Cane’s return to Young and Restless has caused a seismic shift in many relationships in Genoa City, most dramatically creating an uneasy truce between Jack and Victor. As the two titans of industry team up to keep Cane from destroying everything they built, Diane worries that Jack is putting himself into a dangerous situation by trusting Victor. Because, as portrayer Susan Walters notes to Soap Opera Digest, she knows The Mustache better than some.
Complicated History
“Diane was married to Victor,” Walters reminds, “so I always try to add that in my point of view about Victor. Because he’s the guy in town that everybody’s very scared of, and he’s extremely powerful. Jack and he get the better of each other. Most of the time, Victor ends up seemingly victorious.. So on the one hand, she doesn’t want mistakes professionally, but she also doesn’t want Jack to go through that again — you know, when you see your spouse just so bent by somebody who pushes all their buttons.”
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But while Diane is keenly aware of how dangerous Victor can be in business, she refuses to be scared of him as a person. Having dealt with him as his spouse in the past, “She knows him in a different way than Jack does,” the actress says. “So [as Diane], I’m not going to be as frightened of Victor on a personal level as [Jack and Diane] would be on a professional level.”
Hands On
That perspective on Victor also means that if Diane feels that Jack has gotten in over his head with Victor and Cane, she’ll have no qualms about stepping in if she thinks her husband needs some backup. “Oh, absolutely,” Walters declares. “First of all, I think Jack’s completely competent to do it. But I think there’s another level where Diane has… It’s hard, you know, like, woman to man is a little different than guy to guy.”
Allowing that Diane going up against Victor herself would be a very different situation, Walters adds that her alter ego would have no trouble going full mama bear if necessary. “As a mom, she’s very protective now, making up for lost time with her son,” Walters muses. “So I think that she would want Victor to not succeed, and then to also pay for even trying.”
