Camryn Grimes Admits She Was Anxious About Returning to Y&R

During a recent encore airing of the episode of THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS where the Newman family had a summer barbecue to celebrate Nick and Sharon finalizing Cassie’s adoption, the little girl’s now-adult portrayer live-tweeted along with the show and answered fan questions. However, Camryn Grimes admitted that she didn’t recall a lot about taping this particular episode or any of the other ones from her first run on Y&R. “Not much, to be honest,” she confessed with a laugh. “I was very little!”

Cassie Newman was so beloved by fans that they were all heartbroken when the character was killed off but excited when the actress returned to the soap nine years later to play the new role of Mariah Copeland, Cassie’s previously-unknown twin sister. “Considering I flatlined, I really didn’t foresee ever coming back,” Grimes revealed. “I was more than surprised when I got the initial call and it’s been an amazing process of bringing this new person, Mariah, to life.”

Of course, as delighted as she was to return to work at Y&R and share scenes again with castmates like Sharon Case (Sharon) and Joshua Morrow (Nick), Grimes was also extremely nervous about it. “I think the challenge was the anxiety over being someone other than Cassie,” she said. “Wondering and hoping that the audience would take to Mariah like they did her.”

While many fans would probably have preferred that Cassie had never been killed off in the first place, they’re also happy to have the Daytime Emmy winner back on Y&R no matter who she’s playing. And as much as the Mariah and Tessa fans are desperate to see what happens next for their favorite couple, Grimes is also very much looking forward to getting back to work. But she assured her fans that she’s been handing quarantine pretty well and hopes they are all hanging in there, too. “I’ve been good, as good as you can be during all of this” Grimes reported. “Yes, I absolutely have anxiety at times which is more than normal considering the states of things, but I have an incredible therapist and highly suggest caring for your mental health to everyone.”