almost gave up on soap operas before getting cast as Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful.
“I had told my agents I can’t leave town. My husband is a full-time job,” Budig, 51, joked to ex-husband and his cohost during an episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast earlier this month. “Nothing shoots in L.A. So I’ve basically been doing nothing, going to acting class, whatever.”
She continued: “I was going to go back to school to study psychology and finally get my degree. Then the show came along.”
News broke in August that Budig would be taking on the role of Dr. Taylor Hayes — a psychiatrist previously played by , and most recently, .
“I’m super grateful. I’m really excited that I can be with my kid and also do something for myself, which as you both know, being parents is a challenge sometimes to do things for yourself,” the actress gushed. “So I’m happy.”
While Budig was never on The Bachelor, she is an extension of Bachelor Nation. She and Guiney, 53, met while hosting Bachelor XYZ on ABC Family and married in 2004. They were together for six years before announcing their split in 2010. Based on their interaction on the “Almost Famous” podcast, these exes appear to be on good terms. (Budig is now married to , and they share a 10-year-old daughter.)
Sutter, 51, pointed out how Budig booked the role to play a psychiatrist on the show just after tossing up the idea of finishing her psychology degree.
“I’ve always gone to therapy for years. So, I’m very interested in it, and I believe in it,” she said. “I was going to go [back to school]. I still might actually, just because I never got my degree, and I want it. So, I’ve got to study something.”
Prior to her stint on The Bold and the Beautiful, Budig appeared on various soap operas including Guiding Light, All My Children and General Hospital.
“I always thought that All My Children might’ve been the best job I ever had in terms of the people all really getting along, but I truly get the vibe here that it’s that one in a million group of people that is just collaborative, kind, supportive and just very welcoming,” she told People last month. “So I’m excited. Really excited.”
