Maria DiDomenico Reveals What It’s Really Like Playing Alyssa on Y&R (EXCLUSIVE)

Fans saw in the Dec. 14 episode that Alyssa was back on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, and portrayer Maria DiDomenico couldn’t be more excited about it! “Originally, when I auditioned for the role, it was only supposed to be a seven-episode arc,” the actress confided to Soaps In Depth. “And it just kept getting extended. So I just kept going along for the ride!

“That’s why it’s been such a wonderful ride and journey,” DiDomenico added. “Not only for Alyssa but for myself. Because every time I get a little ping on my E-mail like, ‘Hey, Y&R wants you back for this episode,’ I’m like, ‘Yes! What are we getting into today?!’ It’s all a blessing. Anything past seven episodes to me was just golden.”

DiDomenico made her debut when Alyssa first appeared back in March 2020 and learned the truth about her past along with the viewers as the story unfolded. “I wasn’t told too much,” she revealed. “I believe I auditioned with some dummy sides so I didn’t really know who I was speaking with on the show because the names were changed. But the role itself, she had some history with her best friend, Adam, and they were revisiting their childhood memories. And we just knew that there might have been something a little bit more to their history together that they might be going on a journey to explore.”

As viewers soon discovered, Victor wasn’t the one who had killed Alyssa’s father, it was Adam himself who had committed the crime as a child! And DiDomenico admitted she didn’t know about the reveal when she first joined the soap. “I was learning it as I went along,” she said. “Which was actually kind of fun. As an actor, you’re going along with the journey and in this case, it actually worked in my benefit because I didn’t know that he killed my father. So when I did find out, all that really helped Alyssa and the honesty of the character.”

Though DiDomenico said it’s relatively easy to slip back into the role even after months away, there are always some changes to adjust to. “I just have to reprogram and redirect because every time Alyssa comes back, she comes back with a different motive,” she explained. “You never really know what she’s up to. I think that’s the fun of it. I kind of like that mystery about her.”

And with the reveal that Alyssa is the secret eyewitness claiming Billy was the one who was aiming for Adam when he shot Chance, the crime reporter has found herself neck-deep in drama again! “It’s been hard for Alyssa to navigate Genoa City,” DiDomenico mused. “She has no allies. She’s only been betrayed, especially by her best friend. Genoa City is not an easy place! There’s definitely a lot going on. So I’m really excited to see what she’s up to!”

Stay tuned to Y&R to find out what happens next!