Vivica A. Fox is giving viewers an idea of what to expect from her return to The Young and the Restless on CBS, along with Shemar Moore.
For a short-term stint, Fox will reprise her original role of Stephanie Simmons, a role she played about 30 years ago between 1994 and 1995.
Fox said to TV Insider that her character “has a lot of secrets that will be revealed,” adding that coming back to the soap opera wasn’t planned.
It was a total surprise, to be very honest with you,” she said. “I’ve just signed with a new agent, Innovative Artists, and was just sitting at home chilling, and my head agent hit me and said, ‘Hey, guess who called looking for you today?’ And I was like, ‘Who?’ And they’re like, ‘Young and the Restless.’ I was like, ‘Young and the Restless? Really?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, they want to know, do you want to come back as Stephanie Simmons.’”
Y&R icon Shemar Moore, who played Fox’s love interest Malcolm Winters, is also returning to the soap to reprise his role, making it a true reunion. Fox was completely on board.
“I thought, ‘Get out of here. The genius of that would be incredible,’” she said, revealing how her reaction when she learned Moore would be coming back as well. “And I said, ‘Well, if they can make it happen, sure, I’m interested. That’s amazing.’”
What will Stephanie and Malcolm be up to on ‘The Young and the Restless’?
Fox teased that Stephanie and Malcolm’s next chapter starts when Malcolm reaches out to Stephanie for some help.
“From there, the story unfolds,” she said. “So far, it’s been surprise after surprise after surprise. The audience is really going to be on the edge of their chairs as Stephanie and Malcolm come back, and I’m glad that I’m back and that Stephanie is back to finish her business with Malcolm.”
On where Stephanie is now, she said, “She was into becoming the best doctor ever. She loved her career and got a little sidetracked with Malcolm, like, ‘Yes, you’re gorgeous, but I gotta get this career off the ground. Stephanie today is a very accomplished doctor who lives in Manhattan, whose career is going absolutely amazing. She unfortunately lost her husband, so she’s still career-driven and successful, and here comes Malcolm back into her life to bring some drama.”
She said the transition back to soaps was easy because of her Lifetime work
Fox said she felt right back into the swing of things being on set so many years later.
She explained, “When I filmed the first day, I saw that some of the actors from 30 years ago are still here,” she marvels. “So, it was like a wonderful homecoming for me. I got starstruck when I saw Melody [Thomas Scott]. I’m not gonna kid you, that first week was like boot camp. It was like we were doing a mini movie a week, but it’s really helped me that I do my Lifetime films, and we kind of shoot those quickly. So that muscle is still here.”
Fox’s return isn’t the only big news for The Young and the Restless; the soap is also preparing for a crossover event with Beyond The Gates this summer.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.
