Y&R's Christian LeBlanc Looks Back at Michael's Dark Past

Michael may easily fight his darker impulses these days, but there was a time on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS when the character was flat-out evil, having sexually harassed Christine and even tried to kill her! Given those past transgressions, it’s amazing that fans have always loved the legal eagle and his portrayer, Christian LeBlanc!

“I think as bad as Michael could be, in the end, he was human, which left room for the audience to understand, if not condone, that humanity in the character,” the Emmy winner reflected to Soaps In Depth. “I was lucky though to work with Lauralee [Bell, Christine] opposite me. These situations are difficult, with the woman at the receiving end of the brutality. If Lauralee had shown any discomfort at all, maybe it wouldn’t have gone forward. But she was such a professional. She had my back in the performances, allowing me to be as strong as I was.”

Looking back, LeBlanc admits that he enjoyed playing the bad guy. “Because in everything else, I was always cast as the good guy,” he shared with a grin. “I had fun!”

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

This story originally appeared in our print magazine