Exclusive: Lisa Yamada On Her B&B Comeback And The ‘Messy Web’ In Store For Luna

Last year, when Luna Nozawa took a turn toward the psychotic on Bold and Beautiful, it looked like the show might have to say good-bye to breakout star Lisa Yamada. But in the never-say-never world of soaps, not even a few murders means that a juicy character doesn’t have plenty of storyline life left in them. Yamada chatted with Soap Opera Digest about her surprise return to the storyline spotlight, which has featured Luna’s release from prison and the shocking reveal that her “cousin” Finn is actually her father (not that Luna knows that yet, of course).

 

Soap Opera Digest: Let’s go back a bit, because there was nothing more fantastic last year than Luna going psycho. What do you recall of your initial reaction to finding out about what the writers had in store for you?

Lisa Yamada: The writers and Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer], they keep their ideas pretty close to the vest and me and my castmates — and the crew and the hair and makeup team — we all had theories on who the killer was. I’ve been playing  such a sweet girl for so long, I was like, “Okay, there are so many like other contenders, I can definitely rule myself out of this one!” And then I got a script one day and I’m, like, drugging Steffy and kissing Bill. I was like, “Oh my God, it was me this entire time!” It was a shock, and it was definitely the talk of the town on set! But I love playing darker characters and I’m really lucky because I basically get to play two different roles on the show. I totally leaned into it. I was like, “Hey, if I get to be the murderer, then I’m gonna go full-out!” That was really fun. That whole week was pretty crazy. I was just waiting by my phone for the new scripts to come out. I was on the edge of my seat!

Digest: You were so committed, which made it really fun to watch. What did you do to prepare to play that totally unhinged version of Luna?

Yamada: I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty daunting at first. And Sheila is so iconic, I didn’t want to be a copy of her, but I did want to pay homage to her, and I wanted to bring my own take to an evil character. Our set is just so welcoming, and they really helped me figure stuff out. I did watch The Dark Knight like a week before the scripts came out. I just love an evil character that’s having fun with it, that’s not just scary and dark. I like when they’re laughing at moments that aren’t particularly funny; I think that’s even a scarier choice than just being angry and frowning the entire scene. So I brought some tweaks from Heath Ledger’s Joker. I’m not saying that [an impression of him is] what I was doing, but that definitely inspired me to have more fun with it and find the humor in some of the scenes. I think Luna is so psychotic that she found Steffy begging for her life funny. That was super-fun, and Jacqui [MacInnes Wood, Steffy] is like the best scene partner ever. We had a lot of fun on set, as well. We did the Charli XCX “Apple” dance that went viral [which Yamada posted to her Instagram Stories].

Digest: Did you surprise yourself at all, after playing Luna as such a nice girl prior to the big reveal, that you had a character that off her rocker in you?

Yamada: Well, I was really nervous about those scenes and how it was going to be perceived. I was really surprised at how well it was perceived and how much everyone loved it. With that being said though, I love playing a darker mean girl, an edgier character. So that first year of me playing Luna — playing a sweet girl was also new to me! I feel like I got to bring in aspects of other characters that I’ve had the pleasure of playing in the past and I got to learn from all my experiences and bring it to Luna.

Digest: At the time that was all airing, the B&B fandom was just going nuts for you on social media. What was that like to experience, and what did it mean to you that people were so embracing of the work that you were doing?

Yamada: I mean, there’s no better feeling. And those episodes were airing like right [around] my birthday, during my birthday week. I was in Miami with my best friend and we were driving down to Key West — that was my birthday trip — and as she was driving, I was on Twitter showing her all these funny tweets. It was just so much fun! I spend so much time with Luna — I spend more time [playing her] than I do with my own family, and I put a lot of time and work into this character, so to see that everyone was loving it as much as I am…. Yeah, there’s just no better feeling. It was one of the best weeks, one of the best birthdays.

Digest: Then Luna had to hit the road for a little bit and go to jail. What was it like for you when you realized that you weren’t done with Luna yet, that there was going to be much more to her story on B&B?

Yamada: I remember I had a conversation with Brad because I was like, “She killed two people. She framed her mom. She made a move on her mom’s boyfriend while she was locked up for her crimes…. Like, the amount of crimes I’ve committed [as Luna] is insane.” I was like, “How am I gonna come back from this” And Brad was like, “Oh, don’t you worry!” He was like, “There’s always a way. We love Luna. It’s not over for her yet.” I was like, “Okay, we’ll see.” I was really like, “I don’t know, I just don’t see it. What is her redemption arc gonna be?” But being in prison was so much fun. I was joking around saying, “I’m gonna lose every game of ‘Never Have I Ever.’ ” I mean, never have I ever been in handcuffs, never have I ever been in fully body shackles [laughs]. But I was really surprised [when Luna got out of jail]. The special effects makeup of me being bruised and bloody was so much fun. I’ve had a lot of firsts on this show, and the material I’m getting — I’m just so excited to come to work every day.

Digest: What was your approach to playing Luna this time around? Because the storyline doesn’t invite the same level of “she has abandoned all morals” as it did before.

Yamada: Listen, if you murder someone, you’re a bad person. But I have a soft spot for Luna, obviously, because I have to be an advocate for her. I feel like she’s been through a lot — but I don’t totally want to [commit to the idea] that she’s no longer crazy and is in her redemption era. I definitely think there’s a little bit of crazy to her still, and that’s what makes her fun. We play around with, like, “Is she fully manipulating the situation and playing the victim, or is she actually remorseful?” I kind of have fun with it, and it honestly depends on the day. I’m like, “I think I’m gonna play this more manipulative,” or, “I think I’m gonna play this more genuine.” I just like keeping the viewers on their toes, to be honest!

Digest: Speaking of which — Luna has no clue that the question of who her father really is has been answered. Do you think she will remain determined to find out who her father is, even though Bill has suggested that she is perhaps better off not knowing?

Yamada: I think she is pretty stubborn when she has set her sights on something. I mean, that’s why the murders happened. I think she is struggling with that deeply, and I don’t think that is something that shes’ going to come to terms with, or going to give up, ever, until she finds out the truth. And you know what? Good for her! One thing about her, she’s not going to give up!

Digest: Well, I’m hoping for more viral dance collabs between you and Jacqui. Are you looking forward to sharing more scenes with her, and Luna perhaps face some of the consequences of her, shall we say, unique Steffy-related decisions of 2024?

Yamada: Oh, absolutely! Jacqui is such a powerhouse, I’m always excited and down to have scenes with her and I’m also excited to explore what the Finnegan/Nozawa dynamic is now. This is a messy web, and I’m excited to explore it.

Cage Match: Holding Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) hostage was just one item on Luna’s long rap sheet last year.