Kristolyn Lloyd

Texas native Kristolyn Lloyd began acting in high school and loved it so much that she decided to major in it in college. After impressing Carnegie Mellon University with a last-minute audition, she was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious school. There, she participated in an intensive theater program. “We studied a lot of the classics,” she says.

After graduating, Lloyd moved to Los Angeles and began pounding the pavement. The actress, who is also a talented singer, starred in several musicals, including Rent and Once On This Island. While Lloyd was doing Island, Angela Bassett attended a performance and hung out with the cast afterward. In 2009, Lloyd landed a guest-starring role on ER as Laura, the niece of Bassett’s character Dr. Cate Banfield. Lloyd was thrilled since Bassett is one of her idols — and remembered Lloyd from the musical.

In 2010, Lloyd spent most of her year overseas doing volunteer work. When she returned, she auditioned for B&B’s Dayzee, the homeless woman whom Stephanie befriended. Though Lloyd didn’t think that her reading went well, she won the role. She was even more surprised when she was offered a contract in December.

Now that Dayzee has settled into B&B, she helps Stephanie runs Dayzee’s coffeehouse and has been dating Thomas and Marcus — which Lloyd loves. “I can’t believe that I have two hot guys after my character,” she marvels. “It’s a nice job perk!” Still, Lloyd looks forward to fleshing out other aspects of Dayzee.