Matt Clark (The Young and the Restless)
Matt Clark | |||||||
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The Young and the Restless character | |||||||
Portrayed by |
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Duration | 1994–96, 2000–01 | ||||||
First appearance | June 1994 | ||||||
Last appearance | November 28, 2001 | ||||||
Classification | Past, recurring | ||||||
Introduced by | Edward J. Scott | ||||||
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Matt Clark is a fictional character from the American
Casting and characterization
Eddie Cibrian was hired to portray recurring character Matt Clark in May 1994. In October of that year, he signed a three-year contract with the series.[1] Cibrian said that he believed the writers "were going to turn the story into something bigger" and wanted to keep it going.[1] The character exited in 1996 after nearly three years. Russell Lawrence became the next actor in the role, portraying Matt in 2000.[2] However, he was replaced a few months later with Rick Hearst who debuted in October 2000. Hearst was familiar with the soap opera genre, having played Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light for several years prior. TimesDaily wrote: "Expect the storyline of the vengeful Matt to be stepped up with Hearst in the role".[3]
In April 2001, it was announced that Hearst would exit,
Matt has been characterized by Soaps In Depth as the show's previous "bad boy",[8] and a "cocky jock-turned rapist" by Star-News.[1] Cibrian called him "horrific", stating: "I've never encountered anybody like him in my life. Nor would I ever want to."[1] The character started out as a "regular guy" on the show, but after Cibrian became a regular cast member, he began doing "awful things" and became "the bad guy", beginning with raping Sharon Collins (Sharon Case). Cibrian found the role challenging and said: "Unfortunately there are people in the world like Matt. That’s why they put this in the script, so people could be aware."[1]
Storylines
As a high school senior in 1994, Matt Clark dates Sharon Collins and develops a bitter rivalry with
In 2000, Matt Clark resurfaces in town under the alias of Carter Mills, having had plastic surgery to change his appearance, and begins working at Nick and Sharon's coffeehouse. Carter uses
Just before Matt's death, he lied to Nick, telling him that he had raped Sharon. Sharon becomes pregnant, and Nick demands a paternity test, which she refuses (not wanting to harm the child). After a fight with Nick, Sharon runs after him and trips over a chair. The fall causes her to give birth prematurely to a stillborn baby. A paternity test confirmed that Nick was the father, not Matt.
Reception
Both Cibrian and Hearst became popular for their portrayals of Matt.[12] In 1996, soap opera journalist Seli Groves of The Beaver County Times newspaper opined that it was likely for Matt to return one day, writing that "characters with this sort of seething history are often recalled from soap limbo". A message published in the newspaper by a viewer named Andrea P. described the character of Matt as "a real rat", but with the observation that Cibrian "played it so well".[13] When Lawrence was cast in the role, Toby Goldstein of TimesDaily noted that Matt was "likely to bring misery to Nick and Sharon's lives".[2] Global TV's Aaron Hagey-MacKay included the character's death on a list of the "Top drunken, brutal, mysterious and volcanic deaths of Y&R".[11] Entertainment Weekly called Matt an "evil rapist",[14] while Sara Bibel of Xfinity argued in 2009 that the character was written out due to being a rapist, stating that the soap opera was "the one show with a zero tolerance for sexual assault".[12]
References
- ^ New Media Investment Group: 11. May 10, 1995. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Tribune Media Services. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- Tribune Media Services. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Kroll, Dan J. (April 8, 2001). "Hearst released as Matt Clark". SoapCentral. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Kroll, Dan J. (June 1, 2001). "Encore! Never say die for Rick Hearst". SoapCentral. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- Quebecor Inc.Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- IAC. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "Meet Y&R's Newest Legal Eagle!". Soaps In Depth. Bauer Media Group. July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ CBS Interactive. March 25, 2013. Archived from the originalon April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "Soaps". The Item. Osteen Publishing Co.: 9 April 6, 2001. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Hagey-MacKay, Aaron (September 16, 2014). "Top drunken, brutal, mysterious and volcanic deaths of Y&R". Global Television Network. Shaw Media. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ Comcast Corporation. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ Groves, Seli (September 8, 1996). "Speaking of Soaps". The Beaver County Times. Calkins Media. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ Carter, Alan (May 15, 2002). "Who'll win Daytime Emmy Awards?". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
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External links
- Matt Clark at soapcentral.com