Exclusive Interview: Jai Rodriguez gives the inside scoop on Nikki's party on The Young and the Restless

Nikki's gala continues this week on The Young and the Restless, which means that party planner extraordinaire Pietro, played by Jai Rodriguez, will be popping up to make sure that the festive event runs off without a hitch! Soap Central spoke to the former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy host to get the scoop on his creative character!

All about Pietro on The Young and the Restless

"I never thought in a million years that the sets that I'd someday get to play in the sets I looked at on TV when I was a kid," Rodriguez told Soap Central during a viewing party for his first episode at GYM sports bar in West Hollywood.

Just as Pietro is finding all of Nikki's guests to be friendly, so has Rodriguez when it comes to his co-stars. He fully understands that some stars have a lot on their minds even though they make the acting process look easy.

"I stay back," he says. "They might have a million things on their plate and more lines to memorize. Here, everyone is welcoming in a way that's not the norm on primetime series."

Rodriguez not only got to meet a lot of the Y&R cast during his stint on the show, but he also witnessed actors catching up with one another, as there hasn't been a big party scene on the program in a while. "It was like [being at] a family reunion," he says. "They were all catching up on their lives, and they [included me], which was very sweet."

Pietro, redux

Rodriguez also enjoyed meeting fellow Bravo star Eileen Davidson (Ashley), who appeared on the reality series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. "She's an icon, a legend, a star," Rodriguez raves. "I grew up watching her on Days [of our Lives, where she played Kristen, Susan, et al.] I was a little intimidated because I know her from the ether of pop culture, but she's one of the kindest people."

Big galas like Nikki's shindig may not be the norm on soaps, but does Rodriguez hope to appear on the show again? "I hope so!" the actor responds, pondering, "How did [Claire, played by Hayley Erin] meet him? Was he friends with anyone else? Pietro's a party planner but are there other skills up his Queer Eye sleeve? Is there another way he could come back?"

"There is language coming up that might suggest there's room for that," Rodriguez teases, "but, in what capacity, I couldn't even guess."

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Rodriguez says that the show's designer, Mandi Line, put together an outfit that helped him embody Pietro. "She's great," he raves. "She created this bolero scarf thing. Boy, does she have her eye on style! Mandi is an icon, and I hope she wins an Emmy for best costumes."

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus

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