Natalie Morales Previews Her Role as Talia on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS
Fans of THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS who also watch THE TALK will definitely find Talia familiar because the journalist is being played by Natalie Morales, one of the CBS chat show’s hosts! And having grown up watching telenovelas in Panama and Brazil, she was excited to be on an American daytime drama!
“Soap actors come on our show all of the time, so it was kind of a natural opportunity for us to cross-promote,” Morales explained to Soap Opera Digest. “Y&R approached us and asked, ‘Would you guys be interested in having Natalie come over and do something?’”
She was also thrilled to discover that this is no small cameo, but multiple episodes where she’s dropped into the middle of a juicy storyline! “It’s a real fascinating storyline because I’m not [just] in one episode, so I get to build with other characters,” Morales enthused. “Phyllis and Nikki have sort of roped Talia into doing a report on Diane Jenkins and where was she for all of those years after staging her death? What was she really doing when she said she was living in Los Angeles? So I love being part of a plot.”
While diving headfirst into the fast-paced shooting of a soap opera was a far cry from what Morales is used to at THE TALK, she was grateful that the cast and crew of Y&R were so supportive, especially Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis). “These are soap superstars so I really am in awe watching them work,” she marveled. “And everyone has been so kind. There were a couple of times where I blanked a little bit and was like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’ But they’d just say, ‘You’re doing great. Don’t worry.’”
Although Morales wouldn’t reveal what Talia’s investigation into Diane’s past digs up and if it aids Phyllis and Nikki’s quest to run her out of town again, she did admit she’d be up for more in the future. “Listen, Genoa City has a lot of interesting characters,” she declared. “If Y&R wants Talia to do a little more digging, I’m always happy to come back. There are a lot of skeletons in those closets and some aren’t hidden very well!”
