The Young and the Restlessstar Roger Howarthhas broken his silence about his villainous character, Matt Clark, having amnesia on the hit CBS soap.
Matt has been terrorizing Genoa City, especially Sharon (Sharon Case) and Nick (Joshua Morrow), for over three decades. Howarth took on the role last fall, after Eddie Cibrian and General Hospital star Rick Hearst had played Matt.
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The villains’ return kept true to the character, with Matt wreaking havoc on the Newman family until an unexpected twist occurred: Sienna (Tamara Braun) hit Matt in the head, knocking him out after she thought he killed Noah (Lucas Adams), Nick, Sharon, and Adam (Mark Grossman).
Even though Sienna thought she killed him, in true soap fashion, Matt didn’t die. Instead, he woke up with no memory.
The Young and the Restless’ Roger Howarth’s Hot Take on Matt’s Amnesia
Howarth confessed he was intrigued by the twist in an interview with Soap Opera Digest for a philosophical reason.
“I think this can allow us to figure out different parts of who Matt really is and the nature of behavior and how people interact and the nature of his history,” the soap star declared.
Howarth went on to add, “This raises some pretty large questions about whether forgiveness is really something that is possible. And how can someone forgive themselves? What is it like for somebody who is a horrible person to be confronted with their own horrible self? And Matt, when confronted with his past, has a lot to figure out.”
Despite the change in Matt, Howarth believes that at his core, he’s still the same person. The actor admitted he’s dealt with people with memory issues, and at their core, they have an instinct to be themselves still.
In terms of playing a person with amnesia, he explained that it’s all about asking the question, “Who is Matt?”
Howarth has no idea if or when Matt will regain his memory, and he’s just fine with that.
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Roger Howarth Gives Credit Where Credit Is Due
The character shake-up has given Howarth the chance to work with other actors on The Young and the Restless because the people in Matt’s orbit have shifted.
Howarth gave major props to the writers for the amazing storyline. He also shouted out Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) and Stacy Haiduk (Patty), who he’s getting to act with more because Matt has bonded with Patty and Phyllis on the show.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.
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