever been off the front-burner. What does that feel like?
Lang: I didn't realize that. This week, I'm taping six shows, and that's kind of the norm for me. But if I'm only working three days in a week, that, to me, is off the front-burner, and I don't feel like I'm in the main storyline.

Digest: Have you ever gotten burned out?
Lang: Oh, sure. If I ever feel that way, I ask for time off. Sometimes, [the execs] can tell I need a break because I'll really be "voicing" my opinion all over the place.

Digest: Was there ever a time you didn't like Brooke?
Lang: I think it went too far with the whole Brooke/Deacon/Bridget thing. It was interesting, for a moment, but then I thought Brooke wasn't being too bright. I know she doesn't do things maliciously, but this was something so against her own daughter. Then, Brooke kept having sex with Deacon because she couldn't "help herself." I freaked out a little about that because I love Brooke dearly, and I'm very protective of her. But I just played this as something that she had to learn from, feel bad about, come back from, try to fix it, be a better person and, hopefully, get a second chance. And she has really suffered for it, but, still, people don't want to forgive her.

Digest: What was your favorite storyline?
Lang: That's hard to say. The Ridge and Brooke thing has been great, even though it's been ongoing for such a long time. And through the years, I've loved Brooke and Stephanie's rivalry, although they're not [as] intense as they used to be. But it's hard to pick one favorite storyline as my absolute favorite. Four thousand episodes later, I have a hard time remembering.