[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the February 24 episode of The Young and the Restless.]
On the finish of the Monday, February 24 episode of The Younger and the Stressed, longtime nemeses Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) discovered themselves in a spot they’ve by no means been earlier than — kidnapped collectively — and their predicament would be the focus of a particular episode airing on Tuesday, February 25.
For Case, who had simply accomplished the dramatic arc of Heather Stevens’ (Vail Bloom) homicide, the place her beleaguered alter ego was put via the emotional wringer, it was a shock to be taught there was extra in retailer. “Earlier than we went on Christmas break, somebody advised me, ‘Oh, Michelle Stafford mentioned that once you guys come again, you have got a storyline collectively, one thing about being kidnapped, possibly,’” Case remembers. “And I’m like, ‘Wait what? I used to be simply kidnapped. Possibly any person misheard her.’”
“That’s so humorous,” provides Stafford, “as a result of that’s what I mentioned once I heard that — ‘Oh, once more? Sharon was simply kidnapped.’”
However Sharon’s previous expertise will come in useful as the story unfolds. “It’s my third or fourth abduction, and I actually know the ropes now,” quips Case. “Sharon is aware of her manner via this sort of factor. She’s kind of like, ‘You realize, I’ve been right here, achieved that, observe me. I do know what I’m doing on this abduction.’”
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Kidding apart, the turning level comes at a fractious time within the Sharon and Phyllis relationship, the place they’re nonetheless making an attempt to work via the truth that Sharon, who thought she killed Heather — because of some manipulation by Ian Ward (Ray Sensible) and Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk) — let Phyllis’s son, Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei), take the rap for it.
“I respect the story as a result of there was nowhere for Phyllis and Sharon to go; it was the apex of their discord,” factors out Stafford. “One thing needed to occur from that. There’s no manner Phyllis is ever going to say, ‘Oh, it’s OK that you just hid the bloody towels. I’m over it.’ And no manner that Sharon goes to be OK with not being forgiven and simply transferring on. After they see one another, it might be tough. So, I believe this story that we’re doing actually fixes that.”
Working so intently collectively over a concentrated interval was one thing new for the actors, who’ve shared scenes for many years. “We have been doing all of those reveals collectively, simply Sharon and me, and I mentioned to Josh [Griffith, executive producer/head writer], ‘It’s like we’re doing our personal little film over right here,’” remembers Stafford. “I believe it is going to be very attention-grabbing for our viewers to observe as a result of it’s nothing they’ve ever achieved on the present earlier than. And we went into an easy work rhythm. Sharon could be very simple to work with.”
Although the scenes have been filmed very early within the morning. “Oh, I used to be actually grumpy,” admits Case. “Everybody on the market is aware of I hate being first up within the morning. And never as a result of it’s early. It’s as a result of it’s important to provide you with quite a lot of emotion and scream and cry and it’s eight within the morning.”
“Nobody goes to really feel sorry for us,” muses Stafford. “However hey, it’s difficult. If you stand up within the morning, you’re like, ‘I would like my espresso.’ Now think about if somebody mentioned, ‘Cry proper now.’”
Timing points apart, Case studies that the precise filming was seamless. “Every little thing appeared really easy and fell proper into place,” she relays. “Possibly we’ve been working collectively for thus lengthy, however we simply slid into it with out questions; we didn’t even have to debate it. It’s like we learn one another’s minds, or we’re simply on the identical web page. As storylines go, I like this one. I had quite a lot of enjoyable doing it. I like working with Michelle. It was very difficult, however on daily basis she and I obtained in there and we simply did it. We did the not possible some days.”
Making ready for the particular episode, which can solely characteristic Case and Stafford — one thing achieved solely as soon as earlier than in Might 2024 with Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott) and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman) — took quite a lot of work. “I truly didn’t notice it at first,” reveals Stafford. “I used to be going over the dialogue and was like, ‘This can be a lot.’ After which I noticed, ‘Oh, wait, we’re the one two within the present.’ So, I didn’t realize it till a pair days beforehand. I used to be simply memorizing it.”
Case appreciates that they broke up the capturing schedule. “They reduce it into three days; it’s exhausting to shoot that every one in sooner or later,” she notes. “I did inform Owen [Renfroe, the director] afterwards, ‘OK, Owen, we’ve got achieved this sufficient occasions now the place I’m by no means going to name you on the weekend panicking once more. I do know we are able to do that now.’”
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The main target of the hour will likely be on the 2 making an attempt to piece collectively the place they’re and who put them there. “They’re determining what the what the hell is occurring,” previews Stafford. “I stored on making an attempt to not get too literal about it however actually think about should you have been kidnapped and put in a room and also you had been drugged. You in all probability assume the following factor is you’re going to be raped and murdered or tortured and chopped up, so I stored on being like, ‘Don’t we expect we’re gonna die?’ So, we have been taking part in that it’s our final second of life.”
Case affords, “We felt just like the characters thought, ‘Possibly we’re presupposed to work collectively.’ And typically they really feel the other, that that is an every-man-for-themselves state of affairs, which could be very actual. Over the course of your entire storyline, we’re put in quite a lot of tough conditions, we undergo each completely different type of emotion and our relationship modifications again and again.”
Case shares she got here up with a singular identify for this new chapter. “I prefer to name this story ‘Asylum,’ ” Case explains. “The primary one [Heather’s death] was ‘Homicide.’ Everybody noticed the primary episode of ‘Asylum’ at this time, however this carries on and it does take some attention-grabbing turns and arcs. It modifications the characters and propels them ahead. That is actually going to be enjoyable and attention-grabbing and a terrific experience for the viewers. When Josh Griffith writes this manner, it’s a deal with. It’s important to tune in for this one.”
The Younger and the Stressed, Weekdays, CBS, Verify Native Listings