‘The Young and the Restless’: Fans Are Critical Over This Newcomer’s Acting Skills
The Young and the Restless is daytime television’s most popular soap opera. Since its debut in 1973, the show has become a main staple in the CBS lineup. One of the reasons the show remains popular is due to the incredible acting from the cast. Throughout the past four decades, the soap opera has seen plenty of actors come and go.
In recent months, the show added a few actors to the cast. One of them is Elizabeth Leiner, who plays Tara Locke. Leiner was given a huge storyline upon her arrival on the show. However, her acting skills have become a source of criticism among fans.
‘The Young and the Restless’ critical over Elizabeth Leiner’s acting
Leiner joined The Young and the Restless in February in the role of Tara. The character is introduced as the wife of Ashland Locke (Richard Burgi), a powerful businessman. It’s soon revealed Tara has a connection to Genoa City resident Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor). Tara and Kyle had an affair years ago in New York, which leads to the conception of their son Harrison.
After arriving in Genoa City with Ashland, Tara decides to divorce her husband and announces Kyle is Harrison’s father. DNA tests prove Kyle is the boy’s father, and Tara begins scheming to win back her former flame. With the assistance of Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), they hatch a plot to remove Summer Newman (Hunter King) from Kyle’s life.
Leiner was given a lot of dramatic material to work with during her first months of filming. She’s done a good job of playing a villain and getting fans to hate her The Young and the Restless character. However, not all fans are applauding Leiner’s performance. In a Reddit discussion, fans discussed Leiner’s character and acting, most of which weren’t positive. “I find the actor that plays her stiff and unlikeable. I hope she’s not around for long.” Another commenter chimed in with, “I can’t stand the actor either; just hearing her talk makes me cringe.”
Elizabeth Leiner’s previous acting credits
Before landing The Young and the Restless gig and a few acting credits to her resume, Leiner’s previous work includes guest roles on television series such as Drop Dead Diva and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Like many of her soap opera co-stars, Leiner has also been in a few Lifetime movies, including Nanny Killer.
Before her soap opera fame, one of Leiner’s most important roles had her starring alongside a Hollywood icon. In 2017, Leiner played the granddaughter of Burt Reynolds in the film Hamlet & Hutch. The movie’s premise has Reynolds’ character, a former actor moving in with Leiner and her daughter. Reynolds rediscovers his love for the theater thanks to his family and sets out to be on a production of Hamlet.
Elizabeth Leiner’s status with ‘The Young and the Restless’
As The Young and the Restless viewers saw last week, Phyllis Summers busted Tara and Sally’s scheme. Phyllis turned her payback up a notch when she framed Tara for fraud, which resulted in the blonde villain being led away in handcuffs. With Summer and Kyle reunited and leaving Genoa City, fans are curious about what happens with Tara.
According to Soap Opera News, Tara was only supposed to be a recurring role. However, Leiner was put on contract weeks after her first appearance. So far, there’s been no word about Leiner’s current status with the show. Given that her storyline with Kyle and Summer wrapped up, the soap opera may be ready to let her go. However, there’s still the question of what happens to Tara’s son Harrison. Also, her ex-husband Ashland is set to marry Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle). Those are good reasons to keep Leiner and her character around.
