When Detective Burrow first showed up on Young and Restless, investigating the car accident that nearly killed Noah Newman (Lucas Adams), he appeared to be a by-the-book cop. But soon enough, it became obvious that the guy had a shady side, and now it has been revealed that he’s working for Mitch Bacall (Roger Howarth), who is actually the notorious villain Matt Clark. But Burrow’s portrayer, Matt Cohen, promises there’s still more going on here than meets the eye. “There’s some things unfolding literally as we speak,” the actor teases to Soap Opera Digest. “There is a reason, obviously, that Burrow’s gotta be doing what he’s doing. Maybe being a detective doesn’t pay enough, and it’s as simple a reason as that? But I highly doubt in soap land that it’s as simple a reason as that, if you know what I’m saying. Be suspicious.”

The Dark Side

Soap fans who are familiar with Cohen from his 2016-19 run as good guy Dr. Griffin Munro on ABC’s General Hospital might be surprised to see him playing a baddie, but the actor is having a blast. “You know what’s crazy?” Cohen says with a laugh. “I don’t know what it says about me, but it’s the easiest character I’ve played in a long time. Burrow, he’s into some stuff, and I just feel like that’s kind of what life dishes you out — in life, you’re kind of dealt a hand, and you gotta figure it out, no matter what it is. And Burrow is very much getting dealt a hand. And it’s fun.”

Actors often draw from personal experiences to inform their performances, and Cohen was eager to share another side of himself with audiences through this new role. “Honestly, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been married for almost 20 years [to actress Mandy Musgrave] or I’m a dad of a 10-year-old [son, Macklin], or I’m a mid-40-year-old dude,” he says. “There’s so many things inside me to tell a story differently now in different ways. And when Y&R called and gave me the chance to read for this guy and become this character, it just felt like I’m kind of presenting a different version of Matt, and for the first time, I’m kind of excited to present this side of me. I think it’s a different version of an actor than I’ve been in a long time.

“I haven’t sat with the writers or anything; they just happen to be really crushing the writing,” he adds. “So it’s deliverable with ease. I feel like I can make it believable with ease. I like to dabble in the darkness of a character that doesn’t know right from wrong and is trying to figure it out.”

Shades of Gray

In Cohen’s opinion, it’s much more fun as an actor to play the bad guy. “It’s always more fun to break the rules,” he declares. “And bad characters break the rules and say the wild one-liners and things like that. And it’s enjoyable. You get to play this dude that really tricks the audience. He’s a cop, so he’s a good guy, but is he really a good guy, you know? He’s in with Roger’s character, of course, and they’re dealing in all these wild moments. So yeah, it’s a blast. Being evil is awesome… when you’re on TV, I guess.

“We need a whole lot of kindness in the world right now,” Cohen adds with a chuckle. “So now I want nothing but hugs and high-fives. We’re only pretending to be bad on fictional shows.”

Still, as much fun as the actor is having playing a dirty cop, the actor is looking forward to seeing the story and his character develop to find out if Detective Burrow is all bad. “I think every character, good or bad, has to have some sort of redemption, or we just hate them and we gotta kill them off and a bus hits them tomorrow,” Cohen points out. “We haven’t got that far, but I’m sure there’s a reason Burrow is like this. There’s a reason he’s done these things, there’s a reason he’s made these decisions, or why he feels like he might have to make these decisions, and maybe that is for a righteous reason. One can only hope. I’ve played split personality psychopath killers in movies, and for some reason, there’s some redeeming factor about them. I just think the writers will do that, and that will present itself when it does.”

Word Perfect

Cohen has been impressed with the writing for his character since he joined the cast of Y&R in September, especially since he wasn’t apprised of many of the details. “I was hoping it was going to be kind of this direction with the character,” he says, “like he was gonna be into some stuff. And it wasn’t just gonna be a straight, by-the-book detective coming on the scene to help out. And they just nailed it.

“There’s moments in writing, as an actor, when you read it and you have to really make it your own to sell it,” Cohen continues. “And I’m like, word for word on these writers right now. They’ve got a grasp on the character, and it’s really nice not to have to try to figure out how I’ve gotta put an ‘ah’ or an ‘um’ every couple of words to make it fall out of my mouth correctly. I’m just saying what they’re writing, and it’s bringing out a bunch of fun emotions, and it’s got all these different dynamics. It’s easy to do because they’ve put it on the page, there. So I’m applauding them, and I haven’t even got to meet everybody behind the scenes yet. They’re really nailing it.”

What’s in a Name?

As the character of Detective Burrow develops throughout this storyline, one thing that Cohen is hoping to learn about his Y&R alter ego is his first name. “I have this big sci-fi following with the show Supernatural, and just a great bunch of buddies over there,” he shares. “I played this character, John Winchester. So I’m always trying to name my characters John something. So I’m rooting for John, but I have no pull in the matter whatsoever. But yes, I’m assuming he does have a first name — they just haven’t told it to me yet.”

Source: Soap Opera Digest