Who Is Holding Mariah Captive on ‘Y&R’? Camryn Grimes Speculates on the Identity

Michael Maloney August 23, 2021, 4:08 pm

Camryn Grimes on The Young and the Restless — Sonja Flemming/CBS

They say that talking to yourself can be healthy. If that’s true, Young and the Restless’ Mariah (Daytime Emmy-winner Camryn Grimes) must be in tip-top shape!

The expectant mother has been reciting monologues to herself and her unborn child for weeks now as she’s been held prisoner. Who is keeping Mariah against her will – and why? Watch for the storyline to kick into high gear as the surrogate mom to Abby (Melissa Ordway) and Chance’s (Donny Boaz) baby gets closer and closer to her delivery date.

TV Insider chatted with Grimes about performing all those monologues and whom she thinks might be behind her character’s captivity. Read on for the scoop.

Are you following the online speculation as to who’s behind Mariah’s disappearance?

Camryn Grimes: I have. I finally got back on Twitter after a while. I’ve been reading up on things. It’s nice to see what everyone is excited about and what their opinions are. I know names are being thrown around. I’ve heard Nina [Tricia Cast], Chance [Donny Boaz], Stitch [Sean Carrigan], and others.

Without telling us who it is, let’s examine some candidates. What are your thoughts on if it were Nina?

I’ve worked with Tricia a little bit when I was a child on the show [as Cassie] but not too much. It’s been cool now to get to work with people I didn’t get to work with before. Tricia is so amazing and funny. I think it’d be a massive twist if it were Nina. It’d leave the audience asking why? What would her motivation be if she were the kidnapper?

Another candidate is Stitch. His motivation could be revenge against ex-wife Abby if he blames her for his son Max’s medical condition?

It’s such a pleasure to have Sean back in any capacity. He brings such amazing energy. You never know who’s getting to pop back up on Y&R. I think Stitch’s story [with Max] is so sad. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out and [if Max] finds his way back.

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Maybe it’s Primrose DeVille (Ellen Greene), who was on the show in 2011? She’s the niece of Rose DeVille (played by the late Darlene Conley), a black-market baby broker, who made off with Nina’s first son Ronan (Jeff Branson). She might have an axe to grind with Nina.

I have no clue about that story! It sounds cool and would be really interesting.

Ian Ward (Ray Wise) has been mentioned more than once. It could be him given his past with Mariah.

Ray plays this great character on our show. He came in, made a big impact, and there’s such potential for his return to cause some chaos. I love that there’s that potential – and I love Ray Wise.

How tough was it doing those monologue scenes in the room Mariah’s being kept?

I did about three episodes worth in one day. I had about 16 scenes and they were one-to-two-page scenes each. As an actor, I look at that and ask “Who did I piss off?” [Laughs] and “Are you challenging me?” So, I doubled-down and said to myself, “OK, I’m not going to forget a single line!” It was daunting. I’ve learned memorization techniques from the amazing Joshua Morrow (Nick) and Sharon Case (Sharon) over the years. With this material, I had to sit and really work on it the night before. My boyfriend said to me, “Are you doing a one-woman show?” I’m lucky that memorization is a muscle for me and mine has become second nature.

What about Alice (Tamara Clatterbuck)? She gave up Cassie as a little girl – maybe she wants to take the baby she’s carrying to make up for that?

Interesting. I didn’t even think of that possibility. I love Tamara. [Laughs] Who do I not like here? We’ve been so lucky on this show to have such great actors and great characters.

How will captivity change Mariah?

I think she was naïve when she first signed up to be Abby and Chance’s surrogate. She was in a great space even if she wasn’t fully aware of what she was signing up for. Now, she’s been alone with this unborn baby. She’s been talking and talking to this baby that’s inside you. We’ll see what happens.

The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS