Viewers of The Young and the Restless were initially heartbroken when news came out that the character of Faith Newman was going to be recast due to longtime portrayer Alyvia Alyn Lind landing a non-soap opportunity. Fans basically watched Lind grow up in the role of Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Sharon's (Sharon Case) daughter, so losing her was a crushing blow. However, once new portrayer Reylynn Caster made her debut as Faith in April of this year, it was immediately clear that the powers that be had found a perfect replacement.
As viewers have seen over the past couple of weeks, Caster seamlessly slipped into the role of Faith and was able to quickly make believable bonds with everyone in Faith's orbit, from the character's aforementioned parents to her grandparents, Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott). Caster may be brand new to the show, but she already feels immensely familiar. And that is a big feat, considering her experience prior to coming to Genoa City was in sitcoms and comedies!
Soap Central had the chance to speak with Caster about her prior acting experience and why she decided to jump into the dramatic world of soap operas. We also got her take on what's ahead for Faith, who has gone through a serious rough patch with bullying, underage drinking, a car accident, and a kidney transplant. How does the character feel about her newfound connection to Adam (Mark Grossman), who is now literally a part of her? What is on the horizon for the budding connection between Faith and her new friend, Moses (Jacob Aaron Gaines)? And will viewers see Faith finally get her life together? Read on to find out!
Soap Central: Hi, Reylynn! How have things at Y&R been going so far?
Reylynn Caster: Really good! I started, and everyone was so nice. It's just been really fun.
Soap Central: Has being on a soap opera been anything like you imagined it to be?
Caster: It's definitely different than anything that I've done, and I kind of expected that, because I had heard a lot [about working on a soap opera] and people kind of explained to me what it would be like, and it's really similar. It's very fast! Things move very quickly.
Soap Central: And especially for you! It can be overwhelming to join a soap opera in a regular capacity, because, as you said, the pace is so fast, the cast is big, there are lots of relationships to learn, but you had the added challenge of coming on in the middle of a huge storyline, so what was that like for you?
Caster: Honestly, I think it was good that I was thrown into such a big storyline because I had to force myself to get adjusted to everything quickly instead of gradually, which I think actually worked really well for me. It was really exciting to be able to portray Faith in this really scary point of her life, and it helped me really connect to the character really quickly.
Soap Central: Did it also help you connect to your costars quickly, as well, since you had to deliver so much emotion together right off the bat?
Caster: Yeah! I've had so many very deep, emotional scenes together with these people that I'm just meeting. But it was really great -- we were able to form really good chemistry really quickly, and I think me having such an intense storyline was definitely helpful for that.
Soap Central: Were you nervous or intimidated at all to go to such deep emotional places with all these new actors you didn't really know?
Caster: I have this kind of mindset where, with all these new people, I wasn't really nervous -- I felt the need to give it my best and give it my all. I'm very new to this kind of world, so I wanted to prove myself very quickly. So, I wasn't really nervous, but it did give me an incentive to work really hard.
Soap Central: Did you know anything about Y&R or the character of Faith before you joined the show?
Caster: Yes, because I grew up watching soap operas with my mom! So, I definitely knew the style of soap opera, and when I found out that I was testing for the role, I did quite a bit of research and watched clips of Faith on YouTube, just so I could really get her right.
Soap Central: Which soaps did you watch with your mom?
Caster: I did watch The Young and the Restless with her, and we also watched Days of our Lives together a lot. I think those two were her favorites.
Soap Central: Were you at all nervous to be a recast or did you just go in with excitement and no worries about the recast element?
Caster: I was really excited, but I think I was a little bit a nervous to be recast, just because I know that the fans loved Aly so much. She was definitely a fan favorite, so, I was a little nervous to see how they would like me -- but it's all been going great! I've gotten really overwhelmingly good feedback.
Soap Central: Your costars feel the same! We did an interview with Sharon Case recently, and she sang your praises about how you are professional, prepared, and have done a fantastic job so far. What has it been like working with her and also your on-screen dad, Joshua Morrow? Do you feel like you've bonded with them?
Caster: Oh, yeah, definitely! I screen tested for the role with Josh, and we immediately had really, really good chemistry. And then coming on set the first day and having scenes with Sharon, I just immediately knew that we would have really good chemistry, as well. We were able to easily create this great parent/daughter bond, almost immediately, which I'm really happy about. Especially with it being a recast, they were used to playing with this same character as another girl for so many years that I wasn't sure how it was going to work, but it has worked really, really well.
Soap Central: How are you staying true to the Faith that fans know but also making her your own?
Caster: A lot of people on set have helped me with that. They have done a really good job of explaining Faith and helping me keep Faith as she has always been but also make her my own a little. She is really fun and light and sweet, and they've really helped me create her. I've gotten a lot of help, and I did previously do a lot of research, but I've really just kind of been winging it! [Laughs] From what's been written, I've been able to get the gist of Faith as a person, and I've just kind of gone for it.
Soap Central: Even though you came on in the middle of this big story, it's also a fresh start for Faith. Can you tease whether or not we'll maybe see her actually get her life together? Because she's been going through a rough time lately and has been in a lot of trouble!
Caster: As we've seen in recent episodes, she feels so guilty about what she did, and all she truly wants to do is redeem herself and prove that she is not the person who she has been for some period of time. I only know so much, as well, but I do think she will try everything in her power to redeem herself.
Soap Central: We've really seen her have some mixed feelings about Adam, who has saved her life this year, not once but twice, and now he is literally a part of her. How does Faith feel about that, and what are her feelings toward Adam now?
Caster: I think it's complicated -- very complicated! She's had this really difficult past with Adam, but he's also saved her life many times, so she feels like she kind of owes him redemption. But also, she's a teenage girl who is still trying to figure out everything. From what she's learned from her past, and she's gone through so much, it's really difficult for her to grasp her relationship with Adam. There are some great scenes coming up with her and Adam, and we might be on the road to seeing some form of redemption for him, but we don't know -- we shall see!
Soap Central: Mark Grossman was also a recast, and Adam is obviously a huge character who is beloved to the fans, and he was also able to make the role his own. Have the two of you spoken about that at all?
Caster: We haven't, really. I do know that he was a recast. We haven't really talked about that, but it's a good idea -- we should! He has been great, though. He is so nice, so professional, so talented. The scenes that I've done with him, he has completely killed it. We recently had a scene in the hospital together before the transplant where I want to talk to him before we go through with the transplant, it was my first scene with him, and I just remember being so impressed. He is just so talented.
Soap Central: Another person who has been in Faith's orbit a lot lately is Moses. How would you describe the characters' relationship at this point?
Caster: I think what they have is very new and is developing. They have this great friendship, and Faith hasn't had the best luck with friendships in the past. But I think Moses really does have good intentions, and Faith really, really cares about him. I'm really excited to see where the friendship goes. I don't really know -- we'll see!
- Reylynn Caster (@ReylynnCaster) April 26, 2021
Soap Central: Two other really awesome people that you've had the fortune to work with are Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman), who are Y&R royalty. What has it been like to meet them and share scenes with them?
Caster: They are both so great. In fact, the first scene that I ever filmed on the show was with Mel, and she was so nice and so welcoming. And never once was I treated like a new kid. They've always treated me like I've been on the show [forever]. And I just turned 18, so I've always been used to being treated as a kid on set, but they've treated me like an adult. They're really great, they're really nice, and I have loved having them as my grandparents on the show.
Soap Central: Most of your credits in the past have been comedies and sitcoms, so what made you want to take on the new challenge of a soap opera?
Caster: I grew up in Kansas, and when I lived there, I mostly did dramatic roles. They were smaller indie films, but I feel like I started in drama, and when I moved to California to act professionally, I got a little stuck in sitcoms. I loved every single role that I did, but I was just aching to be able to do drama. From the beginning of my career when I was five and from the moment I knew I wanted to become an actress, I always had this vision of being a more dramatic actress, so getting this opportunity, I was really, really excited to take it, because I knew that I would get a chance to do that.
Soap Central: Is your approach for a comedic role and a dramatic role very different?
Caster: Definitely! The acting style is completely different. With comedy, especially with my past roles, I was on a multi-cam before this, and there's really nothing natural about it. So, with being on a drama, everything that I do, I just want to make it as natural as possible, which is very different.
Soap Central: And you only get one take on a soap, so you have to get it right the very first time!
Caster: Yeah, that was very new for me because all of my previous experience, we've had like four hours to do one scene! So, I wasn't so nervous about getting it right in one take. Soap operas have definitely taught me to trust my instinct, because you have no time to change it, so you just have to trust the way you want to play it the first time, and you really have to go with it, and you have to commit.
Soap Central: Do you remember the moment when you decided that you wanted to be an actress? You were quite young!
Caster: I was very, very young. I don't remember an exact moment, but I do know that from the beginning of me having a memory, for as long as I can absolutely remember, I was set on [the idea] that acting was what I would be doing. That was my career, there were no other options of doing something else -- I had to act. It's always, always been a part of me.
Soap Central: How did you go from Kansas to Los Angeles? Did your family move there coincidentally, or did they move for your career?
Caster: They moved for me! Which was amazing. They've always been so supportive. I signed with an agency in California while still living in Kansas, and I was doing self tapes from Kansas, but it was really difficult because being so new and also living far away from where everything filmed was not [conducive to landing roles]. No one really wanted to take the chance of flying this new kid out to be in something, so we kind of came to the conclusion that if I was really serious about this, then we should make the move. So, my parents just up and moved completely across the country and changed their entire life just for me. It's amazing, really.
Soap Central: That is such a show of support and absolute belief in you, which must have been such a confidence booster. Do you have siblings who also made the move with you?
Caster: I do. I have a sister and brother. They are both older than me -- I'm the baby. And they moved with! Everyone was just completely down to just uproot their whole lives and go for me. My family is the best. And it's really nice to then be able to book something like The Young and the Restless, because what they did wasn't for nothing! I could prove to them that I could do it.
Soap Central: You have been working a lot and have quite a few credits already. Have you been able to make time for school and friends and "regular life" stuff on top of working?
Caster: I have done a pretty good job of balancing it. When I moved out here, I went to a public middle school, so I was able to meet a lot of friends there, and I've stayed in touch with them up until now -- they're still some of my closest friends. In fact, I just went to prom with my boyfriend a few nights ago, my senior prom. So, I still live a normal life!
Soap Central: I did see your prom photo on social media -- you were beautiful! But was prom weird because of the pandemic?
Caster: It was really well done. It was all outside, everyone wore masks the whole time, we all had to be tested before we could go. They were able to make it feel as normal as possible. It was really nice. I didn't get a junior prom last year because that was when COVID was really bad here, so I am really, really excited that this year we were able to have a prom. I'm graduating, so this would have been my only chance, and they did a really good job with it.
Prom! ❤️💐@armanijackson pic.twitter.com/Vm8rpd7pgD
- Reylynn Caster (@ReylynnCaster) May 16, 2021
Soap Central: Since you are graduating, do you know your plans in terms of whether or not you're going to college or if you'll focus on work for the time being?
Caster: So, I did early enrollment in high school and have taken some general education college classes. I think I'm probably going to, for at least two years, take some community college classes, and from there decide if I want to transfer to a university or not. I'm still really figuring it out.
Soap Central: Girl, you are already way ahead of most people because you already have a successful career going! But speaking of that, is there anything you've always wanted to try but just haven't found the courage yet?
Caster: I think there are a few things. The more "out there" answer would probably be skydiving. I've always wanted to go skydiving at some point in my life, but I am kind of horrified to do it. But I think maybe eventually I will. But then also, it's not really about [having] Ceftriaxone the courage to do it, because I think I do, but I need to find the right time: I really want to release music eventually. I write music, and I've made a few songs, but I've never gotten to the point of releasing them, so I think that's definitely something I want to do some day.
Soap Central: What kind of music do you make?
Caster: My biggest inspiration is Phoebe Bridgers. I'm trying to think of a good way to describe her style -- it's definitely music for when you're a little sad. It's a little melancholy, slower, more on the indie side of the spectrum. I'm so in love with her music right now.
Soap Central: Is there anything that you'd like to add that I didn't ask you about?
Caster: Playing Faith has been amazing, and I'm so excited to portray her for some time to come.
What do you think about our interview with Reylynn Caster? How do you feel about her work as Faith so far? Do you think Faith will finally get her act together, or do you think there's more trouble to come in her future? How would you like to see the character develop in the months ahead? 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.
