Michelle Stafford’s Phyllis Summer storyline is inspired by real crimes (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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The last few months on The Young and the Restless have built up the storyline of Heather’s murder mystery. Sharon is the culprit, and the revelation that she is being framed by Jordan and Ian, as well as other notable characters like Nick, Daniel, and Phyllis, is also involved in the arc.
The popular soap opera has been inching towards the explosive reveal of the villains working behind the scenes while Sharon takes the blame. On the other hand, Phyllis has involved herself more than she should have, but apparently, she has her reasons. Here’s what Michelle Stafford has to say about portraying the role and being inspired by a real-life crime story.
How Real-Life Crime Inspires Michelle Stafford’s Phyllis Storyline
During a conversation with Soap Opera Digest, the actress revealed how a real-life crime with her friend inspired Phyllis’s storyline of pushing for justice for Heather. She divulged that a hit-and-run driver killed her friend’s son, and so she tries to channel that emotion into the onscreen situation to give it a more organic touch.
She added that the criminal driver had many previous DUIs, was arrested many times in the past, and he tried hard to hide his crime. Michelle stated, “It’s a gross story. Her son is dead, and it’s so unjust.” The soap star continued that there are so many people out there who have experienced such unjust things, and justice has not been served for someone who died.
Michelle Stafford On Phyllis’ Demand For Justice
On the other hand, Michelle accepted that Phyllis was not happy with how her friends responded to her demand for justice. The character is already unhappy about Michael, a friend who represents Sharon in the case. Everyone asking Phyllis to chill out and stop overreacting pushes her to react even more harshly, as per the award-winning actress. She further added that Phyllis feels nobody understands her side of it.
“She’s coming from a genuine place,” Michelle stated and added that she is attempting to showcase the character being appalled at the lack of justice and support for a grieving family. For the unversed, Heather was Daniel’s girlfriend, who is the son of Phyllis. Her involvement in the story is about Heather’s death impacting her son and her granddaughter, Lucy.
Michelle Stafford On Phyllis Wanting Answers
Though Heather was not Lucy’s biological parent, she was her adoptive mother. Michelle concluded, “Phyllis just wants answers, and I think the main thing upsetting her right now is that she feels like she doesn’t have any empathy from the people who should be understanding.”
