When he discovered he is actually a father, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL's Dante took his newfound role seriously — and so did his portrayer, real-life parent Antonio Sabato Jr.

"They wrote some really good stuff for me," enthuses Sabato about the reveal of Dominick's paternity. "Everyone's really stepping up, and we're going to take the show to a new level." And, if Sabato has anything to say about it, a realistic one.

"[Dante] is not going to use the child to get to Bridget, or that sort of stuff," Sabato promises. "Sometimes the soap operas want to start some stuff that's not realistic, and I don't want to go that route. We want to make it as realistic as possible.

"I can relate a lot to this character," notes the father of two. "I bring a lot of personal stuff to Dante, and that's what I would do. I would take care of the child and be the best father I can be. I related that to the producers, to make sure they understood that I was coming from that place. Having two kids, I've been adding my own personal thing [to the story].

"I think the producers have faith in me, because it's not easy to work with children and babies," he laughs.