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Pictured: Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe) and Greg Rikaart (Kevin); Photo Credit: CBS
TVSource Magazine: I hope you’re happy with how your performances turned out. Are you happy with how it came across?
Hendrickson: [Oh] I am, I really did. I felt really bad because when I first heard about the storyline as I said, I was excited to have this great emotional stuff and then to hear all the fans be so upset about it, I felt almost insensitive to the fact that I didn’t really think about how it was going to affect our audience. I think that, obviously, everyone has the fight to how they feel. No one wants to see a child die. But I think that after everyone has seen everyone’s performances, I feel like the blow isn’t as hard because now they can just, you know – at the end of the day we’re just telling a story. I hate that it’s a heart wrenching story, but thankfully this is not real life. [Laughs] She didn’t really die, she’s living a great life. She’s back in school, she’s an amazing actress and she’s going to have an awesome career.
But the fact that all of the actors and the show got to showcase what we’re really capable of was such a great thing to see. And that’s even just down the simplest performances of the support from Kevin and Alex and Chelsea. I mean, Amelia Heinle playing her role, I mean everyone. The scenes yesterday with Billy and Jack were just amazing. Everyone is just so strong. I think that as a company, it was really nice to see. And I know that being a part of that company, it was an amazing experience because we all had each other’s backs, every single second, every single minute. As well as the crew. It was a different week at work for sure. Everyone was all in. It was so a real experience. I’m so glad that I was asked to be a part of it.
TVSource Magazine: In the past, you’ve said that becoming a mother matured Chloe. Will losing Delia have the opposite effect? Is there a chance that in Chloe’s anger and pain, her self-destructive ways might resurface?
Hendrickson: You know, I felt the same thing. Because I really don’t know where the story is headed, um, I could definitely see that happening. It will be interesting to see how they continue to play this storyline out because it is so heavy I feel like they’re kind of pulling back a little bit right now just to give everyone a little bit of time to breathe. You know, her emotions, what she’s going through, her stages of grief, you know sometimes they just come out of nowhere. She goes from being numb to being upset to being distraught. But I would love to see a little bit of the old Chloe come out of this extreme loss that she’s just experience. I think it would make a lot of sense. But as for story wise, I have no idea where it’s really and how it’s going to play out. But I have thought about that for the character, for myself, to kind of keep in mind that would be an interesting thing to play after all of this.
TVSource Magazine: Does Chloe really blame Billy? Was that just an outburst out of anger or does she really hold him responsible?
Hendrickson: Yeah, no I think it was just her automatic response. Obviously I mean, she blames Kevin as well. This just comes from her really blaming herself. The fact that she wasn’t there and didn’t get to say goodbye to her – she’s just pointing fingers obviously because there could be no other explanation for why something like that would occur. Why would someone – if there really is a God – why would you take away an innocent child of this earth? It just doesn’t make any sense. So for her to turn around and blame others I think that is just her automatic response because obviously she can’t think clearly. There’s no way for her to see it rationally.
TVSource Magazine: There was a great scene the other day between you and Greg Rikaart that had a lot of great subtext as Chloe turned her anger on Kevin. What impact, if any, will Delia’s death have on Chloe and Kevin’s relationship?
Hendrickson: Oh… that’s kind of a loaded question [laughs]. I think that there are a few things. I think that there’s always going to be this constant reminder with Kevin, you know that night being – Delia telling Chloe that she’s lonely and she should go back to Kevin. I think that Chloe is really going to struggle to let anyone in after a loss like this because as much as she is used to kind of attention being on her, she’s just sick of everyone feeling like they have to tiptoe around her or feel bad for her or guilty. I think that she just doesn’t know how to accept the help or love from anyone who’s trying to help her because she feels not deserving of it. So I don’t think that she really is able to voice that right away or even now, still in the story. But I think that’s where it mostly comes from. The guilt and pain is just so impossible for her to even deal with on her own that she can’t drag someone down with her. And I think that her just being vulnerable and letting someone… – I think that she’s probably confused about what love really is at the moment.
TVSource Magazine: Primetime shows kill off beloved characters all of the time. Why do you think soap fans are usually so adamantly opposed to such storylines versus primetime?
Hendrickson: Because like no other medium, we are in their living rooms, on their TV, every day for some time people have been watching for over 30 years. So to them it becomes very personal and almost family-like for them that they become so attached and they feel this personal, like true connection with these characters that they’ve probably gone through a lot with. So I could understand how they can take it so personally. Whereas you know, primetime also blends more of a like you can expect that that would happen because maybe it’s a show about villains and people dying and being shot. It just lends to it more easily than soaps where, like I said, just connected to these characters for so many years. I understand it, I get it. But at the same time we really are telling the same stories that you see on primetime. It’s just happening a lot more quickly, you see it every day [laughs] and we shoot it in one day. But a lot of our storylines are really not so far different from what we see in primetime. I understand where they’re coming from and I understand where Jill [Phelps, executive producer] is coming from. Letting us play this story. She said this to me when she told me about the storyline she said, “I know it’s not easy killing a kid. I know that I am going to get hell for this. But this is for you guys.” So she knew what was going to happen but at the end of the day we’re just trying to show what we can do.
TVSource Magazine: You’ve been in soaps for a long time now. Since your time at Y&R you’ve worked with a lot of different producers and writers. What is it like working with Jill Phelps as a producer?
Hendrickson: You know…working with Jill has been great. I’ve been lucky enough to like all of my executive producers. What I love the most about Jill is that Jill is very straight forward. Jill is really never on the fence about anything. She’s very direct and I automatically responded to her, she kind of reminded me of a hard New Yorker, which is what I was for so long. I loved her kind of like fiery way about her. I think I’d kind of be the same. So I like those strong women.
Through this storyline, I can’t remember the last time that I’ve seen an executive producer be there every second, every minute. While they did the remote out in Griffith Park, I know that she was there until 5 o’clock in the morning. And that’s what it should always be like. She obviously cares very much and her coming into – I always think it’s difficult when they’re walking into a company and everyone’s kind of freaked out when anyone comes in because “What are they gonna change and what are they going to take over” and I’ve got to say that I think the show is the strongest it’s been since I’ve been there. So I’ve been loving watching. I think that all of the characters are getting a real shot at being on-screen and we’ve got a really big cast. I think it’s been balanced out really well and on top of her being very straight forward and direct, she’s definitely sympathetic and open and willing to collaborate.
Even though when we had that moment – her telling me you gotta pull back and I didn’t agree with her, she really explained to me and made me see – I didn’t feel like she was taking anything away from what I was trying to do – she really was trying to help me. I was really thankful that we could meet halfway about something. She wasn’t like you can’t do this, do that. We don’t really get the opportunity to get to do all of that because we’re just flying so fast you know? So she was just very away are and very conscious of everything involved with this storyline. She as really hands on and we need that. I feel like we haven’t really experienced that in a long time, so it was really great to have.
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[…] FULl INTERVIEW […]
So seriously sick of this past year of incredibly boring stories with Chelsea and her over fertile womb and Avery and her Betty Crocker oven and cooking. The Rose story was insanely stupid. What a waste for a wonderful character Neil. So tired of Summer and her wishing she could have sex with her brother not brother maybe brother creepy Kyle! Im fast forwarding or just not watching Y&R because of this horrific death of a child story but Can’t wait for it to come out Sharon and Dylan are half siblings with the same father Im looking forward how they are going to have Sharons real dad come to GC in January. It said in the magazine and it said it will effect Nikki and Dylan and Doris. We all knew Sharon and Dylan have the same father. Nikki and Doris must of been attacked by the same man years agoFAITH LOVED DYLAN LIKE HE WAS HER UNCLE WHEN THEY BROUGHT HIM ON AND SHARON AND DYLAN HAD MATCHING ST CHRISTOPHER PENDENTS ON IN MARCH . AWESOME CAN’T WAIT
I love Chilly!!! I want a Chloe and Billy reunion. After all these years, this is the perfect time because they have experienced the profound and significant loss of their child and it would be natural to reach out and bond at this time. I have always loved the chemistry between Billy and Liz. They can do it all, comedy, drama, angst…they really are so enjoyable and entertaining to watch no matter what Chilly are doing. I really would love to see the show go in this direction. I think it was where they should have gone from the beginning but it’s never too late on Soaps. I want Chilly back together, a Chilly love story. In my opinion, Chloe has always known Billy…good, bad and the same with Billy. I think there is something magnetic about the two of them. They put their cards on the table and they aren’t fools, it’s HOT. I think the show should pull these two back together through their loss and take us on a wild Chilly ride. Daytime needs more magnetic, captivating couples like Chilly on screen.
[…] Young and the Restless Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe) opened up to Ryan White-Nobles of TV Source in an interview surrounding her sentiments on the controversial death of Delia storyline that has many Y&R fans […]
Wow, I didn’t know that they had to reign her in because it was too much? But I would have loved to see those more raw emotions! You have done and killed Delia why not go all out?! She said the same as to why her scene in the morgue with delia was cut out. Can we have like an extended or director’s cut of that though? lol!
Killing Delia was unnecessary and wasted a lot of potential for future storylines! I mean come on! The kid is Trouble royalty with a capital T having Chloe and Billy as her parents. The Abbotts are being sacrificed for the Newmans though so what can you do?
I just hope that Y&R will give Elizabeth more material to work with though and not just leave her second fiddle or supporting just because she’s not an Abbott or a Newman. The girl can bring it!
Thanks for the interview!
It’s always amazing to get into the mindset of the actors and actresses of the shows and see how they view it from their perspective. I especially liked the way the interview felt like it was lighthearted despite the serious nature of what sort of ‘prompted’ this interview. It’s always nice when there is a balance between the two and when you feel the interviewer and interviewee have formed some sort of relationship to where you feel this, even without hearing or seeing it with your own ears or eyes.
I just had mostly comments about Elizabeth and some things that she talked about to comment on or ‘critique’, although it’s really not. Just sort of my comment/perspective about the situation and how I feel about things.
I definitely agree that this material is meant to grip at the heart strings and suck us in because the actors/actresses are so good at what they do and pulling in the emotions when it comes to this material. As much as we feel for the characters and the circumstances taking place, they have to come to that job and work it every single day and they don’t get to automatically turn things off when it doesn’t suit them and their tastes. They always have to play these characters with everything that they have to do for the rest of their time at the show. This will stick with them and I love that she was able to say this, too.
I definitely don’t agree with them having to kill off Delia. It’s not even so much about the fact that it’s a child. It’s about the fact that it’s unnecessary and trite. It’s a bait and switch for Emmy material and to give Conner a transplant when there are other alternatives to doing so. Why do soaps necessarily always have to go to the town residents that we know to do this type of transplant? Why can’t there be this emotionally driven storyline where someone unknown in the town dies and they get the transplant? Or they get a transplant from someone else in the nation/world and dealing with that? For some reason, soaps always want to tie the characters together in a way like this (which is usually children) and it’s not a good story, for me. It’s a cop-out.
I also didn’t necessarily agree with her statement and comparison of comparing soaps to primetime. They are two completely different things and two very different mediums, IMO. Killing someone off in primetime is just the name of the game. Killing someone off in daytime usually involves implications across the board. By killing off Delia, they have killed off several connections (familial connections, at that) that if 10-15 years from now (or if they SORAS’d her) would come into play. It’s not just because there are so many days in which we watch soaps versus the weekly usually 12-24 arc with primetime that fans feel that way.
Overall, this interview was very great and I love reading things of this nature, especially when the material might be all doom and gloom. :)
Thank you so much for this interview. Though I may hate that they went “there” with killing off Delia, Elizabeth Hendrickson has been stellar in her portrayal as a grieving mother. And Elizabeth Hendrickson is finally given a storyline where she is given a chance to show just how amazing she is as an actress. Because Y&R has been neglecting her for awhile now. Though this interview mentions Kevin I am interested in seeing how her relationship with Billy will be altered. They are now forever connected by tragedy. I have always loved the dynamic between Billy and Chloe (obviously) and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
Great interview! Loved reading about how Liz prepared for this story line. Her reaction feels so real and heartbreaking. I have been blown away by her performance on Y&R. I agree with the comments below that Liz has really proven herself as a leading lady, it’s about time Y&R gave her more meaty material to work with! She is a joy to watch on this show. Now that she’s lost her daughter I really wouldn’t mind seeing Chloe go back to her old feisty scheming ways either. Bottom line we need more CHLOE! Thanks :)
wow. thanks so much for doing this interview. I was hoping Liz would be doing an interview about the current storyline, it was nice to hear what she thought about it. And i think it’s really cute that IS and BM came over to her house to talk about the upcoming SL.
Thank you so much for this interview! I’ve always believed Liz to be one of the best daytime actresses in her age group, yet she always seems to be underutilized and unappreciated. Though that might remain, as a fan of hers, I did not mind the killing of Delia for the same reason she gave: finally gave her something to showcase her amazing talent. Really loved hearing her perspective and thought process on this storyline! Oh, and I thought it was so cute that IS and BM
Thank you for doing this interview! I really wanted to hear from Liz Hendrickson about this storyline. In my opinion, Liz has proven herself as a leading actress with this storyline. I do hope we see a lot more from Chloe, but most of all, see a lot more of Liz in years to come!
I love Liz! She’s been so amazing the last two weeks. They need to give her more heavy material because she can deliver. I hope they bring the old Chloe back too lol
i dig her a lot. Chloe should be sassy and fiesty again plz!