COURTESY OF LAURALEE BELL
While it’s still to be determined if Cricket and Danny will get their special New Year’s Eve kiss at midnight on Young and Restless, you can bet that fans will get a special holiday treat when the actors return to the show in episodes that air on December 30 and January 2. Their respective portrayers, Lauralee Bell and Michael Damian, answered some of our burning questions about this latest return.
Soap Opera Digest: Lauralee, were you hoping that the characters would have a chance to be seen celebrating the holidays?
Bell: It took so long for Cricket and Danny to reconnect with each other and fall in love again, they wouldn’t choose to be apart after they finally just reunited. I was happy that Josh [Griffith, Y&R’s head writer and executive producer] wanted Cricket there to help Daniel, but I’m also happy that as soon as her legal skills were no longer needed, she quickly jetted back to be with her man.
Digest: Michael, how did your half of this return come about?
Damian: Y&R reached out to me while I was filming in Canada and Europe on a Netflix rom-com. The show had some fantastic episodes in mind for Danny Romalotti and I was ready to rock on with Cricket! The timing was perfect for us to return to Genoa City for the holidays.
Digest: Is it really fun to get to experience a fictional holiday season before the real one rolls around off camera?
Bell: It’s always fun to experience the fictional holiday before the actual one in real life. We shot this in November so that will make our real New Year’s Eve celebrations more special because we aren’t feeling like we just did this a week ago.
Damian: Absolutely, it always gets us in the mood early for the holidays and the best part is that you get to celebrate it twice:-)
Digest: Can you tell us the set-up for the return?
Bell: Cricket leaves Danny’s tour a few days early to spend time with Nina in Los Angeles. Due to a series of obstacles, Cricket and Danny spending time together during the holidays is suddenly at risk as they both try their hardest to make it back to Genoa City in time to ring in the new year together.
Damian: Cricket and Danny are on his “Rock On” tour and look to spend the holidays with Daniel, Lucy, and friends and of course with each other. But their plans go awry and they get split up for a bit and hope to reunite in time for a New Year’s eve stroke-of-midnight kiss.
Digest: Can you give a tease about what else fans can look forward to in these episodes?
Bell: Our favorite double date couple, Michael and Lauren, will be there. When we are all together, it feels comfortable and nostalgic!
Damian: You have to tune in to watch! But I guarantee you’ll have a blast!
Digest: It appears the big obstacle this time is more their conflicting schedules, which makes it sound like they’re a happy and solid couple. Are you both pleased that after 40 years, your characters are in such a good place together?
Bell: We are thrilled that we are back together again on-screen! Especially for the fans that grew up with the Danny/Cricket romance — it elevates this experience because they are so happy they found each other again. We’d like to introduce the newer viewers to the playful and relaxed dynamic between the characters because that’s what makes them unique.
Damian: Yes and it’s wonderful!! Cricket and Danny have this amazing history and the fans have been on this journey with us. They have been waiting for this to happen for a long, long time!! So let’s give them what they want!:-)
Digest: Can you foresee a time when they’ll move back to Genoa City permanently and settle down?
Bell: We both want to be back in Genoa City, now it’s up to the show and the writers!
Damian: Well, as they say, there’s no place like home and I think it would be wonderful for Cricket and Danny to stay there together and live happy ever after.
Digest: If you both had the time to devote to Y&R, what would be your dream story?
Bell: I’d love to revisit the scenes we used to do of Cricket and Danny hanging in their apartment, talking about love, life, relationships, and being happy at last. We’re all in to once again become the happy stable couple who stay committed to each other while the romances around them are falling apart.
Damian: Oh wow, that’s a tough one. I’m gonna have to leave that to the expert, brilliant-writing team.
Digest: Is there anything you can share with the fans about what it was like to be back on set this time around?
Bell: Look for more with Danny’s family as the year comes to a close, but the drama continues! Well, I never work with Peter [Bergman, Jack] and Susan [Walters, Diane], so that was really fun!
Damian: First a big shout-out to our amazing fans for making Y&R such a huge success! I love working with Lauralee, Michelle and Michael [Graziadei, Daniel]! They are a dream!
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