Y&R's Melody Thomas Scott shares her most embarrassing moment, career highlights, and more

Soap Central shares highlights from an in-depth National Arts Club discussion with Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, The Young and the Restless), who opened up about her early days in soaps, working with Alfred Hitchcock, her most embarrassing moment, her dream Y&R storyline, and more.

Iconic The Young and the Restless actress Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, The Young and the Restless) recently sat down with CBS Los Angeles journalist Pat Harvey for an in-depth interview about her life and career.

Presented by the National Arts Club (an organization that aims to stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts), the fascinating discussion delves into Scott's beginnings as a performer, her experience working with greats like Alfred Hitchcock and Kirk Douglas, her Y&R audition, the embarrassing way she learned a valuable lesson about how to behave as a celebrity, and much, much more.

Soap Central picked out some highlights from the hour-long discussion for easy reading, but we've also included the full, videotaped conversation for your viewing pleasure. Check out both below and let us know what you think in the Comments section at the end of the article.

On what initially attracted her to acting

"I wanted to live on soundstages. The atmosphere was so wonderful, and everybody on a crew, when you're a cute little girl, they're so sweet to you. They're so nice. And not to make this an ugly story, but I had a lot of adversity in my childhood; I wasn't treated very nicely often, so, I think that was part of the pull for me, also, like, 'Wow, this is a wonderful place where I can sing and dance and do whatever and they're nice to me.'"

On working with Alfred Hitchcock in the film Marnie when she was just eight years old

"I had been working with directors in theater and commercials and whatnot, so, to me, I had no idea who he was. I just thought he was another director -- but that thought ended very quickly because I realized, 'Oh, this is a scary one.' I don't think he really enjoyed working with children. I was only eight, and he was very stern and firm and never smiled. He breathed very loudly, which was also scary to me, and if you didn't do exactly what he said... he would get up out of his chair and come over and physically push you into your mark. 'I want you to do this! I want you to do that!' So, that was the first time I had ever had a director actually physically maneuver me around on the set. It was scary, and it was not the most fun job I had had, and I have to admit, I was glad when it was over."

On a phone call from an angel that changed her entire life

"I was working at the Broadway Hollywood, selling women's shoes, happy as a clam, surrounded by shoes, not thinking about my career really at all, which you don't when you're 17, 18 years old... I had been told by the manager, 'Do not answer the phone, ever! If the phone rings in the department, you don't answer it. Let somebody else answer it.' So, what do I do? Shortly after the warning, I'm in the stock room, the phone rings, I answer it!' [It turned out to be my old childhood agent I hadn't spoken to in six years, who said she had an interview for me that very afternoon]. It was for a Western called Posse, and I'm led into an office, and sitting on the other side of the desk is Kirk Douglas. We chatted, and at one point... he wanted to talk about my hair, and he asked me if I ever put my hair in braids. I don't know what I said, but the next thing I know, he's jumped over to my side of the desk, and he sits down, and he starts braiding my hair! And I got the part! I mean, that morning, answering the phone in the stockroom completely changed my life. When I was shooting that in Tucson on location, I met another actor who recommended his agent to me, and I came back to L.A., and I hired her as my agent, and I have never stopped working. So, you have to think, 'There is some angel somewhere that made me answer that phone for all of these events that then happened.' People shouldn't count on things like that happening, but when they do, I think they happen for a reason."

On why she fought against accepting her Y&R role

"I really didn't care whether I got the part or not because that same week, I had been on an audition for a sitcom pilot at NBC... I really wanted the part, because it was comedy, and I happen to think I am a very funny person! Hollywood does not know that yet -- they didn't then, they don't now -- but I [was] hoping for the comedy, and my agent sends me on this Young and the Restless thing. I had never seen Y&R, didn't know anything about it, so, I actually don't really recall the actual interview. I do remember a day or two later hearing that I had gotten the part, and I was like, 'Well, what about the sitcom?! I want to do that!' I [ended up getting] both of them, but in an actor's world, you can't accept both jobs like that, because they were both contract roles and you could only pick one. And, of course, I wanted to pick the sitcom, but my agent, in all of her wisdom, talked me out of that and said, 'No, no, no. Do the soap for a while. You'll have fun, you'll make some money, blah, blah, blah.' And boy was she right! 42 years later, her words still resonate in my head."

On how Nikki became a stripper

"I got called in by John Conboy, who was our executive producer at the time, and I was convinced that I was being fired because nobody ever got called into the EP's office, so, I thought, 'Well, okay, I'm getting canned.' And he said, 'Melody, we wanted to know how you would feel about Nikki becoming a mud wrestler.' And I was so thrilled that I wasn't being fired that I was like, 'Oh, that would be great! Sure! Yeah!" [Laughs] And I left his office, and Roberta Leighton, who played my sister Casey, and I, we would go up to Sunset where all the mud wrestling bars were, they'd become very popular, and then we found out that CBS censors had nixed that, 'No, Nikki's not going to be a mud wrestler,' and so, [the show's] answer to that was, 'Well, how about a stripper?' So, that's how the stripping thing happened. That was not the original plan."

On working with Eric Braeden (Victor Newman)

"We are so lucky to have the chemistry that we have. It's such an elusive thing to describe, very hard, but recently, I came up with the term, for whatever reason, when Victor and Nikki are together in a scene, our souls come out to dance with each other. Our souls love to dance with each other... and I just love him as a partner. We love working together, and we trust each other. Sometimes -- and he's more guilty of this than I -- sometimes he'll just forget those words that are in that script, and we're rolling, and he'll start saying something different, but I will respond to that and then I'll start saying something different, and the next thing you know, the words are very different than what was written. Not that the writers did not do a good job, it's just, 'Bam,' and then we are really connected, and it's a very exciting feeling to not know what's going to come next."

On the magic of Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott)

"I love working with Peter Bergman. He has his own special magic. For example, we had to do a scene, and the director made it very clear that he wanted me to cry by the end of the scene. I disagreed, and as the director walked back to the booth, I said, 'Ain't gonna happen. Don't get your hopes up' And I don't know what Peter does, but almost by osmosis, he will shoot emotion into you, and the next thing you know, you're sobbing! I started crying so much, I could barely get my lines out, understandably, and if it weren't for Peter, that would not have happened that day. He's got a real ability to pull the emotion out of you, even if you don't feel it."

On a huge life lesson she learned in a very embarrassing way

"I used to go to this little newsstand that was close to the house that I lived in. After work, I'd go and get the magazines and look at all the trash, and I noticed a woman standing not too far from the newsstand, and by that time, I was still new to Y&R, but I had learned to recognize how a fan looks at you, and I was tired and cranky, I had had a long day at the studio, and I thought, 'Ugh, I know she's going to come up to me.' I was just an obnoxious idiot, and she came up, I feel tap, tap, tap on my shoulder, and I just kind of spun around hastily, and I admittedly was not very nice at all, and she says, 'Excuse me," and she was very nice, 'Don't you play Nikki on The Young and the Restless?' And I was like, 'Yeah, yeah,' and I was just an obnoxious jerk, and she immediately put her hand out to me and said, 'Aretha Franklin. My pleasure.' Well, then I really looked at her and I thought, 'Oh, my God, it is Aretha Franklin!' And I immediately started tap dancing because I knew I had treated her terribly, and I said, 'Oh no, no, no, it's my pleasure. Thank you so much, I'm sorry I was so blah, blah, blah,' and she had already had enough, that was it, she walked away. I felt terrible, but there was nothing I could do about it. 30 years later, we are both on the same red carpet at the Emmys in New York City and the photographers are like, 'Oh, let's get Melody and Aretha in a two shot together,' and so, we're together, and we're smiling at the cameras, both of us, but between our smiles, Aretha is saying to me, 'Mmmm-hhhmmm. You're from that night at the newsstand. Mmmm-hhhhmmm.' I said, 'Yeah, I know it. I still can't believe that I behaved so poorly, and again, I am so very sorry.' And [she just said], 'Mmmm-hhhhmmm. Where is Victor? I wanna get my picture made with him.' And off she trots! And I thought, 'Oh, my God! This is such a lesson that I am learning!' Kids, kids and grown-ups, all ages, ALWAYS BE NICE! Treat everybody like they are the Queen of Soul. Please!... It was a terrible lesson to learn, and a long one."

On why Nikki resonates with fans, even during her low times

"For whatever reason, even back in the very early days, whenever Nikki found herself in some kind of trouble, which always was happening, the fans felt for her. They weren't mad at me, they weren't hitting me over the head with their handbags in the grocery store. They were wanting to give me advice and say, 'Oh, now, honey, why are you doing that? You shouldn't be doing that,' or, "Get away from that guy. He's no good.' They were always on her side, and I don't know [why], but maybe, I think underneath it all, even in her high jinks, there's a vulnerability to her, and that must be what they are responding to. So, I'm grateful for that."

On not knowing what's ahead for Nikki

"I can only recall two times in all these years that a writer came to me and told me what was going to happen in the future, and that was, 'You're going to be a cult member,' and... [Nikki becoming a stripper]. Those are the only two times I was ever told ahead of time. Even with the alcoholism story, nobody told me that was coming up. It was just bam, one day in a scene, I started drinking, and then I did again the next day and the next day and the next day. So, that's how that occurred. There was no time for research. Sometimes you are flying by the seat of your pants on a daytime drama; you don't have time for research."

On how she deals with not-so-popular storylines

"There is a certain amount of trust that you have to have -- especially when you're on a show year in, year out -- you just learn to trust that the writers know your character and you and your abilities so well, that it will be good material. Sometimes it's not as exciting some years as others, but you're in it for the long haul, so, I never felt compelled to complain about a story, even if it wasn't the greatest story, because it'll come, and I have been blessed with so many of them."

On the Y&R story she is dying to play

"I don't know if this would fit into the fabric of who Nikki is, but I've always wanted to go stark raving mad! You know, where they would have to institutionalize her, maybe in a rubber room or something, and there would be some other persona inside of her. Not that I don't love playing Nikki, I do, but for something different. She would just be like a whole different person trying to get out... I love playing high drama, and that would be another high drama situation that I could play that I've never played before. I don't know how that could happen, but God knows we've had a lot of characters who do go to the mental institution, so, why not Nikki? I wanna go crazy!"

On possibly writing a second autobiography

"There needs to be a sequel. I have a whole lot more to say... There were so many 'Why didn't I?'s that it's a possibility."

On feeling fortunate to still be playing Nikki Newman after 42 years

"It's like breathing, really. We love being there, we love the work we do together, and a few of us very lucky ones get to be there as long as we have... It's a blessing. I'm very grateful."

What do you think about the stories that Melody Thomas Scott shared in her National Arts Club interview with Pat Harvey? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.