Exclusive: Y&R's Sharon Case Dishes About Sharon's Shocking New Storyline!

Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

Fans who've been clamoring to see more of Sharon on Young and Restless are getting their wish: the show has whipped up a juicy new storyline for the popular heroine, who went off her bipolar medication and is now hallucinating the presence of the dastardly Cameron Kirsten, who terrorized her until she killed him in self-defense last year. " I really love it, everybody here [at Y&R] loves it, so I think it'll go over really well," Sharon Case (Sharon) says of the unfolding arc. "It really is just the beginning. The audience hasn't seen too much at this point, and we still have a lot to come." The actress talked exclusively with Soap Opera Digest about the upheaval in her character's life, the return of Linden Ashby as Cameron and more.

Soap Opera Digest: How did you first learn of the larger story that Cameron's return is part of, this new wave of emotional turmoil for Sharon after she goes off her bipolar meds? Did they explain how the story would unfold?

Case: You know, [Executive Producer/Head Writer Josh Griffith] doesn't like to tell me things in advance. He likes to keep things a surprise and I think it makes it fun for the actor, too, because if we don't know, then we get the same thrill, right? So I didn't even know about all of it until I read it in a script one afternoon and thought, “Oh, this is happening. Wow, great!” I mean, this is going to be a big thing. This is not a short storyline. This is one of our bigger ones and the writing is so great and entertaining. There are so many layers to it. Everybody's going to love this.

Digest: How did you react to the news that Linden was coming back to the show?

Case: Obviously, I was very excited because I just love working with him and he fits in so well here. This is the third storyline I've done with him; there was the initial one a long time ago [2003-04], then the more recent where Sharon stabbed him [2023], and now this story. I'm glad they keep finding things for him. Linden is amazing. I was just telling him that when he was here a year ago, I saw the scenes that he did with Susan Walters [Diane, his real-life wife] at the GCAC and those two are phenomenal on stage together. I love those scenes. I couldn't take my eyes off of them and I thought, “He's just really great with everyone .”

Digest: What stands out to you about your on-set reunion?

Case: I guess what stands out is just how relaxed we are working together, how easy it is. It’s like we’ve never stopped, like we've been doing it for years.

Digest: It's certainly an interesting development that Sharon’s psyche has conjured up Cameron, someone she'd love nothing more than to forget.

Case: I can understand why, because she has Cameron's company [Kirsten Incorporated, which Sharon rebranded as Cassidy First Technology] now. He gave her that company, which she initially found out about when she read the will [bequeathing it] to her. She was really creeped out by that and she did try to overcome it by turning it into something great. But the fact is, that company is a heavy reminder of not only Cameron but also of Cassie, because Sharon named the new company after Cassie. So Sharon’s daily life and work world is all a constant reminder and even if it's not in the forefront of your mind, I think something like that would at least be in the back of your mind, for sure.

Digest: I was also intrigued to see how Daniel was sort of pulled into this because of his connection to Cassie's death. When Sharon and Daniel first started discussing Cassie at Society, it wasn’t quite clear if she was mad at him or just generally having a bad day.

Case: I think it was supposed to be that way, because she’s not sure about anything. This is all dawning on her and she's figuring things out. So she was pacing herself through those conversations with Daniel and trying to decide how she felt. Sharon hadn't determined anything at that point, but she was definitely fishing.

Digest: How do you understand why Sharon chose to go off her meds?

Case: I think maybe she went off of them to try to find more clarity about her past instead of blocking all her feelings out.

Digest: Can you talk us through how you are approaching this as an actor, and how you went about beginning to layer into your performance that Sharon was now unmedicated?

Case: I have a pretty good understanding of bipolar and what it can bring about in somebody, and what meds can do or not do. I've looked into that a lot, not only from playing Sharon over the years, but I studied that a lot when I was in school, so I can kind of slide right into that. It's sort of my forte. It was supposed to start out as a subtle thing, so I was trying to just put in slight oddities here and there. It could have been that that initial change of her meds [the switch to a new prescription that she told Nick about last month] and her going through that change may have been why she decided, “Maybe I'll just stop taking them for a while.” We'll see if she goes back on them. Maybe she didn't even stop taking them for long. There could be a lot of things going on with her. But I think she started exploring things because of that little incident where she needed to change meds because the one she was on was causing a blood pressure issue. That kicked everything off, so she’s like, “Let me figure out who I am and how I feel without these for a while because I've been on them so long.”

Digest: It's interesting that even though Sharon is going through this turmoil, she still seems to have a grasp on reality, because she recognizes that Nick and Cassie and now Cameron are hallucinations.

Case: She does realize it, and that will happen more and more so. That's one of the things that is so great and entertaining and fascinating and different about this version of the story: She does know and she is aware of it. And how she learns how to deal with it and use it to her advantage or get used to it and accept it into her life is a great journey itself — and it's only one of the things that happens.

Digest: Cassie and Nick are two of the great loves of Sharon’s life, while Cameron is quite the opposite. What can you tease about what it may mean that she's manifesting one of the most dangerous people she's ever known?

Case: She feels it was her fault that Cameron came into their lives. She went on a trip and she met him and she was very charmed by him initially. They were very attracted to each other. This was supposed to be a perfect man for her until everything went wrong. I don't think that she's ever been able to even reconcile that or the fact that it's her fault that this monster gets dragged into her family’s life, coming after her and her children. That's a drag for her, to know that she's the root cause of all of it.

Digest: Sharon infamously eliminated him last summer with no remorse. She plunged that knife into his chest with a look of determination on her face.

Case: Yeah, she really meant it. That was really interesting. Naturally, any human would feel scared and freaked out by having caused anyone that kind of harm or death but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that this is what she needed to do. That's what she went there to do. That was a great section of the Cameron story. Now, this one is going to be a really, really fun ride. This one's going to be different and nothing like what you've seen in the past go-rounds.

Digest: In an interview about his return , Linden said that this version of Cameron is “that person who's encouraging Sharon to do things that maybe she wouldn't be doing.” What excites or intrigues you at the prospect of getting to explore a Sharon who is perhaps going to pursue some of her darker impulses?

Case: Well, that's what I love a lot about the storyline and what I love about Sharon having bipolar disorder in the first place. It has always made her do crazy things. She set the Newman ranch on fire when she was having a bipolar episode. I mean, that was pretty extreme. So, for me, as an actress, it's great to play someone who's bipolar because actors like to do all those things. That really excites me. I get to do really fun stuff playing this character and I've loved every minute.

Digest: How do you understand why, at least to this point in the story, Sharon isn't seeking professional help?

Case: I think because she's interested in seeing things through on her own and [seeing] where this goes. She thinks that this is going to lead her to some final understanding that she needs to explore and find out what she hasn't already found in life or with her therapy or with her meds. There’s some salvation she feels could be there.

Digest: What does it mean to you to know how excited fans are that Sharon is front and center in a big story?

Case: I'm so happy to know that, because I don't really have my finger on the pulse [of viewer sentiment]. I've been busy and buried at work so I haven't really been following on social media, so I don't see the comments — not that social media is a gauge of all of our viewers — but I'm glad to know that they're excited. I would think from playing this role and hearing from our audience for almost 30 years, that I know what they will enjoy, for the most part, and I do think they're going to really like this story. I mean, people over here are reading the script and they can't put it down, they're talking about it. It's exciting even for us. I saw Josh Griffith on the stage the other day and said, “Wow! Everybody is so excited about this.” I had just read a great, new, interesting twist and I'm like, “Where do you come up with this? It’s so great!” And then, of course, he's not going to tell me what happens next. And I don't really want to know; I like being excited and on the edge of my seat.

Digest: Your 30th anniversary on Y&R is right around the corner, on September 7. What is your message to your loyal fans as we approach this milestone?

Case: I just want to thank them for their love and support and their loyalty to not only Sharon but to the show for all of these years and for rooting me on. That keeps me going. I feel like I have somebody to play for ; I have an audience who wants to see what I'm going to do, and that creates just this great relationship where we’re a duo, me and them. And that's why all of this works, that energy works; it's because of them and what we both do on either of our sides of the screen. I couldn't thank them enough for their support. I think they're all amazing, fabulous people. I hope to get back in touch with a lot of people soon. Maybe one day I'll appear back on social media again. I took a nice rest and gained a lot of weight and ate a lot of doughnuts [ laughs ]! So I'm going to get back into the swing of things here! That was my 30-year present to myself — I had a break and just vacay'ed. It was fantastic, but now, not only am I back to work but boy, am I! I have a lot here to do and I really think that this storyline is going to go down in history as one of the most entertaining stories the show has done.