The Young and the Restless: Ray Wise says goodbye to Ian

On The Young and the Restless, Ray Wise played Ian Ward, as dastardly a villain as we have ever seen on the show. To the relief of the Newmans, he has met his end. Or not…

The Young and the Restless: Wait…Is he not dead?

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Ian Ward took the Newman family hostage and had just found out Jordan, his best-friend-girlfriend-partner-in-crime, had taken her own life by drinking poisoned tea. He shot Victor and was fatally shot himself as he and Victor (Eric Braeden) grappled on the Newman couch. His body was later carted away to an ambulance, and he was en route to the hospital morgue when, miraculously, he opened his eyes and gasped, proving to all that not only cats have nine lives. It seems that The Young and the Restless has kept a spot open on their roster for Ian Ward should they need a menacing villain to torment the Newmans again.

Farewell & adieu to Ian Ward

In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Ray Wise talked about saying goodbye to Ian Ward one more time. Wise clarified that he practiced that last scene for the best reveal to the audience.

"We did have a conference about how to do it, and we actually did it both ways — we did it very slowly, and then we did it quickly. And we decided the quicker way was best, with a little burst of air coming out of my mouth," Wise shared.

It was that very scene that many viewers and fans were waiting for: Would The Young and the Restless kill off Ian Ward? Fans everywhere were almost expecting the horror movie-esque villain awakening moment just before the credits rolled, and they weren't disappointed. Ray said he had been hoping for eight years to have a comeback as Ian Ward. When he received the call asking if he’d like to reprise his role by having Ian get out of jail and return to Genoa City, he jumped at the chance.

Wise spoke about how terrific it was to work with Colleen Zenk (Aunt Jordan), and that they worked well together. He also talked fondly of his time working with Cait Fairbanks (Tessa) and the other members of the cast associated with their storyline.

Wise explained, "We had a very good rapport, Colleen and I, and she was just the perfect acting partner for me on the show.” About Ian's scenes with Tessa and Mariah (Camryn Grimes), Wise added, "Cait was lovely. She’s a lovely actress and we got along immediately and uh she’s just a, a lovely actress. And of course, Camryn, I had worked with before and this time around, she vented her spleen at me quite often and her hatred for me — I mean, for my character — was obvious [laughs]!"

Wise shared that he "couldn’t have asked for a better working situation." In particular, he enjoyed acting again with Joshua Morrow (Nick Newman), Eric Braeden, and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman). "I always enjoy my scenes with Eric, I think, the most — outside of my partnership with Colleen — because Eric and I, we’re close to the same age, and we’ve sort of been around for about the last 55 years, 60 years, and we have a lot in common as actors and as human beings. So, we really enjoy our time together and I think that our scenes together are kind of special," Wise added.

Wise told all his many fans and viewers to help him with a comeback to Genoa City in the future and how they could help him do just that. He shared that he enjoyed reading fan reactions on social media. "Most of them have been positive and not too many negative. I haven’t gotten my face slapped at Ralph’s [a Los Angeles-area supermarket] yet! I think people enjoy my character because he’s out there and he’s interesting to watch and never a dull moment. And I would like them to make it known to Josh [Griffith, Y&R head writer] that Ian Ward should come back at some point in the future!" Wise said.

For now, though, The Young and the Restless is without two of the most entertaining and dynamic villains to grace our screens. What's next? Only time will tell, but with Ian opening his eyes and drawing breath again, the Newmans’ time to breathe easily shouldn't be wasted.

Watch new episodes of The Young and the Restless on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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