Veteran actress Denice Duff reveals how she landed the role of Mac's mysterious mother!
For more than two years on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, Mac's mom has been nothing more than a name — Amanda — which has been bandied about in hushed tones, and even used as a leverage over poor Mac. Yet, on September 10, all that changed. The shadowy whisper took on human form as Denice Duff began breathing life into the mysterious character.
With all the build-up around Amanda, it's not surprising that the role became one of the most hotly sought-after in daytime drama. However, one person who admits to being in the dark about all the buzz is Duff herself. "I had no idea about that, and I'm glad that I didn't," she says with obvious relief. "You know, I didn't want to even see how much money was on the contract before I even did the screen test. I made them put post-its over the amount!
"I am very much Amanda in that I'm very much an earth-free spirit," she adds. "Money can just change the intention of why one does something. When you work hard for your money, you don't want to know how much you can potentially lose!"
In fact, the actress, who gained fame for playing the vampire Michelle in the Subspecies films, admits that she actually didn't think she would snag the coveted role because she was too young. "I just wanted to show the producers about my commitment to a piece of their writing for possibly a future part," she says of the three screen tests that she did with Ashley Bashioum (Mac) and Jeanne Cooper (Katherine). "And I wanted to go in there and have fun."
According to insiders, Duff's screen tests were fabulous. For her part, Duff credits her resemblance to Bashioum, and the younger actress' startling resemblance to Duff's own 5-year-old daughter, with giving her the boost that was needed.
"Because she looks so much like my little daughter, it wasn't really acting," the New York native muses. "During the screen test, Ashley had to say these venomous things to me. So that first scene when you see us together, it was a very real moment. It cut me where it should as a mother.
"Within moments after they said action, I was in tears doing the screen test," she continues. "I thought the piece was well-written, and I was so connected to it... Jeanne was so protective, and Ashley was so hurt and vehement... I didn't have to do anything. I just had to say my lines. All the feeling was there."
Of course, the big question is whether Amanda will destroy Mac's life, or at least, whether she’ll intentionally wreck her romance with Billy. "Everyone asks me, 'Are you a nicey or are you a meany?'" Duff relates. But she insists that both descriptions are too simple to define the complicated Amanda. "It's like life — no one is just one thing."
Now that sounds about as mysterious as Amanda herself. — Julie McElwain
Denice Duff
