Even the guards at the White House want to know.
Popular soap star, Victoria Rowell, known best for her former role as Drucilla Winters, on the CBS soap, "The Young and the Restless", can't escape the questions -- Will she be returning to the daytime show? She hints that it's possible...
I caught up with Rowell in Washington, D.C. It seems celebrities keep falling in my lap. She was one of the speakers at a round-table seminar I attended last week about foster care.
Rowell, who grew up in foster care in Maine, has been the national spokesperson for 10 years for Casey Family Services, one of the sponsors of the seminar.
She spoke with other former foster youth about some of her experiences, which are also highlighted in her book, "The Women Who Raised Me," based on a tribute to her foster mothers, teachers and other women who helped shape her life. She announced HBO has decided to make a series inspired by her book and she will be a co-executive producer.
But what about returning to Y&R? She told me after the conference that the White House guards asked her the same question. She said that no matter where she is or if she is speaking about something as serious as foster care, people still want to know whether she will return.
She told me she is open to it and has said that publicly for some time.
"Never say never," she said she tells her fans.
She joked that any day a rope could be thrown over the cliff and Drucilla could be hoisted up. Her character accidentally fell off a cliff and is presumed dead though the body was not found.
"We'll see what happens," she said though adding she "can't say at this moment" whether CBS has asked her to come back. CBS officials also would not comment.
She said the network has been inundated with pressure from fans for a return. Rowell first joined the cast in 1991.
She said Drucilla is an integral part of the show and the character's name has been brought up lately in storylines.
Rowell said she's had more coverage in the past two years on the cover of soap magazines than she had the entire time on the show with the perpetual speculation about whether she will return.
She said she's busy right now and has been on the road with her writing and a speaking tour the past two years, that has taken her to India. She's also written a children's book and will have a new book out in June 2010 called "Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva."
"It's been an amazing journey," she said. "A lot of writing. I love it."
Her passion for foster care issues is evident. During the seminar that focused on new legislation that passed at the end of last year to improve conditions for foster children and programs for families, she posed for photos with former foster youth. She also went around the table summarizing what she learned from each of them and making sure to thank them for sharing their stories and praising them for their accomplishments.
Rowell, who spent 18 years in foster care after she and her siblings were removed from her mother soon after she was born, sympathized that "it is very emotional when we share our stories." She also related to one of the youth who spoke about how difficult it is to accept love. But she said "love can be had" adding she is getting married and she's almost 50 years old. She also told the youth "some of us aren't meant to be loved by one mother, but many."
Rowell, who has played in big screen movies, spent eight seasons as a medical examiner on "Diagnosis Murder" with Dick Van Dyke and was an accomplished ballet dancer. She encourages foster children to value the struggles they go through adding it will be "the cornerstone of their strength" and "they will see that as they get older."
Unfortunately, she said, the bar is so low when it comes to the perception of how successful a former foster youth can be. She said foster youth should "persevere and be diligent" to reach their goals. One of her foster mothers taught her "all children are teachable and lovable."
In 1990, she also founded the Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan, which helps foster children with arts, athletics and job opportunities.
UPDATE:
I received an email from Rowell's personal assistant. Rowell got married on June 27 to Radcliffe Bailey, a mixed-media artist in Atlanta. The audience included many of the women who raised her and are featured in her book. Her assistant also said she is on track to have her next book out in June next year, "Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva."