In “The Young and the Restless”, Camryn Grimes once played Cassie, then played her hidden twin Mariah… On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the cult soap opera, the actress looks back on her journey…
In The Young and the Restless, Camryn Grimes landed as Cassie when she was just a little girl. Following the tragic death of her character, the actress moved away from the film sets of the soap opera… before returning there a few years later!
On her return, the young woman this time lent her features to Mariah, Cassie’s hidden twin sister! Present in the credits of the soap opera for almost 25 years, the actress looks back on her journey to Genoa City with AlloCiné, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the cult fiction.
AlloCiné: You started as a child in “The Fires of Love”. Do you remember when you arrived on set?
Camryn Grimes : My first day was outdoors in Pittsburgh. It was the scene where Cassie, getting off a bus, picked up a lucky coin… I remember I was very cold (laughs) I was born in California so I didn’t have the accustomed to this freezing weather! But it was very fun. Then, I went to shoot in the studios in Los Angeles… It was fabulous.
Do you have a favorite story?
It’s sandwiched between two plots. For Cassie, his passing. As tragic as it was, that moment remained iconic. He changed the destiny of a lot of characters in the series… For Mariah, I’m thinking of her coming out. It was a beautiful and moving arc, the writers did an amazing job and I was honored to play this.
What do you think is the craziest plot you’ve played?
I remember the day Cassie fell into the water of a frozen lake! The teams had built a whole set where there was really water in which I fell. I was being pulled on the ground by a mechanism… I was doing the stunt myself and it was the first time I had done that! I almost got hypothermia… It was an unlikely few days!
A few years ago, Mariah tried to seduce Nick (Joshua Morrow), who was the adoptive father of his twin Cassie… Wasn’t it awkward for you to play, given that you had known him since you were a little girl?
Yes ! The answer is simple: yes! (laughs) Joshua and I are joking about it today. This storyline really wasn’t my favorite to play, especially just returning to the show. I am very happy that the writers did not push this plot further!
They soon realized that was a bit rude! (laughs) It was vulgar and socially unacceptable as my grandmother would say… We’re glad it’s done and we’ll never go back to it again! We should all forget that this happened! (laughs)
Mariah and Tessa are the representatives of the LGBTQ+ community in “The Young and the Restless”. Are you proud of it? Do you think there should be more LGBTQ+ characters in Genoa City?
Absolutely. Representing others, communities, is one of the most important things we can do as actors. People want to feel seen through characters they identify with and who are going through what they are going through. For me, all this is not sufficiently represented. (laughs)
Nevertheless, I am delighted to be a small part of this representation. We always need more diversity and visibility on all subjects. I will always do my best to tell these stories authentically because I love these characters.
“The Fires of Love” has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. What does this represent for you?
There is no “me” without The Fires of Love. I spent 25 years of my life in this series. My trajectory and that of this fiction are linked. I’m honored to be here. It will remain one of the things I am most proud of in my life. I am grateful to have been able to work within this soap opera for so long. I love The Young and the Restless and it will always be with me.