What Valarie Pettiford loves about playing Amy Lewis on The Young and the Restless

Valarie Pettiford joined the cast of The Young and the Restless on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, as long-ago character Amy Lewis.

Longtime viewers will recall when Paul Williams (Doug Davidson) and Andy Richards (Steven Ford) had a detective agency called, appropriately, Williams and Richards. Their secretary was Amy Lewis, although the role back then was played by Stephanie E. Williams.

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Pettiford is new to Genoa City but not to soaps. She appeared in the late '80s as Dr. Courtney Walker on Another World and Dr. Sheila Price on One Life to Live from 1990 to 1994.

Valerie Pettiford’s Amy Lewis on The Young and the Restless

In a Soap Opera Digest interview, Valarie Pettiford shared that she began her career as a dancer and always considered herself a dancer first. However, she needed to train as an actress to get the roles she wanted, such as a leading role in West Side Story. She studied the craft and landed her first acting-only role on Another World in 1988.

Although Pettiford didn’t play Amy Lewis when Nathan Hastings, Sr. was on the show, she did cross the path of the actor who played him. On One Life to Live, Pettiford worked with actor Nathan Purdee (ex-Hank Gannon, OLTL), who played Nathan on Y&R.

“There’s nothing like a great soap fan. They are some of the best fans ever!” - Valarie Pettiford to Soap Opera Digest

Pettiford was able to do some research on her character and get to know her connections to other characters. Being a recast of a character who hadn’t been in Genoa City in decades gave Pettiford the opportunity to portray the modern-day Amy with her own style.

Pettiford described her first day on the set, saying that she felt welcomed by the cast. “Rehearsing, my heart was beating out of my chest because I wanted to do good," she said. "I wanted to make Stephanie [Williams] proud and I just wanted to do good work. But everybody was so wonderful to me and so welcoming and they treated me like gold."

What is Amy Lewis doing in Genoa City?

On the October 29, 2024, episode, Amy reveals to Nate (Sean Dominic) that she had a son named Damien with Nate's father, Nathan. Amy explained that she never told anyone the truth about Damien’s paternity. However, Amy is dying and needs Nate’s help to find Damien.

Of working with Sean Dominic, Pettiford told Digest, “Number one, he’s a nice human being. He’s a beautiful spirit, a beautiful man inside and out. Two, he’s a brilliant actor. I didn’t have to act. I looked at his face, and it was like, 'Okay, here we go! Game on!' So giving, so loving.”

Pettiford added that Dominic’s energy was calming for her. Dominic encouraged her if she stumbled on lines and reminded Pettiford that it can happen when they are given so much dialogue. She also noted that the writing on the show is “so well-written, it just makes life easier.”

Pettiford also had a message for fans: “Okay, I’m scared as heck. Hopefully you like me. Hopefully I’ve done Stephanie proud. Hopefully I’ve done Young and Restless proud. I’m so proud to be part of this show, to be part of this legacy. I don’t want to let people down, like, 'Oh, my God, why did they hire her [laughs]?' But I would say, 'Get ready for an incredible ride. There’s some really great stuff that’s gonna come up. So just sit back and enjoy!'"

See Valarie Pettiford’s debut and full episodes of The Young and the Restless on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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