On The Young and the Restless, Linden Ashby played Cameron Kirsten, a businessman with a dark side who became obsessed with Sharon. Now that the pair has said their goodbyes, the actor shares what it was like to have the role resurrected.
Cameron Kirsten on The Young and the Restless
Actor Linden Ashby originated the role of businessman Cameron Kirsten in 2003 and left again in 2004. Sharon had been dealing with some pesky life stuff that made her question everything, and she left for Denver to find herself. What she found was Cameron in a bar, and after a one-night stand, he physically abused her and tried to kill her. Sharon escaped and came back to Genoa City. A year later, Cameron came to town and terrorized Sharon’s life, resulting in her stabbing him to death in the chest.
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Twenty years after Cameron’s death, Sharon’s life was in turmoil. Unaware that her meds had been tampered with PCP, Sharon began seeing hallucinations of Cameron’s ghost. What started out as terrifying became comforting sometimes, though, as Cameron would appear when Sharon felt her most alone and vulnerable. Viewers followed the process to realize that the “ghost” was actually the manifestation of Sharon seeing and talking with a version of herself. “Cameron” eventually motivated Sharon to find inner strength, think through what she was doing, and, ultimately, save herself.
This week, Sharon’s drama came to what viewers believe is an end — for now, anyway. But with the departure of Cameron from Sharon’s thoughts, so went Linden Ashby from our screens.
Linden Ashby’s parting thoughts
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, actor Linden Ashby talked about his unorthodox return to The Young and the Restless last fall. Ashby said that he loved the concept of his character being Sharon talking to herself.
Ashby wondered if people realized how serious Sharon Case (Sharon Newman) is about her work, being an actor, and its craft. “I think everybody on that show works hard at it. I’m like a broken record saying this, but it is the hardest job in Hollywood, being a soap opera actor. I mean, the amount of pages that you do every day — and then you finish and you go home and you get ready for tomorrow,” Ashby shared.
“The crew is amazing, the bosses are amazing, the cast is amazing, everybody in makeup, hair wardrobe, camera, light, sound, electrical, props. You name it! There’s nobody there who’s not nice. I think there’s like a “only nice people allowed” [policy]. It’s pretty unique and it’s pretty special,” Ashby shared warmly.
As for whether or not we’ll see him again in Genoa City, it remains to be seen. But the actor will still be tied to the show — he’s married to Susan Walters, who plays Y&R’s Diane Jenkins.
Watch The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.
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