Y&R’s Hayley Erin Previews Claire’s Revenge on Audra: ‘An Eye for an Eye’ (Exclusive)
Learning that her grandfather, Victor, had enlisted Audra to help split up her relationship with Kyle on Young and Restless came as quite a shock to Claire. But as portrayer Hayley Erin has already shared with Soap Opera Digest, Claire is placing the lion’s share of the blame on Audra for attempting to seduce Kyle away from her. And so far, the scheme has only seemed to bring Kyle and Claire closer together. “Yeah, well, they have a common enemy, right?” Erin muses with a chuckle. “Isn’t that how it works? They’re snarking and trying to get back at Audra, and at least, I find that a bonding experience with my friends, and we can be kind of catty!”
Do the Right Thing
The actress is also decidedly “Team Claire” and really enjoys playing the character as she navigates all of these ups and downs. “I love her moral compass,” Erin declares. “She’s got just a really interesting and strong moral compass. And I think that’s really shining through in this storyline because it’s conflicting for her. Her moral compass is so strong that it’s telling her things that her heart doesn’t agree with. So she’s just really conflicted throughout.”
When Claire was first introduced to Y&R, she had been brainwashed and manipulated by her Aunt Jordan into believing that the Newman family was evil and must be destroyed. But learning that she was Cole and Victoria’s daughter changed everything, and the scheming young woman did a complete 180.
“I think that she’s never been able to really establish who she is and what she really thinks,” Erin shares. “She’s never had to think about it. She’s always been told what to think her whole life. And so actually being able to explore her own values has been so transformative for her because it turns out she has really good values.”
Come to the Dark Side
Fans already saw this dark side resurface when Jordan joined forces with Ian Ward to wreak havoc on the Newmans once again, and Claire plotted to take her aunt out of the picture… permanently. “Everything that she did when Jordan came back was for the greater good,” Erin explains. “So her ability to justify things is also really interesting. And I think it keeps me on my toes because I wonder, okay, well, Audra’s crossed a few lines, so where’s that going to lead Claire? What is she going to be capable of there? Because an eye for an eye… what would that look like?”
As an actress, Erin hopes that she’ll be able to play that dark side again as Claire plots revenge against Audra. “I love it,” she enthuses. “And I love that it’s always under the surface and you never really know when it’s going to peek out. I mean, there was an air show [recently] when everyone came home [from France] and she’s like, ‘No, I’m going to go see Kyle first.’ And she kind of snapped at Victoria, and she’s like, ‘Lie to Victor. I don’t care.’ And it’s kind of so unlike her to say ‘tell a lie,’ because she’s got her issues with that. So it’s interesting when push comes to shove, how she can let those darker parts of her show.”
But what, exactly, would “an eye for an eye” mean for Claire when it comes to Audra and her scheming? “Yeah, I wonder,” Erin teases. “I mean, I think maybe it wouldn’t be exactly the same scheme in her turn, but something that hurts [Audra] just as much. Maybe losing someone that she cares about? I don’t know. Maybe not the same kind of tactics, but the same kind of result.”
Let us know how you would like to see Claire take revenge on Audra in the comments below!
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