‘Bold And The Beautiful’s’ Matthew Atkinson Reveals That Thomas Has Paranoid Schizophrenia
The Bold and the Beautiful currently features a compelling storyline about Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) and his mental health. Many B&B fans have speculated about what is going on with him. Popular theories include that the designer is having hallucinations due to a recent blow to the head or that he has a brain tumor. However, it appears there’s so much more to the story.
TV Insider recently sat down with Matthew Atkinson to delve into his character’s psyche. The revelations from that conversation were shocking and exposed a side of Thomas that has never been exposed before.
An Alternate Reality On The Bold and the Beautiful
Those who follow the CBS soap opera know that the Forrester heir stole a mannequin from Forrester Creations. The doll is a replica of Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) who he was obsessed with in the not-so-distant past. The Bold and the Beautiful message boards and social media pages revealed that fans were outraged after the Hope doll started speaking with him.
Atkinson clarified that his character doesn’t even know what’s happening with him. He’s living in an alternate reality, as demonstrated in the GIF below where he’s seen talking to the dummy.
Us to Thomas: pic.twitter.com/fSNq1VoCBN
— Bold & The Beautiful (@BandB_CBS) October 28, 2020
Thomas Has Paranoid Schizophrenia
Atkinson revealed in the interview that his character has paranoid schizophrenia and that he felt the mental illness should be talked about openly as a lot of people struggle with their mental health. To understand what his character was going through, the actor divulged that he consulted with a psychologist. He wanted to know about what people who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia go through so that he could give a credible performance.
“Thomas is and always has been this tortured artist — even more so in the last couple of years. He’s gone down some horrible paths. You’re getting to see a different side to Thomas. You can’t ‘blame’ Thomas for hearing voices. You ask, ‘Why is he hearing them?'”
Psycom describes paranoid schizophrenia as a condition with symptoms like “delusions and hallucinations. These debilitating symptoms blur the line between what is real and what isn’t…”
The actor said that Annika Noelle said the doll’s line from 20 to 30-feet away. He then acted directly to the mannequin, which proved to be both a good and a bad experience for him.
The outlet asked about the camerawork, which was sometimes jerky in the scenes featuring the dummy. Atkinson stated that it was actually an effective tool to show how “erratic the situation really is.”
Watching Thomas like…? #BoldandBeautiful pic.twitter.com/SJ2onAEJ0F
— Bold & The Beautiful (@BandB_CBS) October 29, 2020
Thomas Needs Taylor On The Bold and the Beautiful
Fans have been crying out for Dr. Taylor Hayes (Hunter Tylo) to come back. As a psychiatrist, she would be able to help her son when he needs her the most.
“When I first came onto the show, Taylor (Hunter Tylo) was there. I 100% agree that now would be the perfect time for Taylor to come back into her son’s life… but there are logistics in making that happen. You have to find a way to make it work.”
Though Thomas thinks that nobody knows what’s going on with him, Dr. John Finnegan (Tanner Novlan) has noted that something is off about him. As seen in the GIF above, he’s worried about some of the things Thomas has been saying. The Bold and the Beautiful spoilers also indicate that as soon as next week Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) will find the mannequin in Vincent Walker’s (Joe LoCicero) apartment, which will set off the alarm bells.
