They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but we wonder what good is a picture when you can’t recognize the subject? Above is a snapshot of a future star of soaps, but can you guess who this little darling in red grew up to be?
Star Of The Soaps
Obviously this young woman (now all grown up) is either currently starring in, or is an alum of, one of the four remaining daytime dramas – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless – but that’s probably not enough of a hint.
So try these on for size. She is a soap hopper. She appeared in an Academy Award-winning film. She is a talented singer who has released one full-length EP and multiple singles. And she is a frequent player in movies produced by the Hallmark channel.
But just who can she be? Is this a photograph of Adrienne Frantz (ex-Amber Moore, BB), Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady, DAYS), Jen Lilley (ex-Maxie Jones, GH), or Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson, YR)?
Adrienne Frantz
Frantz has played trashy, money-hungry Amber on two daytime shows – BB and YR – and she began her career thanks to a lead role in Aaron Spelling’s Sunset Beach. And though she is a prolific singer/songwriter, Frantz has (so far) appeared in only one exclusive-to-Hallmark film – October 2012’s I Married Who? So she isn’t today’s featured star.
Alison Sweeney
Sweeney has starred in and executive produced not one but two film franchises for Hallmark – Murder She Baked and The Chronicle Mysteries – but she’s only appeared in one daily serial. So she isn’t the answer to today’s identity query.
Melissa Claire Egan
And neither is Egan. Despite the fact that she is a soap hopper (having played Annie Lavery on All My Children, in addition to her multiple stints on YR), Egan, like Frantz before her, has only appeared in one Hallmark film – 2019’s Holiday for Heroes.
Jen Lilley
Lilley’s first exposure to the riggers of daytime TV came courtesy of her 11-month tenure at GH – where she subbed for ailing actress Kirsten Storms in the role of Maxie. Later, she would join the cast of DAYS in the role of legacy character Theresa Donovan, a role she has played (on-and-off) since April 2013.
Aside from her other acting endeavors, which so far includes nine Hallmark originals, Lilley is also known for her singing. She has released a Christmas album – Tinsel Time – as well as a couple of singles – and she is currently hard at work on a forthcoming eponymous collection.
So, if you guessed that the future star of soaps seen in the image above was Jen Lilley – actress, singer, and philanthropist – then you were absolutely correct!
