Exclusive Interview: The Young and the Restless actress Catherine Kresge weighs in on the Annie Sewart ATWT connection

Viewers of The Young and the Restless may or may not have seen the last of Det. Annie Stewart, now that the Newman security team caught up with her and Matt Clark on today's show. Just who is the actress who plays the detective who did Matt's bidding? Soap Central chatted exclusively with Catherine Kresge, Annie's portrayer, about her journey to Genoa City!

The Young and the Restless, what's in a name

Veteran soap fans may have noted right away that Kresge's character, Annie Stewart, is the same handle that belonged to an As the World Turns character, played by Mary Lynn Banks and other actresses. The character went down in the history books as the only woman to have given birth to quadruplets!

"This is definitely news to me," Kresge says of the name Annie Stewart having been on another serial, "but I love a little extra soap world connectivity!!"

When Catherine Met Roger

Kresge does know her soaps, however. She says she was a great admirer of co-star Roger Howarth's (Matt Clark) when he appeared as Todd Manning, the role he won a Daytime Emmy for playing, on One Life to Live.

"When I found out we would be working together, I was extremely excited," Krege enthuses. The actress, who briefly appeared on both All My Children and General Hospital, prior to being cast on Y&R, confesses to being a bit nervous about meeting Howarth (perhaps not unlike Howarth was when he was meeting Y&R's Eric Braeden, who plays Victor).

Kresge says that Howarth could not have been nicer, more humble, or more generous. "Working with him is electric," she raves. "Being up close to his singular energy and dynamic performance has been truly the treat of a lifetime, and now watching the show as episodes we’ve done together roll out makes me appreciate his performance even more! He’s just fantastic!"

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you

It appeared that Annie was going to eliminate Sienna (Tamara Braun) today. Just how did Annie go from being an officer of the law to Matt's deadly associate? "Annie is a detective who went undercover to investigate Mitch Bacall/Matt Clark for running drugs out of his club, The Shadow Room," Kresge explains. "But Annie got greedy and decided to start working with Matt Clark to get on his payroll."

Like all good actresses, Kresge developed a backstory in her mind to justify Annie's evil ways. "While nothing was spelled out in the script, I definitely wanted to come in as an actor with an understanding of what would make a person who defends the law for a living make such a dramatic turn," Kresge reveals.

"I came up with a back story that for me justified her choices and helped make sense enough for me to play her as grounded and real as possible," the actress continues. Just what was that backstory? "That reason will just have to stay my little secret!" she says with a smile.

I'll be watching you on The Young and the Restless

Does Annie feel an attraction to Matt's bravado? "I do think Matt does have a certain appeal to her, but her driving force is really the promise of a big payout to cover a desperate situation in her personal life," the actress responds.

As previously indicated, this is not Kresge's first soap, but those gigs helped her prepare for her current role. "I had the chance to guest star as a lawyer looking for love on an episode of All My Children and a doctor on General Hospital for an episode," she shares. "Those experiences were both great and gave me the experience of working on a soap that was so helpful coming into a larger role on Y&R. I was familiar with the fast pace and unique way they work through a day."

While Annie might be looking at going up the river for an extended stay (or not -- one never knows in the world of soaps), Kresge is filled with gratitude for getting to play the bad detective.

"I have so many flowers to give out!" she says when asked if there's anyone she'd like to acknowledge. "Roger, for being so great and talented and kind, and I’d also love to shout out Tamara Braun for being my on-set and makeup chair bestie. She’s such a sweetheart, and I love getting to work with her!

"Major props to Josh Morrow [Nick], who impressed the heck out of me on my first day on set with his massive amount of dialogue that he handled like a total boss," the actress continues. "A word of thanks to Lucas Adams [Noah] for the care he took working with me on a couple of stunt moves we did together.

"And finally props to Matt Cohen [Det. Burrow] for being a great partner," Kresge says. "Another great guy, fantastic actor, and you’d never know he was dealing with a busted ankle while filming - he handled it like a pro! Grateful for the warm welcome to the studio from [publicist/talent relations] Matt Kane and [casting director, The Young and the Restless] Greg Salmon, who I’m extra grateful to for casting me!''

Winter in Wisconsin

"The incredible Mandi Line [costume designer] made me feel and look like a rockstar with the best wardrobe!" Kresge enthusiastically adds. "The wonderful folks in hair and makeup who bring the glam and fun. The camera operator who brought me a fan when I was getting warm while wearing a leather jacket. The supportive words of multiple directors I had the privilege to work with. I mean…I could go on!!

"Truly, the folks at The Young and the Restless are such a fabulous bunch, and it’s a privilege to be a part of this decades-long story," Kresge says.

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