The Young and the Restless: Lauren Koslow Says Filling in as Jill Abbott ‘Meant a Lot to Me’
Lauren Koslow will be temporarily filling in as Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless beginning with the June 29 episode, while also continuing to star as Kate Roberts on Days of Our Lives. The actress spoke out about her new gig for the first time in an interview with TV Insider.
The Show Must Go On
For Koslow, taking on the role of Jill marked a return to the CBS soap, where she’d previously played Lindsey Wells from 1984-86.
When the Oregon-based Walton was unable to tape some upcoming scenes as Jill, Y&R Head Writer Josh Griffith told Soap Opera Digest that he thought of Koslow right away, having previously written for her when he worked at DAYS. The two shows were able to coordinate schedules to make it happen — but for Koslow, it was a whirlwind. “I heard on a Friday and it was for the next week,” she shared. “But I was thrilled.”
Of course, the actress had to do some prep work before stepping into Jill’s shoes. “I do know Jill because I blackmailed Jill as Lindsey, but that was Brenda Dickson’s Jill,” Koslow mused, referencing the actress who originated the role in 1973. “I’ve seen Y&R with Jess on it, but it’s been a while, so I wanted to get up to date because there’s a lot of history.” Koslow relied on fan sites for her research, noting, “the audience knows best.”
But as her first tape date drew ever nearer, nerves kicked in. “I was so excited to do it, but I knew it was going to be a lot. And, of course, to step in for the wonderful Jess Walton and the iconic character really started to hit me,” she admitted.
Once she reported to the CBS studio, “I was flooded with memories,” Koslow said. Not only was her role as Lindsey her first job as a professional actress after college, but she met her husband, Nicky Schillace, there; he was on the Y&R makeup team at the time.
The show also put her in one of the dressing rooms she had used during her first stint there. She reported, “they had the placard with Y&R, and it said ‘Jill,’ but it also said, ‘Welcome back, Lindsey Wells,’ which was amazing.”
As Jill, Koslow worked closely with Billy Flynn (Cane), who was a regular scene partner for her at DAYS, where he played Chad DiMera. Koslow revealed, “Billy and I used to always play as if Chad is secretly Kate’s son, so it’s very similar with Cane and Jill from what I was seeing.” The character names, however, became a bit confusing: “The only problem I did have is I kept calling Cane ‘Billy,’ but of course, Jason’s [Thompson] Billy.”
While her return to Y&R was brief, Koslow treasured the experience. “The entire cast and crew are so gracious, and everyone’s so supportive,” she declared. “I think everyone knew it was a big thing to do, to have to step in there and honor Jess and her performance and all that and to do the best that I could do.”
Reflecting on being asked to sub for Walton, a two-time Daytime Emmy winner who has played Jill since 1987, Koslow said, “It meant a lot to me that they trusted me … It felt really good.”
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