Y&R’s Jordi Vilasuso Talks Daytime Emmy Nom and Making It Work

In 2003, Jordi Vilasuso took home his first Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Young Actor in a Drama Series for playing Tony on Guiding Light. Now, nearly two decades later, he’s nominated again for his role as Rey Rosales on The Young and the Restless in the category Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series: Actor. Soap Hub sat down with the fan favorite to chat about his nomination and more.

Jordi Vilasuso is a Daytime Emmy Nominee for his Role as Rey

Soap Hub: How did you find out you were nominated?
Jordi Vilasuso: I found out through [Y&R publicist] Matt Kane. I had submitted my reel and then, I just kind of let it go. A while ago, Peter Bergman [Jack Abbott] called me up out of the blue. He’s the man. I love catching up with him. He’s a true leader over there. He called me because he hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye [when I was leaving the show]. He also said, ‘I saw your reel. It is amazing. It’s really strong.’ He gave me all the compliments you could imagine. A call like that from someone like him means a lot. Coming from him, it was a gift. This is where it’s at.

Soap Hub: Did you think you might get a nod?
Jordi Vilasuso: I did think, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if I did?’ I had thought I’d be with the show for another three years. It didn’t work out that way. The nomination is a nice consolation prize. When actors are up for something — like this nomination — we hear a voice that tells us something good might happen. This one would not leave me. This was something I wanted but I didn’t share that with anyone. I knew the nominations were being announced but I didn’t want to deal with that. On the day the noms were being announced on The Talk, I didn’t hear anything. A few minutes later, I saw Matt’s name on my phone. He gave me the news.

Soap Hub: How did you feel when you learned the news?
Jordi Vilasuso: Needless to say, I was over the moon. Recently, I’ve been seeing actor friends on social media celebrating wins — pilots being picked up, movie roles. This is so great for them, I’ve felt. There’s been so much to celebrate. That’s how this nomination felt. It’s a real celebration. Laughter, tears…It was a very celebratory week.

Soap Hub: Can you talk about the scenes on your reel?
Jordi Vilasuso: I had probably the strongest story [last year] since I started. There was tons of story when I first started [in 2018]. After Sharon [Sharon Case] and Rey got married, there was a triangle with Adam [Mark Grossman], Sharon, and Rey. I had a scene where Rey confronted [Sharon] about how this wasn’t going to happen. He drew a line in that sand [over Adam].

Moving forward, I told the story of confronting Adam over a photo in which [Sharon] was kissing him. Then, I had scenes with Faith where she was questioning if Rey was going to be home as much. I felt like I told a real depiction of how complicated his relationship with Sharon was and all the responsibilities Rey had to her, her family, and [communicating] that this thing with Adam wasn’t going to fly. I remember hearing this phrase ’emotional friends.’ It feels like a person is cheating when they have one of those. That’s how Rey saw Sharon and Adam. It was really something I was able to sink my teeth into and tell that story. It was a big part of being married to Sharon.

Soap Hub: Are you familiar with your competition — Bryton James (Devon), General Hospital’s Jeff Kober (Cyrus) and James Patrick Stuart (Valentin), and Aaron D. Spears (Justin, The Bold and the Beautiful)?
Jordi Vilasuso: Yes. I’ve seen their work before. I had seen reels from past years. They’re all great. To be in the same group is an honor. I’m really happy to be in this circle of guys. It’s going to be a fun time and I’m looking forward to it.

Soap Hub: What has been keeping you busy lately?
Jordi Vilasuso: I’ve been doing a podcast with my wife, Kaitlin — Making It Work. It’s going great. We’re having so much fun with it. We’re talking about couples navigating marriage, the ups and downs. We’re trying to share some tips and be inspiring to people who are either going through a tough time or who are thriving and want to learn. I know when things flourish in my household that things everywhere just fall into place. The feedback from friends and fans has been just great. We’re starting to incorporate video [into the podcast]. We don’t want to keep people too long — just so that they get the goods. I’m considerate of people’s time and we hope to create some content that they enjoy and find informative.

Soap Hub: What other topics would you like to address?
Jordi Vilasuso: We’re going to start doing shows on fidelity, same-sex partnerships, what dating’s like for young people. We want to get into finding a partner, finding love, what it all means…I have family and friends who have been, let’s say, unlucky in love. I don’t want that for them. I’ve been blessed. We call it ‘Make It Work’ because if you want a relationship, you have to make it work. This is true for both men and women.

The 49th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards is set to air on Friday, June 24 on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.