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Spotlight on Y&R's Chris Potter

Gloria’s new dance partner Evan, played by Chris Potter, brings his own brand of magic to THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS’ Genoa City.

Soap Opera Weekly: What brought Evan to town?
Chris Potter: He happens to be a former cruise line dance instructor who bumps into Gloria in a café. They met when she was on a cruise with her deceased husband, John. When Evan finds out John’s died, he feels terrible for her and [suggests], “If there’s anything there I can do to help you….” She enlists his help to lure William Bardwell into her web.

Weekly: What kind of guy is he?
Potter: He’s very handsome, charming and highly immoral. He’s a grifter. Gloria can absolutely trust him — not with anything valuable, but as long as she’s got something he needs, she should trust him! Evan’s got his eyes wide open. He’s an opportunist, so he starts to find out where the money is in Genoa City and who’s connected to it.

Weekly: How did Y&R lure you to daytime?
Potter: I had worked with (casting director) Karen Rae and (head writer) Lynn Latham on WILD CARD with Joely Fisher [She played Zoe; he was Dan]. They dangled the opportunity. It was, “If you want to give it a try, we’d love to try you.” So that’s what we’re doing for a month. I’m going on a holiday [while I’m airing this month] with my wife. We have four kids and it’s our first holiday without the kids in about 13 years. We’ve got a villa in Tuscany and we’re going with a few other couples. One fellow is Italian, speaks Italian and knows the area! It’s perfect. We’ve already paid for the trip, so when this came up, I said, “Okay, but I’ve got to go on this holiday.”

Weekly: You’re in a handful of episodes in May. Will you return to Y&R after your travels?
Potter: I’m available to be Evan again, if he’s needed. I’m having a blast. It’s tricky work. The hard part is the speed and the amount of work covered. You don’t get a second take. If the words are right, you move on. You’ve got to be on your toes, but the more difficult aspects of one-hour drama — being on location, living in your trailer and dealing with the weather, the changes and the waiting — are not a part of this. Here, you park your car, you go into a nice studio with sets and dressing rooms and work with a consistent group of people who are happy because they’re not outside in bad weather on location. I enjoy that.

Weekly: Hadn’t you and Judith Chapman (Gloria) worked together before?
Potter: I met her on SILK STALKINGS. She guest-starred, and we might have been in a few scenes together. I remembered talking to her about her restaurant in Palm Springs (St. James). It was cool that this woman had an outside interest that was thriving. When she walked into hair and makeup here at Y&R, I immediately remembered her. She’s very professional and interested. She’s not distracted by her outside life. When she’s here to work, she’s accessible. So far, I’ve only worked with her and Tracey (Bregman, Lauren). Tracey and I hit it off right away. There’s already a nasty dynamic there.

Weekly: Any other familiar faces here?
Potter: I worked with Daniel Goddard (Cane) on WILD CARD. He played a role like Steve Irwin; he was an Australian animal wrangler and he turned out to be a grifter in that one. The truth is, I recognize everybody here! For most young men, soap opera is a guilty pleasure that starts when you’re home sick from school and the next thing you know, you’re watching. Eventually, you’re not at home everyday, but years can go by and you pick it back up.

Weekly: So if it comes up in a story, can you actually dance?
Potter: No, but Evan Owen is an exceptional dancer, so I hope I’m a quick study!

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