Allison Lanier Confessed Being Recast as Summer Newman on ‘The Young and the Restless’ Came With ‘A Lot of Nerves and Pressure’
Allison Lanier is the latest addition to the cast of The Young and the Restless. A talented young performer, Lanier has appeared in several projects over the past few years – but her role as Summer Newman in The Young and the Restless is her most high-profile to date.
While some fans of the long-running soap opera had a difficult time accepting a new face as Summer, others were quick to take to Lanier’s interpretation of the character. Recently, Lanier opened up to Soap Central about what it felt like to join the cast of The Young and the Restless, revealing that she experienced a lot of pressure after she landed the role.
Allison Lanier was recently cast as Summer Newman
For nearly a decade, actor Hunter King portrayed Summer Newman in The Young and the Restless. King received critical praise for her work, including a nomination for the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime TV Series – Young Actress, which she scored not long after starting her tenure on the series in 2012.
In 2021, King’s role on the show was reduced to guest star – and in early 2022, it was announced that the actor would be stepping away from The Young and the Restless completely. In May 2022, producers revealed that actor Allison Lanier would be taking over the role of Summer Newman.
On May 18th, Lanier made her debut as the character. Some viewers had a hard time accepting a new actor as Summer, but some others praised Lanier’s performance, claiming that the star gave “new life” to the character of Summer.
What did Allison Lanier say about taking over the role of Summer?
Summer Newman is a legacy character in The Young and the Restless – so it’s understandable that Lanier felt some nerves when she was cast as the iconic character. In a recent interview with Soap Central, Lanier opened up about the experience of joining the show.
“There’s a lot of nerves and pressure that comes along with that. Hunter King is obviously a very beloved person amongst the cast and crew, as well as the fans, so I knew walking into it that I had big shoes to fill … I think you just kind of have to go into it and take it as, ‘I’m going to do my best, and I’m going to do my job and bring what I can to this character.’ That’s really all you can do. It’s really a funny thing that’s specific to soaps.”
What other projects has Allison Lanier appeared in?
Lanier went on to detail how close she has become with members of the cast, including Michelle Stafford, who portrays Phyllis. Lanier said,
“She’s been super welcoming to me, and I really admire what she brings to the table in every single scene. She also makes me laugh so much. Her energy is so unique and interesting — when you’re doing a scene with her, like, when we’re rehearsing, I just can’t help but laugh because, well, she’s amazing!”
Lanier has been acting consistently since 2017. A few of her credits include the Amazon Prime series Red Oaks, the 2019 thriller Mia, as well as the 2018 movie Red Fish. According to The Focus, Lanier doesn’t just have a passion for acting, but for photography as well, and showcases examples of her work on her social media pages. With a bright future ahead of her, Lanier is likely to be making waves in The Young and the Restless for quite some time!
