Re-casting a soap opera character is never an easy thing to do. It can be especially difficult when an actor/actress has been in a specific role for a long period of time or has established the character from the get-go. Unfortunately, the Young & the Restless (Y&R) has seen its fair share of re-casting in recent years and, while at times they were able to knock it out of the park (Adam Newman anyone?), there have been other instances that have not been quite as successful. Below are the top five epic fails as it relates to Y&R‘s re-casting decisions.
5. The Reprised Billy Abbott (David Tom)
David Tom was the original Billy Abbott, stepping into the role in 1999 by portraying a teenage Billy. Although he left the show in 2002, he reprised the role in 2014, taking over for Billy Miller. He faced a tremendous amount of criticism and backlash from fans as a result. Unfortunately for Tom, Billy Miller was adored by Y&R audiences after he stepped into role of ‘spoiled rich kid’ Abbott in 2008. He helped to evolve the character from an egotistical screw-up into a charming yet lovable fan favorite.
Only four months after stepping back into the role, Tom was fired. In an interview with CBS Soaps In Depth, Tom was quoted as saying the reason for his departure had to do with his looks: “they said they let me go is that I obviously looked too young when they placed me with [the new] Kelly [Cady McClain].” Alas, David Tom was out, and in came Burgess Jenkins.
Sean Smith/JPI Studios
4. Re-casting of Billy Abbott – Take 2 (Burgess Jenkins)
Speaking of our newest Billy Abbott, Burgess Jenkins was placed in the role after David Tom was fired by Y&R. While he’s been able to survive in the role longer than Tom, he doesn’t seem to have the qualities that made Billy Abbott such a strong character within Genoa City. He lacks the charismatic nature that Miller brought to Billy Abbott and has little onscreen chemistry with Chelsea Lawson (played by Melissa Claire Egan). It also doesn’t help that the current re-vamping of his on-again/off-again relationship with Victoria Newman (played by Amelia March Heinle) was weak at best. With Jenkins still relatively new to the role, and with the tremendous fan base and success Billy Miller experienced while playing Abbott, perhaps all that Jenkins needs is a little more time to get settled in the role.
Source: Heavy.com
