Zuleyka Silver Talks Landing Her Y&R Role and Watching Telenovelas

It was a really big deal for Zuleyka Silver to get her big break on The Young and the Restless and fans have really responded to her go-getter of a character, Audra Charles. Find out how the role came about and so much more.

Zuleyka Silver On Breaking Into Acting

The gorgeous actress was a recent guest on Multicultural TV Talk with host Juan Ayala from Media Village, where she talked on several subjects, including how she got her Y&R role and what it meant to her to book this incredible part on a show with such a long history.

Ayala began by asking Silver how she got her start. “Well, I was kind of thrown into it,” she began. “I started doing commercials, I think, before I could even really speak English. So I kind of had a taste of acting. I did commercials…I think I started when I was like 9, [and] did print modeling. So it’s something that I kind of like, always felt comfortable because I started doing it so young. And then took a break from that, and when I turned 18. I remember that it was something I really enjoyed. So then…I decided to just commit to that and stick to that.”

He also asked her about the process she went through to get the role. “I got the audition from my agent,” she said. “I sent in a self-tape. So that’s kind of like the new norm, with COVID and everything you send in the tape, and then you…hope to hear back…I like to let it go because then you’re just anxiously there waiting. I think it was two or three weeks later that I heard back. It was from the self-tape to the screen test. And again, I think it’s because of COVID, right, things just, move a little differently.

“I did the test, and then, I think it was a few days later,” she continued. “No, actually, I think it was like the Monday after. So I was [waiting] all week, and I was like, ‘oh my God, did I not get it?’ Because I hadn’t heard anything, you know. But then again…I try to, stay calm but then when I finally heard, oh my God. I was just like, jumping up and down, I just couldn’t really believe it right away. It hadn’t like, hit me.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, this is really happening,'” Silver smiled. “It was just such a, such an exciting moment. I think as an actor, we work so hard, we send in all these tapes and, you know, most of the time you don’t hear back, right? I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I got this, I got this,’ and it makes it all worth it. But then to…get this and just being the biggest booking of my career thus far, it was just extremely exciting, and I was just so grateful.”

Silver also spoke about trying to find the humanity in Audra, her mystery, and the challenge of how much they actually have to shoot in a day. She talked about adapting to the pace and wanting to make sure she brings her A-game every day because she wants to be around for a long time to come. The host noted the show is about multiculturalism so he asked what she was watching when she first felt she saw herself represented either on stage or on TV for the first time.

“You know, I grew up watching telenovelas,” she noted. “So to me, like everyone that I saw [on] Spanish TV, they all look like me, right? So then I never really had [an issue]. I wish I could have a better answer for you. But you know…when I started watching TV, it’s not something I really paid attention to. I was just like, oh, that’s a good show. And I like that character. So, yeah, I think now coming to America, that’s more of like a conversation — I think an important one.” You can watch the full interview below.