Rebecca Budig and Thorsten Kaye talk about Tridge's future on The Bold and the Beautiful

Fans of The Bold and the Beautiful know all too well the comings and goings of a Ridge and Taylor union (or reunion). But this round is different than those of the past.

The Bold and the Beautiful’s “Tridge”

On The Bold and the Beautiful, most viewers have lost count at the number of times Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) has bounced between Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Dr. Taylor Hayes (Rebecca Budig). But there is one thing that makes this latest reunion different than the previous: Taylor is now played by Rebecca Budig.

While the pairing is new to viewers, Kaye and Budig met when they both worked on All My Children in 2004 as Zach Slater (Kaye) and Greenlee Smythe (Budig). Notably, they never shared a one-on-one scene until they appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful.

The actors told Soap Opera Digest that they laughed a lot on set back then, and still do today. “Listen, at the end of the day, he’s an incredible actor, so it’s been awesome. But we do laugh a lot. When I’m with him and Jacqui [MacInnes Wood, Steffy], something really comes over me and I laugh a lot,” Budig shared.

“If I have scenes with Rebecca, I know she’s going to be prepared, but I also know that if I say something different [than what’s in the script], she’s not just going to keep going with what she had practiced at home,” Kaye said appreciatively.

Taylor and Ridge’s future

When asked about the way Ridge always goes back to Taylor, Kaye responded, “First of all, I can’t defend this character. But why is there always a way back to this particular woman? Because she fills a place in his heart that no one else can.”

Kaye also stated, “Listen, there’s no way to defend this man who can’t make up his mind about what woman he wants to be with and thinks that they all need to be with him. But you’ve still got to find a human way to play it.”

As for Taylor, Budig said that Taylor and Ridge had children together, and he’s the love of her life. “Ultimately, in her head, I think she’s always seen her future with him, the rest of her life with him,” Budig said of Taylor.

Kaye and Budig were in agreeance that they thought this was the end of the line for Ridge's bouncing back and forth between Brooke and Taylor. Kaye noted that their characters definitely wanted to make their relationship work.

As for the characters they play, Kaye is enjoying the new Taylor. “She’s not begging; she’s like, “This is me. Take it or leave it.” There’s nothing less attractive than a needy woman, or a needy man,” he said.

Watch new episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.