As The Young and the Restless’ Claire (played by Hayley Erin) works to overcome all the damage done by her diabolical Aunt Jordan, Victoria’s long-lost daughter is also learning what it means to be a Newman.
Portrayer Haley Erin — who won a Daytime Emmy for her run as General Hospital’s beloved Kiki and also played The Young and the Restless’ Abby Newman as a teenager — talks about coming home to Genoa City and getting to play out Claire’s messy story.
Plus, the Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists alum, who got her start as a cutie on Malcolm in the Middle, dishes on the productions she was involved in between General Hospital and The Young and the Restless — namely, making the movie New Life and a set of beautiful twin girls!
Y&R star Hayley Erin talks troubled Claire
Arriving on the soap scene in 2008, Hayley Erin saw plenty of family drama during her three-year run as Abby Newman on The Young and the Restless.
Then she moved to General Hospital’s Port Charles – where her character Kiki Jerome got caught in more than one love triangle with her mother, Ava, before being murdered so Erin could star in the Pretty Little Liars spinoff.
Related: ‘General Hospital’ Star Eden McCoy Talks Growing Up in Port Charles
The 29-year-old has already seen some wild stories in her career, but returning to Genoa City to play a newfound Newman in October has been a dream come true.
“Are you kidding?” she marvels. “It's been so much fun. To be given a role like this is just such a gift. If I could have written this character, I would have written this character!”
When Claire first appeared as Nikki's competent new assistant last year, many The Young and the Restless viewers suspected there was more to the story. Boy were they right!
In the middle of exacting revenge on the family she believed had abandoned her, Claire learned her beloved Aunt Jordan had actually stolen her at birth. Claire is Victoria and Cole’s not-so-stillborn baby Eve, and Jordan has been manipulating her for her entire life.
“She's just this wounded child,” Erin says of her character. “I've gotten into psychology lately, which is fun because now I get to use it to build character. There's a lot of stuff about inner child work, and Claire’s a bit stunted. I like to imagine, ‘How would she have reacted to these situations 10 years ago? 20 years ago?’ Sometimes the child comes out, so she can be a little snarky, a bit rude, immature or scared.”
As Erin’s dug into the role, she’s had a blast telling this story with legacy players like Melody Thomas Scott, Eric Braeden, and Amelia Heinle, who play Nikki, Victor and Victoria – not to mention As the World Turns veteran Colleen Zenk, who recently spoke with FIRST for Women about playing Aunt Jordan.
“It's incredible,” Erin cries. “They are all just so much fun to work with. And amazingly talented, obviously.”
Y&R star Hayley Erin talks returning from Ireland
Now that she’s back on daytime, Erin has returned to Los Angeles, where she was born and raised — and she’s brought her family with her.
In a romance made through soap connections, Erin met her husband, Irish Being Erica alum Adam Fergus, when they both appeared in Mama Bear — a high-action short directed by her former General Hospital costar and Entertainment Tonight host Matt Cohen.
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During the height of COVID, the couple took a break from the business and moved to Dublin, where Erin gave birth to their twin daughters, Juno and Maude, in August of 2021.
“Life is funny, the way it happens,” Erin muses. “And it comes at you fast! We've lived in Ireland the whole time, so it's really nice to be back — especially because my family’s getting to spend more time with the girls. We just found a house, so we're settling in. I couldn’t be happier.”
Transitioning from full-time mom to working mom, however, has been an adjustment.
“It's hard,” Erin admits. “Some of the days on set are really long, and I don't get to see them. I do miss them.”
Yes, she misses them, even though she and Fergus are currently contending with the terrible twos – times two! “I wouldn't wish that on anyone,” Erin deadpans. “I would not.”
On the upside, Juno and Maude are fraternal twins, so whatever they have in store for Mom in the coming years, they won’t be swapping places to take each other’s exams or play tricks on the family.
“They look completely different – to me at least,” Erin says. “They still don't have much hair, but one is blonde and one is brunette. They also have completely different personalities. I find them so unique. But maybe they seem even more different than they are because they're twins, so I'm always trying to see.”
Y&R star Hayley Erin shares details on indie movie, New Life
Before returning to The Young and the Restless, Erin also made her big screen debut in thehorror-thriller film,New Life.
“I like to compare it to The Fugitive with Harrison Ford,” Erin teases. “It is a nontraditional chase film. My character is on the run from something and when we find out what it is, it threatens the end of the world. It's got a big twist, and it deals with elements of terminal illness, as well. It's a beautiful, very complex film.”
The indie movie made the film festival circuit in 2023 to rave reviews, including a FilmQuest Best Supporting Actress win for Erin … only to fall victim to the Hollywood strikes. With the strikes now over, New Life will hopefully land an official big screen or streamer release soon.
Will Hayley Erin’s Claire survive being bait for Aunt Jordan on Y&R?
Back on The Young and the Restless, Claire was remanded to prison and then a psychiatric hospital after learning she’d been a pawn in Aunt Jordan’s twisted revenge scheme.
Related: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Star Trevor St. John Talks New Movie and Playing Tucker
Her time there has helped her re-find her smile, and with Jordan on the loose, finally accept her rightful place as a Newman … by agreeing to leave lockup, move into Newman Ranch, and be the bait in Victor’s own scheme to trap the villain!
Victoria is rightly worried about her newfound daughter's part in this plan. Whether or not Claire comes out of this unscathed, Erin has high hopes for her future on The Young and the Restless.
“In theory, I’ll be sticking around for a while,” Erin teases. “And I'm so excited to get my scripts and see what's going to happen. I'm having the time of my life!”
The Young and the Restlessairs weekdays on CBS (check local listings) and streams on Paramount+.
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