ICYMI: Cait Fairbanks Interview

There has always been one constant in the life of Cait Fairbanks, and that would be music. “I just always remember singing,” recalls the actress. “My dad has a great singing voice and he really made me fall in love with it. I started out singing along with commercials and it progressed from there.”

Growing up, Fairbanks was fed a steady diet of “the classics”, like Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and scores of musicals, and at a young age she realized she wanted to broaden her artistic horizons. “I first took piano lessons when I was 7 to help me with writing songs but then I got bored,” she chuckles. “Then I took dance lessons for three months and decided I didn’t want to do that anymore. Next, I tried learning the guitar at 10 but I was like, ‘Ow, this hurts my fingers!’ so that was the end of that.”

She decided to focus on her voice, but there was one obstacle. “Even though people liked my voice, I was so nervous about being onstage,” Fairbanks explains. “I was intimidated because I got weirdly uncomfortable being the center of attention. I do remember freezing a few times, so the only way I could get over that was telling myself that I don’t have to be perfect the first time.” Her father made a suggestion that set her on a new path. “My dad said, ‘You know, if you do musicals, you can sing and act,’ ” Fairbanks smiles. “So, I took his advice.”

It didn’t take long until Fairbanks landed her first job. “When I was 12, I started at the American Girl Theater in The Grove [in Los Angeles],” she recounts. “I played Samantha, which was cool because I had an American Girl Samantha doll. It was definitely harder work than I thought it’d be because we worked three shows a day. I remember when Forest Whitaker came with his daughter and he was very complimentary to all of us.”

A year later came an even more impressive gig. “I did 13, which is a musical by Jason Robert Brown,” Fairbanks marvels. “That was my first union job. I was 13 in the musical 13. It was a great experience and led me to the agent and manager I have now. It was my first go ’round in the professional world and so much fun.”

It was during this time that Fairbanks was introduced to a different genre of music. “A friend of mine really was into indie rock and he corrupted me out of just classic music,” she laughs. “He opened the door to a whole new world of music for me and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

In middle school, Fairbanks decided to focus on acting and began taking classes. That continued into high school, which held little interest for her. “I got by with a 3.8 average, which was fine,” she shrugs. “Since I always knew I wanted to sing and act, I didn’t work very hard on things that I knew I wouldn’t end up doing. And I was never in drama class because I had already been doing that, but I was in a couple of musicals.”

Prime-time TV roles started trickling in, with guest appearances on CSI: NY, EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS, TWO AND A HALF MEN and THE MIDDLE. “I had also gotten a part in the ensemble, as well as an understudy, in the musical version of Heathers that was based on the ’80s movie,” Fairbanks notes. “I had done that with Sheila Guthrie, who is now the new casting director at Y&R. She contacted me and said there’s a perfect part for me. I went for the audition and got the part. It was crazy.”

Her initiation to daytime was a daunting one, since she was kicking off her run working opposite Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki). “Wouldn’t you know that my first scene on my first day would be with one of the biggest stars on the show, so I was pretty nervous,” sighs the actress. “But right from the beginning, Mel was very respectful and treated me like an equal. She was very welcoming and every time I had a question, she was happy to answer. I really enjoy working with her.”

Although it was her first time on a soap, Fairbanks was immediately enamored with the process of character development. “It’s been really fun to create a human being from the start,” she enthuses. “There wasn’t a ton of info about the character when I first started, so I’ve had this chance to flesh her out on my own. You’re always finding a different way to play something and add an extra layer.”

Her co-stars have not only been a big help but have also become real-life friends. “Rob [Adamson, Noah] is so much fun to work with,” Fairbanks praises. “We’re both awkward people in romantic scenes, so we joke around between takes and we don’t get too uncomfortable. Sharon [Case, Sharon] is one of my favorite people. I had a personal situation that I talked to her about and she gave excellent advice. When I’m working with Rob, Bryton [James, Devon] and Camryn [Grimes, Mariah], we like to joke around. We’ll run lines together doing funny accents but we’re always there for each other.”

All in all, Fairbanks is relishing her current gig. “I love being in musicals but I had done that for a decade, so I was really ready to do something else,” she concludes. “Playing Tessa and being able to sing has just been a perfect fit for me.”

just the facts

Birthday: July 29

On The Road: Born in Troy, MI, “but I moved
to different places. I lived in Chicago, then Tuscon [AZ], and I grew up mainly in Orange County [CA].”

Full Name Is Caitlin Elizabeth: “There were three Caitlins in my Spanish class, so we went by different names to be different. I decided on Cait, and it stuck. Caitlin Elizabeth Fairbanks sounds like I’m a duchess.”

Sibling Revelry: She has an older brother, Michael. “Because we moved around a lot, we never knew if we would have friends again, so I told my brother, ‘Okay, I guess we’ve got to be friends.’ We’re still very close.”

Relationship Status: Seriously involved with Cary, a musician. “We met when he was tracking some guitar for me. He’s wonderful.”

Pet Smart: She has a Lab mix rescue named Millie Furbanks. “She’s like a little person because she has so much personality that it’s freaky. People will stop me and say, ‘Wow, she’s so human.’ She looks right into your soul.”

did you know?

• She likes watching black-and-white classic films.
• Fairbanks and Robert Adamson (Noah) both appeared on the series LINCOLN HEIGHTS but didn’t officially meet before Y&R. “When I first saw Rob on set here, I was like, ‘Dude, you look familiar.’ ”

girl crush

The potential love story between Tessa and Mariah (Camryn Grimes) wasn’t a surprise to Fairbanks. “When I was first cast, they mentioned that it would be one of the storylines for Tessa and I was excited about it,” she explains. “However, I want any kind of relationship that I play to be honest and told right. Every time Camryn and I have scenes together, we like to go over them several times so we can make sure that we’re getting across what we want to say. It’s very important to us that we tell a good story for everybody and we work very well together.” As for that first kiss they shared, “Camryn and I didn’t really rehearse or go over it too much because we wanted the kiss to seem natural and spontaneous. Everyone on set was so supportive of us and wanted to make sure it was right.” Tessa’s sudden reticence for the relationship to move forward makes sense to Fairbanks. “Tessa is new in town and she has a past that she’s not ready to talk about, so she has a lot of defense mechanisms,” the actress reasons. “Her feelings for Mariah are complicated, but there’s also a lot going on with her. There’s not just one option. She really cares about Noah and she feels that she can’t really take any risks. Bottom line is, Tessa doesn’t want to hurt anyone. It’s a very tricky situation that just doesn’t have one answer.”