Q&A and Pampering With Sean Kanan
MSN TV gets the goods from one of daytime's bad boys
By Deanna Barnert
Special to MSN TV

MSN TV ran into Sean Kanan at the Dea Skin Centre's Celebrity Chic Sanctuary event in Glendale, Calif., and in between treatments, we sipped rose water from champagne flutes, nibbled on delicate munchies from the Scarlett Tea Room and caught up.

Always candid, Kanan opened up about everything from his beauty regime, bringing bad boy Deacon from "The Bold and the Beautiful" to "The Young and the Restless" and even his own run-in with TMZ. "The Young and the Restless" airs weekdays on CBS.

(We also got a chance to talk to his co-star Kate Linder and to Kristian Alfonso, Patrika Darbo and Eric Martsolf of "Days of Our Lives." Catch the Pamper Report on the MSN TV's Soap Superfan Blog!)

Sean Kanan: I got the signature 24-karat gold facial, and it was great. It was relaxing, refreshing and tingled a bit. I had no idea you can use gold for facials!

It's not so manly, but I have to confess that I do. No massages, though. My ADD kicks in if I can't touch back. At least with a facial, my vanity takes over. I think, "This is going to make me look good."

I try to stay away from processed food and I drink a lot of MonaVie. It comes from the Acai berry of the Amazon and is the most potent antioxidant you can put in your body. MonaVie also has liquid glucosamine in it, which is important for joints, and it burns fat and keeps your skin clear. I have a Web site because I believe in it so much. I've even got my parents drinking it.

OK, enough about beauty. Let's talk Deacon. Though you're on a new show, you're playing the same character, shooting in the same studio and getting into trouble with Amber again. Does it feel like coming home?

Life across the hall ... It feels different. On the most basic level, being the new kid on the block always does. I've consistently managed to get myself lost between the dressing room and the two stages "Y&R" uses. Not only is it tricky to know where you are, but they keep moving my dressing room, since I'm on recurring status. I'm also still trying to figure out who all the characters are. I would see the show sometimes when I was on "B&B" because I had friends on it and I'd catch it in my dressing room, but I was not intimately acquainted with who the characters are. That's been taking a while!

Deacon definitely has feelings for Amber, because they're cut from the same cloth. They both come from a dysfunctional background, always feeling like the odd man out. There's a kindred spirit and sensibility. I also think he is a master manipulator. It's the best of both worlds: He's using her, but she is the one who got away. Deacon has had every woman he's ever wanted, but didn't have Amber. Till now.

There is that possibility ... Personally, it's been difficult for me. I didn't expect such a dramatic response from viewers who perceive what Deacon did as being rape. I understand, to a degree. Generally, rape is about a physical thing, but this is a manipulation of power. There were other things Amber could have done, but I'm not making excuses for Deacon. I'm just an actor playing a role. The majority of what Deacon does is reprehensible. I get my script, look at it and think, "Oh my God, how am I going to do this?"

It's not new. (Laughs) People ask, 'How are you so good at playing bad guys?' and they're always hoping to get a glimpse of me being an asshole. Don't get me wrong. I've got that in me. We all do, right? But it's good writing. Deacon is a character that Brad Bell ("B&B" showrunner) and Maria Arena Bell ("Y&R" showrunner) have been able to write well for. They make it fun being bad. There's a sense of humor to that bastard!

Deacon's got a heart that's not black, but gray. Right now, I'm definitely doing some villainous stuff. Playing the bad guy is more fun than a good guy, but I hope it doesn't get to the point where he's alienated so many characters that it becomes difficult to interact with them. I don't care if they redeem him immediately. I just want them to keep me here!

He was a pretty good guy. He left Los Angeles because, unbeknownst to him, Massimo was pouring alcohol into his drinks and Deacon saw himself slipping, so he wanted to get out before taking Jackie down with him.

Oh, it's the best! Wouldn't you love it if you were on TMZ for screwing up and your family knew about it? What the hell do you think it's like? It's terrible! It's horrible. It's kind of embarrassing, but I do confess to watching TMZ, mostly to check and make sure I'm not on it.

In the three years since I left Los Angeles, Deacon has smoothed out a lot of his rough edges. Apparently, he has some money and a pretty good understanding of the art world, but I have no idea how that happened. Maybe Macy willed me the rights to her music or Jackie gave me some severance pay.

I was the first! Jackie definitely likes the younger guys. I adore Lesley-Anne Down (Jackie). I wish Brandon Beemer (Owen) good luck! Tell him to take his vitamins to keep up with her.

They were on hiatus when I started, but I've seen Rick Hearst (Whip) and Ronn Moss (Ridge) and I imagine I'll run into everyone when they come back. I'm looking forward to seeing Brad, as well. A perfect world would be to literally walk back and forth across the hall to do both shows at the same time. Could be cool: Deacon can have a girlfriend in Los Angeles, fly out there, see her for a while, go back to Wisconsin. I never rule anything out.