Tricia Cast (ex-Nina), Barbara Crampton (ex-Leanna), and Patty Weaver (ex-Gina) are all back on Y&R so their characters can attend the Genoa City Bicentennial Gala. Crampton, who appeared last week, wasn’t surprised when the show asked her to reprise Ms. Love. “I actually saw on social media that the 50th anniversary was coming up, so I told my agent to call them and say I wanted to be a part of it,” she explains. “It wasn’t that insistent. They had asked me many times over the years to come back, but it never worked out. I had moved to San Francisco and was raising my kids, and my husband was working early and I couldn’t leave. Now my kids are in college and I moved back to LA, and since Y&R asked me to come back, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to reach out and basically say, “I want to celebrate with you.” There are eight episodes of the big party and I’ve been listed in seven of them!
Leanna last appeared in Genoa City in 2006, but Crampton was happy to see her character hadn’t changed. “The writers went back to their history books and wrote Leanna as she was,” Crampton reports. “She is always sassy, fun, funny and combative. I was delighted. And everyone in Genoa City still doesn’t like him.
Crampton was thrilled to reunite with her former co-stars. “It was really nice to work with Peter [Bergman, Jack]Email [Thomas Scott, Nikki] Eric [Braeden, Victor] and jesse [Walton, Jill] again,” she enthuses. “And because Leanna is reporting on the event, trying to get information and dirt on everything that’s going on in town, I was able to talk to almost the entire cast, including Joshua [Morrow, Nick] and kate [Linder, Esther], and a lot of new actors, who are very talented. I kept telling people that I felt like it was a dream. It was just great fun.
This sentiment echoes my casting. “It was so special,” she smiles. « See Lauralee [Bell, Christine]Patty and Michael [Damian, Danny] was like the week of old people, but I still felt like time hadn’t passed. Although there was a lot going on, they managed to work in a nice little chewy scene.
During the two days Cast was on set, “I had an absolute blast,” she says. “I loved the wardrobe the dress gave me, but I couldn’t wear the heels all the time due to the long hours, so I just put my boots on and it would be fine. Everyone looked absolutely fabulous. We even hung out afterwards to visit and talk. It was really nice.
Cast, who resides in Tennessee, shares that she’s ready to come back whenever Y&R needs her. “I love playing Nina,” she says. “I felt truly honored to be included this time. Fingers crossed that I was a part of [the 50th anniversary] and I’m so glad they called.
So did Weaver, who was last seen in 2013. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect to be asked to come back,” she admits. “When you’re away from something for such a long time, you don’t really expect to be remembered, so when they called, it was a very beautiful moment for me.”
Weaver immediately agreed, but “after I hung up the phone I was like, ‘What the hell did I get myself into? Maybe I can’t remember the lines! But I was struck realizing that I am a soap opera actress for almost 38 years, much of my life has been spent on sound stages.
Weaver’s first day back on the Y&R set was “surreal,” she notes. “It was early and I was really very moved. I had been away from it for a long time, but there I was, walking through these huge soundstages with this bustle around me of things being moved and set up for the day. I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is like coming home.’ I love the crew. It was wonderful to see many of them still behind the camera and working on the floor.
As nearly the entire cast was present for the gala scenes, Weaver was a bit overwhelmed. “It was a lot to take in but I loved seeing everyone again,” she thought to herself. “I almost felt like I was in THIS IS YOUR LIFE. And Christian [J. LeBlanc, Michael] made me laugh on the floor, he’s so funny. I felt very honored to have been part of Y&R. It changed my life and it brought me a lot. I would be very happy to receive another call from them.
Add comment