Y&R Actor Roundup

Doug Davidson (Paul) “Jeanne Cooper [ex-Katherine]. I miss her every day. She was just amazing and so open. You could talk to her about anything and she was incredibly supportive. When I signed my contract, she took me to lunch to the Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset Boulevard. When my daughter [Calyssa] was born, Jeanne showed up at the hospital with a silver spoon for her. I don’t know how she found out we were there.”

Kate Linder (Esther) “When Esther switched places with Mr. and Mrs. Sterling and became the lady of the house and they became the maid and the butler.”

Bryton James (Devon) “My favorite Y&R memory is my audition. The casting director stopped me mid-scene and said, ‘Finally, someone who reads this character the way he’s meant to be read!’ ”

Beth Maitland (Traci) “The aftermath of Colleen’s death. I never think too much about what happens in the story, I just play it. I was not close to Tammin Sursok, who played Colleen at that time, and I didn’t have any idea how long it would go on — something like 30 episodes of crying! — or how it would end, or even what that would mean to Traci and her future there. But as an actor, it is my challenge and obligation to take that amazing material and make it as big and loud, as true and as real as I could.”

Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) “My favorite memories are hanging out with crew members and cast members after work. We would always go to Maggiano’s [restaurant] and have wine and bond and hang out. It was so fun and nice laughing and getting to know each other on a more personal level. Maggiano’s just closed, but we’re looking for our next hot spot!”

Eileen Davidson (Ashley) “My favorite memory is one that I have just newly created. I’ve had such a blast working with the women on the show during the taping of the Genoa City Gala. I have such an appreciation and love for not just their talent and beauty, but their humor, class, generosity and the fabulous people they are.”

Amelia Heinle (Victoria) “Meeting my husband, Thad [Luckinbill, ex-J.T.]. I thought he had a funny last name, then I ended up with it. Now I don’t think it’s funny anymore.”

Melissa 
Ordway (Abby) “When Jack threw the chair through the window during the fight with Victor.”

Jess Walton (Jill) “There are too many on-stage moments to remember them all! So the memory that really sticks in my mind is the celebration of my 30th anniversary on the show. The cast, crew, writers and executives were all present and there were clips and speeches that moved me to tears. I don’t know how to express how moved I was to hear the outpouring of love and appreciation. I will never forget how I felt that day; it has never left me.”

Judith Chapman (Gloria) “Not the most dramatic, tearful or heart-wrenching storyline, but great good fun when Gloria and second twin hubby Jeffrey moved into the Abbott mansion and wreaked havoc on the spoiled Abbott kids. Glo’s portrait over the fireplace and Jeffrey, in robe and slippers, feet propped up, sipping Jack’s finest. Payback is a bitch, Jacky Boy. Ted Shackelford was my dream partner in crime.”

Michael Graziadei (Daniel) “Anytime I’m working with Michelle [Stafford, Phyllis].”

Sharon Case 
(Sharon) “Sharon and Nikki in the sewer has gone down in daytime history. And you know, it’s funny, you don’t realize at the time when you get that script and read what you’re shooting how epic it’s going to turn out to be. That was just some of the best stuff ever.”

Tracey E. 
Bregman 
(Lauren) “My favorite memory was Michael and Lauren’s wedding. And when Lauren fought Michael, who was trying to divorce her because he had cancer.”

Mishael Morgan 
(Amanda) “One of my favorites scenes was with Kristoff [St. John, ex-Neil] that everybody remembers where I’m like, ‘Don’t you be self-righteous with me!’ I put that on my Emmy reel and that got me my first Daytime Emmy nomination in the Supporting Actress category. That was a really great memory. I still remember sitting on the patio with Kristoff, running those lines, and we just ran them and ran them. He was such a huge supporter of mine and was really pushing me to just trust myself, and he knew before I did that I was gonna kill it. Just before we shot the scene, he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go!’ And it just felt like such a fun ride with another actor. I still remember that whole day and all the prep work and what it felt like doing that scene and I was really proud of that work.”

Christian J. LeBlanc (Michael) “I was at a Y&R fan event in Las Vegas right after Hurricane Katrina, and at this point there were Katrina refugees all over the country. This woman, wearing a NOLA T-shirt, came up to me after waiting in a very long line to meet me, and when she got to the front of the line, she started crying and we hugged. We stood there for a while till she seemed calmer and the line behind us was quiet as they watched and respected this moment. It was a good example of the trust we share with our audience, being a member of their family, and in their living room every day.”