When The Bold & The Beautiful’s Maitland Ward, Aka Jessica Forrester, Alleged Co-Star Dylan Neal ‘Groomed’ Her In The 90s: “It Was Kind Of A Grooming Situation”
Maitland Ward joined the Bold and the Beautiful as a 16-year-old, while Dylan Neal played the show's hunk, Dylan Shaw, when he was 24.
Maitland Ward debuted on “The Bold and the Beautiful” in 1994 as Jessica Forrester, the teenage niece of Eric Forrester (John McCook), once accused her co-star Dylan Neal of allegedly grooming her.
Maitland Ward joined the daytime Soap Opera as a 16-year-old, while Dylan Neal played the show’s hunk, Dylan Shaw, when he was 24. Ward departed the show in 1996 before landing her breakout role as Rachel McGuire in the hit teen series “Boy Meets World” in 1998.
Advertising
Advertising
Shortly after “Boy Meets World” ended in 2000, Maitland Ward went on to have a few parts in movies such as “White Chicks” and “Dish Dogs.” Wrad transitioned into the adult entertainment industry.
In her memoir, “Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood.” Maitland Ward detailed how her on-screen romance with eight years senior co-star Dylan Neal translated into their off-screen relationship. Ward claimed she had an unhealthy fixation with Neal, which she believes was encouraged by her co-star.
Advertisement
While Maitland maintained noting s*xual transpired between the two, she compared their friendship to a case of “grooming.” Ward said, “Looking back now, it was kind of a grooming situation. And not necessarily for him to ever, like, actually have sex with me or anything — but to do things to lead me on and become very attached to him and only him.”
Advertisement
Ward said while at the time she didn’t see it as a “grooming situation”, in hindsight, she believes Neal’s behaviour was designed to earn her admiration. She said, “I thought it was like, ‘Oh, he really likes me, he thinks I’m so great.’ He was very much a pull-and-push kind of person. He would lure me in, and we’d do fun things together, and then he would push me away and be like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you like this?'”
Ward noted Neal’s disapproval pushed her to work harder to earn his affection. Ward alleged her co-star went so far as to suggest how she should appear when her character lost her virginity on the soap opera.
She wrote, “Dylan took my on-screen virginity … and it was something he talked about — no, more like bragged constantly about — and prided himself in.”
Advertisement
Maitland Ward reportedly left The Bold and The Beautiful in 1996, the same year Dylan Neal tied the knot with Becky Southwell. Dylan Neal did not respond to the accusation.
