‘The Young and the Restless’ Actor Melissa Claire Egan Started Auditioning For Roles at 10 Years Old
For over 10 years, Melissa Claire Egan has been one of the most popular actors on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. Beloved by the show’s fans, Egan has blossomed from a character introduced as a “bad girl” to a complex, fascinating woman who is a vital part of many of the show’s storylines.
Egan is a veteran performer who started acting when she was just a child. In a recent interview with Maurice Benard of General Hospital, Egan opened up about how she got started in show business, revealing that she was still able to have a normal childhood in spite of her early introduction to acting.
What did Melissa Claire Egan say about starting her acting journey?
Many child performers are unable to experience a lot of the normal parts of childhood, working rather than attending a standard school or spending time with friends their own age. However, Egan doesn’t feel as though she missed out on anything.
Egan told Maurice Benard, in a recent episode of State of Mind With Maurice Benard, that she was still able to enjoy a happy upbringing – even though she started auditioning at a young age. “I started (auditioning) when I was 10,” Egan told Benard.
“But I always did it as like, a hobby. I wasn’t one of those, you know the girls with the Les Mis jackets on. It was kind of good that I got used to rejection at a young age. So, even though I was auditioning at a young age, it wasn’t my whole life, you know.”
Egan also complimented her parents for their support, noting that they are still happily married to this day.
When was Melissa Claire Egan cast on ‘The Young and the Restless’?
Egan broke into the television industry in the early 2000s, appearing in TV shows like Criminal Minds, Dawson’s Creek, and One Tree Hill. In 2006, Egan landed her first big breakout role in the TV series All My Children.
According to IMDb, she remained a mainstay in the series until 2011, when she announced that she would be leaving the show to pursue other opportunities. Around the same time, she joined the cast of The Young and the Restless, playing Chelsea Lawson, a character who was first introduced into the long-running soap as a con artist type.
Over the years, Egan has grown and refined the character of Chelsea, with her romance with Adam earning particular acclaim from viewers and fans. These days, after more than 10 years on the show, Egan is a mainstay on The Young and the Restless and an honored part of the soap opera genre.
What’s next for Melissa Claire Egan?
Chelsea has been struggling with her mental health in recent months, and Egan’s portrayal of the storyline has made waves with the fan base. In a recent interview with The List, Egan opened up about how much it meant to her to see people reacting positively to Chelsea’s issues. “I cried in my car. I did, when I saw how we’d helped people,” Egan said.
“People said, ‘I saw myself.’ There was one tweet where someone said, ‘I didn’t know I was depressed until I saw this episode; now I’m going to get help.’ A stranger responded to them on Twitter, saying, ‘This is another number you can call.'”
With Egan continuing to impress critics and viewers, and with Egan herself thrilled with Chelsea’s journey, it seems likely that the actor will remain on the beloved series for years to come.
