‘Passions’ Alum James Hyde Opens Up About Joining ‘The Young and the Restless’

James Hyde kept the peace in Harmony as lawman Sam Bennett on the supernatural soap opera Passions for nearly a decade. Now, he’s been tapped to play Jeremy Stark, a mystery man from Diane Jenkins’s (Susan Walters) past on The Young and the Restless.

Hyde is set to make his Y&R debut on Friday, October 21 but it’ll be a quick visit – for now. Watch for Hyde to return to the show in the near future. And on Thursday, October 20, he’s going to pop up on Station 19 in an episode titled “Dancing With Our Hands Tied.”

Read on for the scoop as he tells us about both roles!

How did your joining Y&R come about?

James Hyde: This is partially manifestation. I haven’t been on a soap set since Passions ended. I remember thinking that if I ever came back to daytime, I wanted it to be with Y&R. [Y&R’s casting associate] Greg Salmon has always kept me in mind. My agent reached out to the show a few times and [Greg] would say, “That’s not right for him but we’re keeping him in mind for something else.” I went in for the role of Tucker McCall [which went to Trevor St. John]. I didn’t get it, of course, but Greg sent me an email telling me I’d done a nice job and maybe they could incorporate me into the show [in another role].

When you get those emails, you tend to take them with a grain of salt. A week or so later, they called with the part of Jeremy.  I shot my first episode at the end of September and I worked with Susan. It felt so great to be back in this genre. I was on Another World, As the World Turns, and then, Passions. It’s almost like a full circle moment. It’s amazing to have all these “what if’s.” We’ll see what happens.

Dana Sparks, who played your wife Grace on Passions, popped up on Y&R last year as Dr. Lena Cavette

I remember that. She let me know. She and her boyfriend were recently over to visit my wife and me.

‘Passions’ cast (Everett Collection)

What’s kept you busy recently?

I worked on a Lifetime movie called Trapped by My Sugar Daddy that Lindsay Hartley (ex-Therese Lopez-Fitzgerald, Passions] directed.

Tell me you were not the sugar daddy! (Note: the film appears to have had a title change – as Lifetime movies tend to – to Prisoner of Love.)

[Laughs] I played a very bad character on that. It was totally enjoyable.

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You’re also guesting on La Reina Del Sur?

Yes. It’s the one with Kate del Castillo and it’s on Telemundo, then, it goes to Netflix. I probably come on in November. I shot that in Columbia. I’m in five episodes as this English guy who’s a lender. I have an East End accent. All my movies [that I watched to help me with my accent] were the Guy Ritchie movies so I watched them constantly while I was there. I had a blast. My character has lent someone who reads [playing] cards some money. He owes me and so, we go to a casino where he can give me signs. The story this season goes from Columbia to Mexico to Peru to Argentina.

Can you set up your guest spot on Station 19?

I play a lawyer whose son has an accident. My character comes in and tries to take over. He has a bit of a disagreement with the rescue personnel who are trying to help. I worked with Jaina Lee Ortiz [Andy Herrera], Jay Hayden [Travis Montgomery], and Boris Kodjoe [Robert Sullivan].

What can you say about Jeremy, your Y&R role?

Greg told me I’d be working with Susan [Walters, who plays Diane]. Our characters first met when she was living in Los Angeles.  I looked Susan up and learned that she just happens to be good friends with [one of my Passions love interests] Kim Johnston Ulrich [ex-Ivy Crane]. Susan is so open and giving and helpful. My first day was amazing.

The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS

Station 19, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

La Reina Del Sur, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Telemundo