The Young and the Restless Performer of the Week: Zuleyka Silver as Audra Charles

On The Young and the Restless, Audra Charles, played by the sensational Zuleyka Silver, is a throwback to classic "have-not" characters, who end up taking the world by storm! We've always got our eyes on this gifted relative newcomer, but, now, the actress has now shown a new vulnerable side to her Genoa City alter-ego, which has earned her Soap Central's Performer of the Week honors.

The Young and the Restless, Zuleyka Silver is Pure Gold!

Characters can fire any zinger that they want to at Audra, but Zuleyka uses deft timing to scorch her opponents each and every time. She has a way of taking Kyle's (the always solid Michael Mealor) barbs, chewing them up, and spitting them right back in the Abbott heir's face!

When we saw Audra overhear yet another breakup fight between Kyle and Claire (Hayley Erin), we knew that the Vibrante developer was going to rub Kyle's face in his defeat!

Kyle told Audra to keep walking when he saw her, but he wasn't getting off that easily. "You were so sure you and Claire would kiss and make up," Audra snarked at Kyle. "You wanted to screw up my life, but you were certain it wouldn't bite you in the ass."

Kyle gave as good as he got, but Audra was relentless in her cunning rationale that she was in the right. "Victor (Eric Braeden) wanted me to prove that you don't deserve Claire, that you would break her heart, and if this is all 'my fault' as you say, then Victor should give me the reward that he promised me," Audra theorized. "Could you put that in writing? Maybe even just a text. 'It was all Audra's fault.'"

Silver's scenes with Mealor alone could have earned her our Performer of the Week honors. However, it was the vulnerability she displayed in Audra's episodes with Nate (Sean Dominic, read our Performer of the Week for The Young and the Restless write-up of Dominic here) that truly caught our eye this week. At Sally's (Courtney Hope) suggestion, Audra approached Nate and asked her ex for a second chance.

Barefoot in the Chancellor Park

They went to Chancellor Park where Nate agreed to hear Audra out. Silver truly shined as Audra showed unseen levels of emotional rawness and vulnerability in these scenes. You'd have to made of stone not to have been moved by Audra's promise to Nate to do better as she begged him to move foward with her.

"I know I've broke your trust," Audra confessed to Nate. "Being with you, has shown me how things could be with a truly good man. Is there any way you could give me another chance?"

Nate asked her if she thought she'd changed enough for him to want to try again? "I let myself hope that it might," Audra tearfully said.

No snark. No witty comebacks. To paraphaze Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, she was just a woman standing in front of a man, asking him to love her. Alas, Nate couldn't get past Audra's duplicity.

Audra's not a character that often illicits sympathy but as she sat alone in the park leaving a message for Sally on her phone, we wished that someone would have walked by and shown some kindness to the devastated woman.

Is there no hope for Audra and Nate on The Young and the Restless? Unbeknownst to Audra, Nate rejoined Amy (Valarie Pettiford) back at Society. She pointed out to him the fragility of life. Nate did not seem unmoved by Amy's words. Might he be open to giving Audra that second chance she so desperately wants?

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If she gets that chance, Audra may have more champions among viewers of The Young and the Restless than she would have had in the past. Why? Silver continues to win over viewers with her performances as she infuses her character with empathy, wit, strength, and an open heart.

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

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