Michelle Stafford is best known for her role as Phyllis Summers on The Young and the Restless. It’s hard to see the show without her. Yet, there was a time when she thought she missed her shot. She cried after she got a bad vibe from the audition process.
Shooting Her Shot
In an interview with TV Insider, Stafford reflected on her long-spanning soap career. She almost considered holding off on her plans. She lost out on gigs. To add to the burden, she lost a role to another actress on One Life to Live.
Stafford decided to start a flower business instead. The actress didn’t feel “pretty” enough for daytime, which is hard to believe. Stafford got a call about auditioning for Y&R. She felt so poorly about it that she “got in the elevator and cried” afterward.
The fiery star expected to get a call back an hour later. Instead, she got a page from her agent. That’s when Stafford found out that she got the job. On Friday, October 18th episode, the show celebrated the 30th anniversary of Stafford’s debut with a Flashback Friday montage.
Looking back, Stafford feels grateful for the opportunity. “It completely changed my life because I had a paycheck. Going to the grocery store and being able to buy whatever I wanted was huge for me. Being able to buy the nice peanut butter, not the generic one, was phenomenal.”
READ THIS: Young and Restless Spoilers October 18: 30 Years of Phyllis (Give or Take)
Sticking It to the Haters
Stafford’s role came with its share of hate. Sharon Newman’s (Sharon Case) fans were outraged at Phyllis’s affair with Nick (Joshua Morrow). The backlash came long before social media, but Stafford never let it get to her. “You know, I never took offense at all. That was the job, and she was hateful,” she added.
In true Phyllis style, Stafford said she doesn’t care about what people say about her. She recalled one moment when she faced some of her haters in real life: when she attended the Mardi Gras parade in 1995. Fans begged her to stay away from Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian).
Though Phyllis has her flaws, she’s softened in many ways. Stafford hopes the fans will also witness her growth throughout the years. (See Her Reaction To Her Phyllis Edit.)
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