The Young and the Restless: Vivica A. Fox Dishes Stephanie’s Return After 30 Years
Three decades after her original 1994-95 run playing Stephanie Simmons on Young and Restless, Vivica A. Fox found herself headed back to Genoa City to reprise the role for a new storyline. Though she admitted in a new interview with TV Insider that it was “a total surprise” to be asked back, she quickly became excited about the idea when she learned that the soap had also invited Shemar Moore to return as Malcolm Winters. “I thought, ‘Get out of here. The genius of that would be incredible,’” she recalled. “And I said, ‘Well, if they can make it happen, sure, I’m interested. That’s amazing.’”
Homecoming
When she met with Y&R Executive Producer and Head Writer Josh Griffith over Zoom, Fox soon found out what the storyline would entail. “He said, ‘So Malcolm is going to reach out to Stephanie, and he’s going to need some assistance. From there, the story unfolds,’” she explained. “So far, it’s been surprise after surprise after surprise. The audience is really going to be on the edge of their chairs as Stephanie and Malcolm come back, and I’m glad that I’m back and that Stephanie is back to finish her business with Malcolm.”
Back in the mid-’90s, when Stephanie had a brief romance with Malcolm, she was a medical student, and after leaving Genoa City behind, she became very successful. “Stephanie today is a very accomplished doctor who lives in Manhattan, whose career is going absolutely amazing,” Fox reported. “She unfortunately lost her husband, so she’s still career-driven and successful, and here comes Malcolm into her life to bring some drama.”
While Fox was delighted to see some familiar faces at the Y&R studio from her previous stint on the soap, the presence of the late Kristoff St. John (Neil) was sorely missed. “I walked into the producers’ offices, and there was a huge portrait of Kristoff,” she said. “Kristoff and I started Generations together years ago [as Maya and Adam]. I did my first little love scene with him and freaked out, ran out of the bed, ’cause I never did that before in my life.” When she saw his photo, “My whole heart just welled up, and I cried a little bit. I was like, ‘Gosh, excuse me for being so emotional, but that’s like your first love in a way, and my love for him will never die.’ They said, ‘Get it out. It’s cool. We miss him, too.’ And then we proceeded to move on, and here we go. Let’s get back up on the bike again.”
Fox began her career playing the role of Carmen Silva on Days of Our Lives in 1988, and went on to play Maya Reubens on Generations —perhaps best remembered today for her epic catfight with Doreen — from 1989-91. Y&R was her last daytime role before she hit the big screen in the role of Jasmine, Will Smith’s love interest in the 1996 sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day. “Oh gosh, it was the beginning of my destiny,” she shared of her first stint in Genoa City. “I’m so grateful for Young and the Restless because Young and the Restless led to Independence Day, which then led to now having over 270 credits. It literally opened the doors.”
Conversation
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