Soap Hub Performer Of The Week For Y&R: Melissa Claire Egan

The Young and the Restless viewers know that Chelsea Lawson has had an incredibly difficult go of things lately, especially after her biological son Johnny Abbott rejected her after learning she was his mom and Connor Newman got upset about learning that his cousin was his brother. For her performance, Soap Hub Performer of the Week honors for Y&R is presented to Chelsea’s portrayer, Melissa Claire Egan.

Melissa Claire Egan — Y&R Performer of the Week

For weeks leading up to Chelsea’s attempt to take her own life on the roof of The Grand Phoenix, it’s been clear that she was more than just sad. Egan did a wonderful job using her body language, facial expressions, and even movement speed to relay Chelsea’s spiraling downward to the audience.

Chelsea’s reaction after Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) kept her from jumping from the roof of The Grand Phoenix was about more than just the words she said. The way in which Egan said those words, along with her tears and movements, truly showed how distressed the character was in those moments. Then, the way she looked at Adam Newman (Mark Grossman), it was obvious that Chelsea couldn’t even say anything to her ex-husband in that instant.

The moment when Chelsea realized that Billy and Sharon Rosales (Sharon Case) had taken her to a facility, Egan showed that her on-screen alter ego had gone from slack-faced, nearly catatonic, to extremely distressed, as shown by her anxious movements, desperate tone of voice and horrified face.

Through this storyline, Melissa Claire Egan has hit all the notes perfectly, which has respectfully shown this difficult situation in daytime. Even her co-star Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) raved about the great job she’s doing. We look forward to seeing how the whole thing plays out and seeing Egan’s performances as Chelsea gets the professional help she needs. Bravo on an excellent performance. We can’t wait to see what comes next for Chelsea.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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