Soaps usually bring characters “back from the dead” when their bodies were not found – not when they were killed on camera and there is a corpse! But it’s not unheard of The young and the restless shows with the return of March 23 by Diane Jenkins. The character was killed by Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) in self-defense in 2011, but clearly Diane is very much alive as viewers confirm!
Susan Walters, who played Diane from late 2001 to 2004 and again briefly in early 2010, is back in the role last played by Maura West (now Ava on General Hospital). Walters says she almost missed the call that came late last year to bring Diane back to Genoa city.
“It came as a surprise,” Walters told the TV insider. “Do you know how voice texts can mispronounce words? I got someone who said, ‘Hey, this is Tony Morina from’ Wine Art ‘- no’Y&R. ‘ I did not pay much attention to it as Tony [Y&R’s executive producer] was not there 20 years ago when I was there, but we had since. At first I ignored it, but then I listened to the message. I later told Tony, ‘What if I had not listened to that message ?!’ He said, ‘Well, me would have contacted you again. ‘”
Walters knew Diane was dead, but the actress did not hesitate as Morina returned to her role. “I said, ‘Sounds good.’ He said, ‘You know she’s dead.’ I said, ‘Yes. I was not the one who died. ‘”
For the moment, Walters shares screen time with Jack (Peter Bergman)’s granddaughter Allie, played by Kelsey Wang. “That made it a lot easier,” Walters says as she acclimatizes to the pace of the day, which has been much faster since she last appeared in the genre. “There were nerves, but I was not afraid of trial.”
So, is this the Walters who appeared in the promo, who showed a mysterious woman walking, opening a doorknob and holding a phone? “Yes,” she says. “I wanted to text [my good friend] Christian LeBlanc [who plays Michael] to tell him I was back. He made jokes about my “peasant girl man hands”, so I thought everyone recognized those hands. I tried to give my hands and feet a nice angle.
Jack’s problems are just beginning … make sure you do not miss any new episodes #YR next week! 👀 pic.twitter.com/yb4bJDjqzF
– Young and restless (@YandR_CBS) March 17, 2022
Walters got creative when she finally let LeBlanc know she was back on the show. She texts the actor a photo of her from his own wardrobe Y&R. “I wrote to him and said, ‘I’m here! I’m the secret woman, “she says.” Christian said, ‘What secret woman?’ I said, ‘Oh, call me!’ It was fun to surprise him.
The actress was working in Vancouver The Flash (shoots her recurring role as Dr. Carla Tannhauser) as Bergman reaches his former main lady. “They told Peter so early,” Walters shares. “It was so much fun to hear his voice. So many things he has told me over the years that I have taken to heart. He gives advice that you can carry with you your whole life. Just last week I went to someone said, ‘Like my good friend Peter once told me …’ ‘
Walters says Bergman suggested to her that everyone want to say a few words to Diane when she’s back in town. The actress is looking forward to the meetings. “How happy am I to be in a medium where people my age are still so relevant to history?” freet si. “I play scientists and moms and that’s great, but adults [in daytime] have a lot of fun playing things.
The last time Diane was in Genoa City it was less than a year ago, but she has one a lot during that time. “I read the scripts and people talk about how much they hate Diane and how much harm she has done,” Walters adds. “I emailed the writer and asked if there was anything specific? The list I got back was hysterical! Diane slept with Victor [Eric Braeden]. She slept with Nick [Joshua Morrow]. Adam [now played by Mark Grossman] helped her fake her death, and she was with this guy named Deacon [Sean Kanan]. I thought, ‘I have like this much to learn! ‘”
For Walters, going back to the soap goes back to its roots. Her first role was as spoiled rich girl Lorna Forbes on the ABC series Love, which debuted in 1983. “That was my first job,” Walters recalls. “Agnes Nixon [All My Children] and Douglas Marland [General Hospital, As the World Turns] written that show. I remember they were very kind to me. We had Geraldine Page and Lloyd Bridges in our cast [for the pilot]! I would go to the rehearsals just to see Geraldine and Lloyd. What an acting class that was. Part of the reason I got it was Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Geraldine’s son who ruled the two hours Love Pilot, said: ‘Today she. She does not yet know what she is doing, but she is stopping. ‘”
The young and the restlessWeekdays, CBS, checks local shows
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