The Young and the Restless Performer of the Week: Jess Walton as Jill Foster Abbott

The Young and the Restless is making great use of the time Jess Walton is back in Genoa City as Jill Abbott. The two-time Daytime Emmy-winner shone brightly in her scenes this week with her co-stars. Therefore, Soap Central is bestowing the actress with our Performer of the Week honors.

The Young and the Restless, Jess Walton, Performer of the Week

Over the last week, Walton’s Jill made the rounds in Genoa City as she interacted with Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott), Victor (Eric Braeden), Lily (Christel Khalil), Cane (Billy Flynn), and Jack (Peter Bergman). In each scene, Walton, as she always has, fully immersed herself in her character, playing Jill’s rich histories with her friends and foes.

The week started with Jill visiting Victor and Nikki’s new, new Newman ranch dwelling, the one that was thankfully restored, giving Queen Nikki a proper staircase to descend, and a door to open as she greets her visitors.

Jill was walking into a potential adversary’s home turf, but we could tell from the start that Jill wasn’t about to be walked over. She matched Nikki’s passion as the two women discussed the current threat that Cane brings to everyone in Genoa City, including Jill’s loved ones.

It wasn’t all conflict. Jill and Nikki found common ground in their mutual love of the late, great Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper). Jill thanked Nikki for the note she sent after Chance had died. Jill tried to reschedule her meeting with Victor and make her exit, but Nikki said that there was one more thing.

“Of course, there is,” said Jill, knowing that Nikki always spoke her mind. Jill held her ground, informing Nikki that she couldn't influence Cane. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m being interrogated?” Jill shot back.

Later, Victor arrived, and while anyone else would have felt ganged up on, Walton’s Jill is a formidable force and doesn’t let anyone – not even The Great Victor Newman – get the better of her! Rather than be intimidated, Jill chuckled at Victor, saying she was on the edge of her seat, wondering why she’d been invited to see the mogul.

When Victor shared his theories of Cane and Colin’s shady deals, he asked Jill if he didn’t believe the letter he had. “I don’t believe you,” Jill clarified. Not many can speak to Victor that way, but Walton brings gravitas and history to her role as Jill, which puts her on a short list of people who can interact with Victor on this level.

The Cane mutiny

Next, Jill met with Cane to get his side of Victor’s story. You’d never known Walton hadn’t acted with Flynn before this visit to Genoa City. She finds a way to connect to an actor and his or her character’s history, even if that performer hadn’t played it. Critics noted that Walton wasn’t in the role of Jill for very long before it felt as if she and Cooper had been bantering on screens for years.

Up a hill

The Young and the Restless saved the best for last when Jill visited Jack, her ex-stepson and lover, at Jabot, the place where she had worked as an executive. “Aw, Diane? So sweet,” Jill quipped as she entered Jack’s office when he was wrapping up a call with his wife, played by Susan Walters.

Jack and Jill hashed out how Jill was going to make amends with Billy, who felt betrayed by Jill selling Chancellor Industries out from under him. “You can’t turn your back on your family, can you? Especially the ones who need you the most,” Jill stated.

Walton knew she could play Jill as more open and vulnerable in her scenes with Jack, given their long and complicated history. They’d been bitter enemies at times, but that hostility mellowed and blossomed into a brief fling, and today, they’re two people who know each other inside and out.

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It appears we’ll have Walton in some episodes next week on The Young and the Restless. Beyond that is unknown. What is certain, however, is that the actress always brings richness, history, and great performances to the show. We can’t have Walton and Jill in Genoa City nearly often enough!

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

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