‘Young & the Restless’ Melissa Ordway Weighs In on Abby’s New Love Interest
Q&A
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Her relationship with Arturo (Jason Canela) didn’t last, but Abby Newman’s not opposed to finding true love as her recent scenes with Dr. Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) have shown.
TV Insider recently chatted with Abby’s portrayer, Melissa Ordway, about why her on-screen persona — unlike other The Young and the Restless characters – has yet to find her OTP (One True Pairing). Might Nate be the one? Don’t miss Monday’s (May 27) episode when the pair is set to do more playful bantering at Abby’s new place of work — Society.
Plus, the actress, who has two young daughters, Olivia and Sophie Jolie, with husband, Justin Gaston (ex-Ben, Days of Our Lives), has started a new podcast @OneTribePodcast, designed to encourage and support parents. Read on to get Ordway’s thoughts on Abby and what makes a family.
Abby got her heart broken by Arturo (Jason Canela) but is now open to dating Nate. Any thoughts on why Abby has yet to meet her true love yet?
Melissa Ordway: It’s interesting. People get upset because the show will pair guys with Abby and then, they go away! I’m not sure if Abby’s found her true love yet. I’ve gotten to work with a lot of amazing guys over the years and I’m so thankful to have developed some nice friendships. Jason is one of my dearest friends. I love him so dearly. It broke my heart that Arturo cheated on Abby! I was hoping that maybe she’d forgive him, but that would not be Abby-like at all.
(Sonja Flemming/CBS)
I am hoping that she finds true love in the future. Abby is like her mother, Ashley (Eileen Davidson) – strong, independent. Right now, she’s focusing on her career. I think it takes a special guy to date Abby and make the relationship successful. I was hopeful with Stitch (Sean Carrigan). They got married, and then his son [Max, played by Jared Breeze] came in and threw a wrench into everything. After the miscarriage, Abby and Stitch’s relationship didn’t survive. Abby is also like Ashley in that maybe she hasn’t found her great love either. It might have been Brad Carlton [Don Diamont, now Bill, Bold and the Beautiful]. I think it’s a cool dynamic in that it shows how much alike Ashley and Abby are.
What does Abby find appealing about Nate?
I think that he’s just different than anyone she’s dated before. Yes, he’s a doctor and Stitch is one, too, but there’s confidence about Nate that’s very appealing. He knows what he wants and he’s going for it. Abby feels wanted and that’s a good feeling. She thinks Nate is very good looking and he’s got a winning personality.
What’s it like working with Sean?
He is so wonderful and is super-talented. He has a really cool energy about him. Sean is always so prepared. It feels like he’s always been a part of the show in that he has an “old soul” aspect to him.
Abby was conceived after Ashley, shall we say, “appropriated” Victor’s (Eric Braeden) specimen. How does that factor into how she feels about her place in the world?
Abby had a scene with Victoria (Amelia Heinle) in which she said she was the last to know about something just as her dad was the last to know about her (Abby)! She’s on a journey finding her place in the family. She has strong relationships with the Abbotts and she knows she belongs there. She wants to be a part of the Newman family. She loves her dad and her siblings. She wants to prove to her dad that she’s worthy of his love.
Can she relate to Adam (Mark Grossman) in a way as he’s not Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) child either?
Partly. She sees now that Victor’s trying to include Adam [in the things], but she doesn’t feel that she’s getting the same respect. Abby doesn’t get that same warm welcome. All of Victor’s children share a bond in that they’re all his kids. He’s a legend in Genoa City – (laughs) and Eric Braeden is a legend all over the world! They’re always trying to live up to being his children.
Speaking of children, how did your podcast – OneTribePodcast – come about?
The number one question I get on social media is about Olivia being adopted. We have friends who have an adopted son and he is Olivia’s best friend. They said, “How about doing a podcast?” Our whole mission is to help people on their journey. It’s not [just] about adoption. Everyone has a cool story about how they’ve come into this world. We want to do a podcast about everyone’s stories. If we can learn something [by doing this] how amazing would that be?
Do you address how people can make unintentional faux pas e.g. when referring to “real” children and adopted ones?
A little. We all learn something new every day. We want to shine a light on how positive [adoption] is. There were people who loved her so much they wanted her to have a better life. It’s all about love. We’ve all had those experiences where we’ve learned what’s not the right thing to say. We talk about different things so that we learn and grow. We have guests on our podcast including an adoption lawyer. And we’ve had on [author] Regina Louise who had a Lifetime movie about her life (I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story).
Have you addressed when is the right time to tell a child they’re adopted?
We had our adoption counselor come on and talk about how the more open you are the better it is. If we don’t make a big deal about things then conversations are way more comfortable.
What’s Justin up to? When’s he getting another daytime role?
He’d love to be on soap opera if that opportunity ever came up again. He has been doing a lot of music. He actually just wrote a really great song with Sasha [Calle, Lola]. It’s beautiful and she has a beautiful voice. He’s doing a lot of music for movies and television. That’s been his focus.
Daytime’s a pretty cool schedule for moms.
Yes! I worked this morning. The girls were still sleeping when I left. I’m home before lunch. I really have the best job ever – to be able to act and have a family makes me feel so lucky.
How were the Daytime Emmys?
The Emmys were fun. You become friends with people from other shows so it’s nice that everyone comes together one night out of the year. Plus, Angelica McDaniel [EVP Daytime Programs & Syndicated Program Development Shows, CBS] throws the best after parties!
It’d be great some year if “Abby’s” past and present – yourself, Emme Rylan (Lulu, General Hospital) and Haley Erin (ex-Kiki, GH) – all presented together.
I’ve met both Haley and Emme. They’re both hilarious and sweet. I love that idea and I think the fans would, too!
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