Jason Thompson Opens up About Billy's Breakdown on Y&R

On THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, Billy’s portrayer, Jason Thompson, has wowed audiences with his ability to show a wide range of emotions ranging from playfulness to passion, from anger to angst. Yet the actor confessed that he’s found himself tested with Billy’s recent descent into near madness, which had him developing an alternate personality. “It’s different than anything I’ve ever had to play, especially with this character, but also anything else I’ve played in my soap career,” the actor admitted to Soaps In Depth. “It’s been really fun but also challenging in a lot of ways. I don’t get scripts super far in advance. It’s not like a movie script where I would know where all the plot points are, all the arcs and everything else the character is going to go through. I have to trust the process while at the same time adding more layers as I go along.

“Believe me, it’s been a zigzagging road, where I’m like, ‘Okay, what character am I now?’” he continued. “You’re kind of flying by the seat of your pants because everyone knows how fast soaps are, how much we do in such a short amount of time. The last thing I want to do is to look back and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t really go for it, I wasn’t prepared enough.’ So I really went for it, and it’s been a roller coaster.”

The Young and The Restless Billy Victoria Kevin Chloe

Kevin, Chloe, and Victoria were determined to help Billy. (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)

In fact, sometimes the days flew by so fast and the scenes were so intense that Thompson admitted he was left a bit dazed. “There were multiple scenes when I finished and was like, ‘What just happened?’” he laughs. “But that’s kind of fun! That is the part that is enjoyable, to be able to lose yourself. It’s been fun and challenging, and I hope it strikes a chord in people!”

For more from your favorite Y&R stars, keep reading the CBS edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.