Fans of The Young and the Restless weren't happy when longtime star Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) announced her decision to drop to recurring status in the summer of 2018. But while it means that viewers won't be seeing nearly enough of Malcolm and Drucilla's daughter, it also means Khalil can pursue other projects. And it looks like she has landed her first big film role since walking away from her Y&R contract.
Khalil took to Instagram to share that she has landed a role in the upcoming indie flick We Need to Talk, which also stars Big Time Rush actor James Maslow.
"So excited to announce I'm a part of this cast!" the actress enthused on Instagram. "Can't wait for you all to see this film. Such a funny script by Todd Wolfe!"
The plot of We Need to Talk follows a self-centered videogame celebrity named Great Scott Gamer (Maslow), who has no problem speaking to millions of fans online every day but has an impossible time communicating with his family and friends. When his girlfriend (Emily Bett Rickards) says the three little words, "We need to talk," the gaming star is thrown into a tailspin that leads to plenty of confusion and hilariousness.
Maslow also took to Instagram with news about the film, sharing: "Very excited to be jumping into this project with such a talented cast! No joke, this is one of the funniest scripts I have ever read."
According to IMDb, Khalil plays the role of Aly Fulton, although details about her character's part in We Need to Talk aren't yet known. The film's release date also isn't known, as it just started production at the end of May.
Since dropping down to recurring status on Y&R, Khalil starred in a TV movie called Sorority Stalker: No Good Deed opposite General Hospital actress Haley Pullos (Molly Lansing). She has also appeared as Y&R's Lily on several occasions, including the tribute episodes for Kristoff St. John (ex-Neil Winters), and has even taken on the new Genoa City character of Iris, a character in the novel Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland) is writing.
What do you think about the premise for Christel Khalil's new film? How do you feel about the actress pursuing other opportunities outside of The Young and the Restless? How much do you miss seeing Khalil full-time on Y&R? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
