Young & Restless Olivia Recast? ‘It Would Be Great’

With the return of Young & Restless’ Amy and the casting of Nate’s half brother Damian, it would seem that the soap is keen on beefing up the Hastings family. If the trend continues, it would be only logical to bring back Nate’s mom, Olivia, right?

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There’s just one problem: Tonya Lee Williams, who played the doc for over a decade, has no interest in returning. In fact, she tells The TV Watercooler that she’s surprised anyone cares. “I figured after 10 years of me not going [back] that it wasn’t going to be a too hard of a blow, but it was! I love the show, but I don’t even know how to get into the headspace of that character that I’ve not played in so long.”

Though Williams doesn’t want to slip back into Olivia’s lab coat, she feels strongly that someone oughta. “I think they should recast!” she exclaims. With whom? “I have no idea! Zero idea, but the character was really wonderful, and I think it would be great” to have her back in Genoa City.

Hmm. If we were recasting Olivia, the name at the top of our list would be All My Children legend Debbi Morgan, who previously was so misused by the show as Devon’s mother, Harmony. But since Hayley Erin could come back as Claire after playing Abby, there’s no reason Morgan couldn’t tackle a second role on Young & Restless.

In fact, lots of actors have held two roles on the same show. Consider the long list of “two-timers” in the below photo gallery.