“Being back in Genoa City has been incredible,” says Vivica A. Fox, discussing her return to “The Young and the Restless” as Dr. Stephanie Simmons, a character she originally played on the daytime drama series more than 30 years ago. She’s once again sharing scenes with Shemar Moore, who plays Malcolm Winters, and has returned alongside Fox for a multi-episode story arc.
This marks the first time that Fox has appeared on the series since concluding her short run in 1995. Since exiting, the actress has made a name for herself in Hollywood outside of soaps, starring in numerous films and television projects, including “Independence Day,” “Batman & Robin,” “Soul Food,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “1-800-Missing” and “Empire,” and a long list of Lifetime original movies, among others.
“I love our cast. I love the writing,” notes Fox about working on a soap opera again, adding, “Working with the cast and crew has been amazing. It’s a wonderful place to be.”
“Sometimes when you do projects or hear about projects, it’s brewing for a little while,” shared Fox, detailing the process that eventually led to her agreeing to return to the series. “This was like boom. ‘Vivica, ‘Young and the Restless’ called for you.’ And I was like, ‘For what?’ They’re like, ‘They want you to come back for an arc.’ And I was like, ‘Let’s go for it. I’d love that.’ And then I met with them, and they told me the storyline and what everything was going to be about, but it was absolutely a no-brainer to come back.”
Returning To Soaps
“It was like getting acclimated at first because we had tons of dialogue,” said Fox of getting back into the grind of working on a soap opera more than 30 years later. “That’s the one thing with soaps, you’ve got to show up, you’ve got to know your lines. They move very quickly.” She added, “To me, soap operas [have] some of the hardest working actors. Thirty years ago, doing a soap was like going to acting school 101. I was able to learn lines so quickly. The education that I got from working on a soap opera has been immeasurable for my career.”
Christine Bartolucci/CBS
Working with Shemar Moore
[Most of] my scenes were with Shemar,” recalled Fox of working opposite Moore during their earlier runs in the mid-1990s. “Shemar was the new hot kid on the block. So most of my memories here for ‘Young and the Restless’ were with Shemar because they had set us up. And at first, I was kind of pushing him away. I can remember me and Shemar both being so young, but doing well. I mean, a lot of presence, a lot of chemistry, and it’s been nice to have this wonderful reunion with him.”
Words For The Fans
“I just want to say to all of our ‘Young and the Restless’ fans out there, stay tuned,” commented Fox in a message to fans of the show as they anticipate where the storyline is headed. “You are in for a wonderful treat to see your girl, Vivica A. Fox and Shemar back on. Thank you, guys, for your wonderful comments. Thank you, guys, for your tons of views, but stay tuned and watch it unfold. Don’t be trying to guess everything.”
