“The Young and the Restless"has constantly kept us tuning in for all its twists and turns.
One of the biggest shockers this season wasDiane Jenkins returning from the dead.
How did you get into acting?
It’s a crazy story.
They really wanted me to have this great stable career, and I’m competitive.
And I was very, very fortunate.
But I was like, “I’m not sure if I can make it as a career.”
It was like what they see on TV.
It was 90-hour weeks.
She comes from this legacy Abbott family.
I knew that reading the sides.
I kind of guessed what the storyline was about.
What drew me to it was that she’s so multi-dimensional.
They weren’t making her a villain.
It was clear that they were not going to make her a villain, but there’s backstory.
I think casting could see that in my screen test.
I loved how they created this role and wanted to be a part of it.
When you went into the role, did you know the whole trajectory of Allie’s story?
It’s funny, because I watched “The Young and the Restless” like you.
When I got the sides, it was interesting.
There was this scene it was clearly with a family member, and there was a clear relationship.
I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but it was a grandfather-granddaughter relationship.
Did you get to write any of yourself into the role since you are so similar to this character?
Allie is definitely a culmination.
That’s why they wanted to know about me.
[To] each of the final five girls, they asked the same question.
It’s like, “Okay, now you’ve done the audition.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.”
Because they really want to find someone.
In some ways, for sure.
That was my first experience doing soaps, and it was interesting.
The biggest difference is how fast they shoot.
There’s new episodes every day versus weekly.
Getting a sense of the rhythm was really important [to] understand.
With primetime, you have multiple takes, so you’re free to warm up as an actor.
it’s possible for you to warm up into it.
For this, you have to come in with good ideas [and] be prepared with your lines.
Of course, there’s a myth that it’s one take only.
It’s not that crazy, but they do move fast.
With “General Hospital,” it taught me that rhythm, but it was a much smaller role.
I read that you were on “The Young and the Restless” back in 2011, too.
Okay, that’s a funny story.
I actually have no idea what really happened.
[Laughs] You know when you don’t have any job experience?
You’re like, “I’m going to fill out a couple job experiences.”
There is a story there.
I came to LA for a semester in college when I was very young, like 18, 19.
Duke has a program with USC, and I was interested in LA.
I wanted to see it.
I think it was at CBS TV City.
It could have been “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
It could have been “The Young and the Restless.”
But I did one day of extra work.
What was it like to join such an established cast?
It’s really hard.
When I first shot a scene with her, she [had] played Ashley Abbott for years.
The audience grew up with these characters.
A lot of them grew up with these characters.
And you’re trying to create this new character.
[Laughs] I’m like, “What in the story has caused you to be suspicious?”
There’s literally nothing.
I am so overwhelmed by how great the fans have been.
You have to wonder.
Let me tell you, Allie does have her secrets.
It’s not in a bad way that will hurt anyone, but she has a backstory.
There are flaws, there are strengths, and then there are flaws to anyone.
Allie has now met the Abbott family, and she’s flown into Genoa City.
What was it like for your first time meeting those actors?
It was weird to see.
you might either let it shake you or you might treat them as anyone else.
These soaps, they have large casts, and it’s an ensemble show.
Now, I feel like I’m part of the family.
I was able to get comfortable really fast due to how nice and welcoming everyone has been.
Everyone has a lot of fun on this show.
I cannot wait …
There’s a big wedding event coming up, and the show went all out for it.
There were probably 15 to 20 [of] the regular cast members there for three days.
Those were long days, but it was so fun.
It was so fun to see everyone.
It’s so funny.
It’s in some archive somewhere, and it’s hilarious, but people are so funny.
I think Josh Morrow [who plays Nick Newman] is so funny.
Everyone cracks jokes, and the more comfortable you are on set, the easier it is to film.
The more nervous you are, the harder sometimes it is to film these scenes.
What is your secret to crying on camera?
How do you get into that mindset?
Everyone has a different process to getting there.
If you watch Sharon Case [who plays Sharon Newman], she is amazing.
She’s recently had this really hard storyline, grieving her husband who passed.
It’s incredible because they’re so emotionally available.
For me, a lot of it is being empathetic and tapping into what the character’s going through.
But everyone still gets nervous.
It’s such a natural thing to do, but it does come with practice.
You have to become really vulnerable for a moment like that.
This is my first big role, so I’m still learning a lot.
Every day, I feel like I’ve learned something new about acting.
I’ve read that she might be falling for someone in Genoa City.
I wish I could say more about this.
It’s very true.
Jack is the first one, and then she meets the Abbotts.
But then she needs to go out and meet some people, and she’s still grieving her dad.
There’s going to be some really good scenes coming up with some fun guys my age.
What’s something that you hope your character has the opportunity to do on the show?
I would love to see Allie’s career development.
Soaps are sometimes very focused on romance, as they should be, right?
We all want to watch people falling in love.
She’s a scientist.
She’s a chemical engineer.
She’s super motivated and ambitious, so I really hope the writers keep writing on that.
She does have so much going for her.
What was your experience of filming the big wedding this season?
There’s two fan-favorite characters, Mariah and Tessa, who aregetting married on the show.
It was a monumental event.
Cait [Fairbanks] and Camryn [Grimes], who are the two actresses, played it …
It’s a beautiful, beautiful scene.
I know “The Young and the Restless” definitely spent a big budget on making the wedding.
It’s going to be a fabulous event.
If you take a look at the pictures, everyone’s dress looks amazing.
The outfits look amazing.
Is that when we’ll see Allie falling for a certain someone?
A lot of characters.
Summer is coming back.
Yeah, [there’s] a lot of great stuff happening.
What I love about it is that you get to live out something.
I think a lot of people can identify.
I get there are the crazy storylines, [like] Diane coming back from the dead.
But at the end of [the day], it’s romance, family.
The soaps are about romance, family, [and] betrayal.
For “Y&R,” it’s about business as well.
It’s so wonderful that it’s these characters that are so real and that people can relate to.
[I’m] not saying that superheroes aren’t great, too.
That would be fun to play.
But I love that aspect where it’s reflective of all of our lives, in a way.
What’s your dream role?
Would you love to stay in the soap opera realm throughout your acting career?
I am loving Allie.
I’ve got to say, I love her.
I want to keep developing her.
I think there’s so much.
It’s a new character.
There’s a ton of different paths [where] they could go with it.
I am so grateful right now, and I would love, love, love to keep playing her.
I don’t really have a dream job.
Being able to play characters that are three-dimensional and have a great story makes me really happy.
And I think you see that more and more.
That would be something.
Oh, and I loved watching “Charmed” when I was little.
But having a really good story, a really strong character, is a dream world for me.
New episodes of “The Young and the Restless” air weekdays on CBS.
This interview was edited for clarity.
