Exclusive: Y&R's Jason Thompson On A Potential Billy/Sally Pairing

JPI

Now that Adam and Chelsea's dirty little secret is out on Young and Restless and their respective partners, Sally and Billy, know that they slept together in Baltimore, both relationships are on the rocks. Could Adam and Chelsea's betrayal lead to a Billy/Sally hook-up? Soap Opera Digest asked Jason Thompson, Billy's portrayer, for his take.

Soap Opera Digest: This storyline has brought Billy and Sally into each other's orbit as they commiserate about their significant others. What does Billy think of Sally now that he's gotten to know her better? Thompson: It's been interesting, because he wasn't a really big fan of hers and he didn't really give her the time of day and they didn't really have much of a relationship whatsoever. But I think that he's really come to understand her a little bit better. I think it's very true when Billy says, “Look, Adam, she’s by far the best thing you have in your life, hands down. If you mess, this up, it's going to be one of the worst things that you could do. This person is keeping you in line and that even hurts me telling you that, but it's the truth.” I think that Billy has really gained a respect for Sally and somewhat of an admiration that she would support Adam in the way that she does and the way that she goes about it. The way that she handles herself, I think, gets more and more respect from Billy. Not that she's really worried about having respect from Billy! But the way that he looks at it, there's admiration there for the way that she's handled herself through this. Digest: What has it been like to work with Courtney Hope (Sally) ? Thompson: She's great. She's wonderful. It’s not an accident that she won a [Daytime] Emmy last [June, for Outstanding Supporting Actress]. She's very committed to her choices, which is great. She's prepared and she's funny. She's very kind and nice and she's easy to be around, even as a character. She's reactive in the moment, which in turn helps because that means she's listening. There’s a percolation to the scenes with her. It is always fun to work with someone when that is happening naturally because the person is a great actor and they're prepared and they care and they want to propel whatever this storyline is or whatever the scene is forward, and that's what you get with her, which is a wonderful partner to have.

Digest: A lot of fans are wondering if the truth about Chelsea and Adam coming out might spark something between Billy and Sally. Do you see that happening?

Thompson: I do. I'm always interested to see what can happen with anything like that. I haven't been able to work with Courtney a lot but the times that I have worked with her, it's been really wonderful. So progressing that storyline, if it went that way, that would be great, too. But at this point, I don't really know [what the show is planning]. I'm trying not to get too far ahead of it because I’ve got to keep my head in the game right now. But yeah, I could see it. I think they're starting to enjoy their own company a little bit more, which is good. I think that having the time under tension is important for building relationships and I think that's where they're kind of starting from right now.