The Young and the Restless Performer of the Week: Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers

When Michelle Stafford first debuted as Phyllis Summers on The Young and the Restless, her performances were bombastic, in-your-face, funny, and twisted. Now, the three-time Daytime Emmy winner is still taking Genoa City by storm with performances as dynamic as ever, and continues to portray one of the show's most watchable characters.

Michelle Stafford shines on The Young and the Restless

Kudos to The Young and the Restless writers who have loaded Phyllis's current backstory with just the right amount of drama for Stafford to pick up the baton and run with it. The fiery redhead spent time earlier this year locked in a room with Sharon (Sharon Case) and nearly died. Since then, Phyllis has watched her daughter, Summer (Allison Lanier), leave town, and both Phyllis and her son, Daniel (Michael Graziadei), have lost their gigs at Abbott Communications.

Fearing she is helpless to aid her son, Phyllis has become determined to make pretty much everyone pay. It's a treat watching Phyllis sashay into the Genoa City Athletic Club or Society and barge her way into discussions she's not invited to be a part of. Stafford makes sure Phyllis's voice is heard. She doesn't give a hoot as to who might or might not hear her public feud with Billy (Jason Thompson), Sally (Courtney Hope), or whoever she decides to interrupt. Phyllis will not be denied.

Does Phyllis listen to reason? No. She's written her history, and anyone who dares to challenge the facts as Phyllis knows them to be will simply be dismissed! If you try to reason with Phyllis, she'll merely shrug that you're being too sensitive.

Phyllis can threaten a person, but if that person calls Phyllis out on her threats, she'll tell them she was only kidding! When she needed to get information on Billy's phone, she tossed a napkin over it to hide the device. Then, she made sure she'd steal it away before Billy could discover it was missing. This kind of outlandish audacity from Phyllis is Stafford's specialty.

Phyllis knows how to control her temper

Stafford can also bring a controlled eerie tone to Phyllis when she wants. She did her best to contain herself when calling Carter (Vincent Stalba), Dumas's assistant. She also maintained her composure when she quietly talked out loud in the park as she tried to decipher Billy's password.

Crafty Phyllis managed to return the phone to the table where she'd taken it and ducked into a restroom so that Billy wouldn't catch her in the act. Stafford brings both a manic element and an evil genius way of thinking to her character as Phyllis attempts to stay three steps ahead of everyone.

Phyllis and Sharon are pals for now on The Young and the Restless

Stafford's performances these days are especially complex. Phyllis is constantly on the attack with certain people, but she hasn't turned on Sharon (Sharon Case). Well, not yet. It's fun watching these two women bump into each other post-kidnapping. Phyllis's forced smiles and excessive pleasantness with Sharon have us wondering just how long this truce can last.

Stafford surprises us with Phyllis's vulnerability. At first, Phyllis kept up her guard when her ex, Nick (Joshua Morrow), sat with her at the GCAC for breakfast. However, that all changed when Nick convinced Phyllis to join him outside.

Once she was alone with Nick, Phyllis let her facade crumble. Stafford brings an open and honest vulnerability to her role as Phyllis when she's around Nick. She feels safe with him, but while Phyllis knows she can confide in Nick, Sharon's another story. Make no mistake: The two women have found a new ground on which they can co-exist, but that doesn't mean Phyllis will open up to Sharon.

Phyllis and Sharon are still getting along, but Stafford has her character walk that tightrope of civility when she speaks to Sharon. It's great fun watching and wondering which character is going to fall first. The contrast of watching Phyllis be nice to Sharon, yet still shooting her venom at other people in her life, is fascinating.

Phyllis knows not to disrespect Victor Newman

Stafford has always been able to step into the ring with Y&R's power players. At the same time, Phyllis makes sure she respects them. Phyllis failed to dupe Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) into her schemes, but it wasn't from a lack of trying.

Stafford had Phyllis pull back on her more forceful persona when she was dealing with Victor. When the mogul told her she was out of her league and left the table, Stafford had Phyllis smile at Victor as if to acknowledge he'd gotten the better of her. Just when you think Phyllis might fly off the handle, she'll give her opponent his or her due.

Phyllis can be friends with someone

We've also seen that Phyllis is capable of great joy. She was over the moon upon receiving a text from her pal Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan). Phyllis burst into Society with energy over the prospect of being reunited with her pal. However, Amanda called out Phyllis for reaching out to her boss, Aristotle Dumas.

Whether Phyllis is deluding herself (does she truly expect anyone to believe that Billy didn't fire her?) or moving forward with her schemes, Stafford brings an unpredictable quality to her character. In Stafford's capable hands, we never know whether Phyllis will bounce back from a setback stronger than ever or snap in half right in front of our eyes as she tries to keep her life together. Brava to Stafford for keeping us so entertained!

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.