Y&R’s Donny Boaz Reveals How He Went From Football to Acting and Back Again (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s downright appropriate that Donny Boaz is playing a character named Chance on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS because he’s had a few serendipitous moments in his life. Case in point is how he got into acting in the first place. “While playing football in college, I was modeling, which was not allowed,” he revealed to Soaps In Depth. “You aren’t supposed to do any promotional work as a college athlete, so I lost my scholarship and couldn’t play football anymore.

“I thought my whole life was over!” Boaz continued. “But that sent my life in a different direction, and many years later, I was booked on a football film, playing the quarterback for the University Of Texas. The movie was My All American, which was a true story, starring Aaron Eckhart. We had one month of practice before we started filming, then two months filming. It was nice to put the pads back on — although it hurts a lot more getting hit at 33 years old than it did when I was 18! Still, it was a treat to be able to come full circle!”

This story originally appeared in our print magazine