Bryton James (Devon) On His YOUNG AND RESTLESS Reunions

In Good Company: Bryton James (Devon) was delighted to welcome Mishael Morgan (Amanda, l.) and Christel Khalil (Lily) back to the Y&R studio.

Bryton James (Devon, Y&R) was thrilled to find himself working again with both Mishael Morgan (Amanda) and Christel Khalil (Lily). “It’s always amazing to have Mishael back,” says the actor about Morgan, who recently reprised her role for a short-term story arc. “It’s like riding a bike to be in scenes with her. I miss it all of the time, but it’s amazing to see all the stuff that she’s doing, all the success that she’s having. And I couldn’t be prouder of her.” James appreciates that Morgan, who grew up watching Y&R, values her soap roots. “She’s just like Shemar [Moore, ex-Malcolm],” James says. “They understand what soaps meant to their career and the industry altogether, and what it takes to do it. Once you’re on [a soap], I think you never lose the respect for one.” Unfortunately, the co-stars weren’t able to spend much extracurricular time together outside of the studio. “We go out to lunch during filming, but it’s a quick turnaround trip for her,” he explains. “But we’ll be seeing each other again soon. I’ll be heading out to Canada [where Morgan resides] this summer again with Kate [Linder, Esther, for her charity tea party], so I’ll probably see Mishael then, too.” As far as having soap sister and real-life BFF Kahlil on-set again after her maternity leave, James enthuses, “It’s the best part of going to work and it always has been. It’s amazing to have Christel back and I know she’s happy to be back. She’s missed being here. It’s been great to get back into the rhythm of doing things with her. I always miss it. We’ve known each other since we were 10 and nine years old — the first time we met. And then on this show, it’s been 20 years of working together. She’s my best friend and we couldn’t be closer. Everybody in the cast makes the set feel like home, but especially with Christel. When you get to go to work and see someone that you know that well and trust that much, on and off stage, it’s a real pleasure.”