Josh’The Young and the Restless’ (Y&R) spoilers reveal executive producer and head writer Josh Griffith shares his creative inspiration in his storyline involving Claire Grace (aka baby Eve Howard, played by Hayley Erin).
Soap Opera Digest caught up with Griffith and got the 411 on his idea to resurrect baby Eve, who turns out to be Cole Howard‘s (J.Eddie Peck) and Victoria Newman’s (Amelia Heinle) thought to be dead daughter, who is very much alive.
‘Y&R’ Spoilers: Griffith Likes to Use the Show’s History
Griffith likes to dive deeply into Y&R’s rich history and pull out hidden gems that he can use for some of today’s most exciting stories.
One of Griffith’s favorite movies is “Sorry, Wrong Number,” a thriller flick from 1948. It stars Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster.
The movie is about a bedridden woman who overhears a murder plot through crossed telephone lines. She tries to alert the police but then realizes that her own murder is being planned.
That’s how Griffith came up with the idea to have Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) taken somewhere unfamiliar and have her hooked up to an IV full of vodka.
Just like the character in the classic film, Nikki was bedridden and isolated. Something horrible happened to her that she couldn’t do anything about.
This idea was the basic premise of the movie, and they used it. Griffith looked into the Newman family’s past to see who would have a motive to do this to Nikki.
He spoke with the show’s producer, Elizabeth Le Brun, and she came up with Eve Howard (Margaret Mason). Eve had a bizarre death; as a mosquito bit her, she fell into a coma and never woke up.
‘The Young and The Restless’ Spoilers: Griffith Dug Even Deeper
So Griffith dug a little deeper, and Cole Howard was her son. Then he remembered the baby that Cole and Victoria had that died, and he thought to himself, but what if she didn’t die?
He thought that maybe someone from Eve’s family could want revenge, and that’s how he got the inspiration for “Aunt Jordon,” Eve’s sister, played by Collen Zenk.
The Aunt stole baby Eve from the hospital, brainwashed her as she grew up, and had her believing that the Newmans didn’t want her. Cue Nikki is trapped at Claire’s Aunt’s house, and she can’t get out.
Griffith wanted the Aunt to be the perpetrator and “Silence of the Lambs crazy.” He wanted Claire to be redeemable, especially since her parents are Cole and Victoria. wanted the story to be fascinating.
He handpicked Colleen Zenk for the role because of how she played the character Barbara Ryan on “As the World Turns.”
Barbara was a devilishly wicked character. That’s precisely what Griffith was looking for. He wanted someone who he knew could believably play evil and crazy.
He thought Hayley Erin would be perfect for the part of Claire/Eve. She initially played Abby Newman, and she was fantastic as Kiki Jerome on General Hospital.
Griffith did a fine job weaving this tale. He will indeed have years’ worth of story from what started as a demented plot gone awry.
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