Bryton James got his acting start as a toddler, appearing in his first commercial at age 2 before landing the role of Richie Crawford on the sitcom Family Matters. After a detour as a recording artist, James was cast as Devon Hamilton on CBS’ The Young and the Restless in 2004 and on June 1, he is marking 20 years in the role.
Here, he looks back on his Genoa City journey.
You were 17 when you joined the cast of Y&R as Devon. Could you ever have imagined that 20 years later, you would be doing an interview about your anniversary?
Bryton James: No, not at all. I’ll never forget the day of my audition. I had an interview for a national Coca-Cola commercial and then an interview for a soap opera and my mom watched General Hospital my whole life growing up. All I knew of soap operas were they were these very adult shows with adult storylines of people sleeping with different people every other week and crazy stuff happening. I never really thought about what a show would want with a 17-year-old. And I really was excited for that Coca-Cola commercial but did not get the commercial. Instead, Y&R was the best audition I’d ever had. The casting director at the time, Marnie Saitta, stopped mid-scene and said to me, ‘Finally, someone who reads this character the way it was meant to be read.’ And that just gave me all the confidence in the world and here I am.
When you look back at your early days on the show, what stands out to you now?
I definitely had to adjust to daytime and get into the swing of acting in general because the only other acting job I had before that was Family Matters. I started on that show when I was 3 until I was 11 or 12. I would say a few lines here and there and it was all about timing and stuff like that. But when I got on the soap, I was immediately surrounded by and thrown into a storyline with masters of this medium — Victoria Rowell [ex-Drucilla Winters], who inspired my foster care story, [the late] Kristoff St. John [ex-Neil Winters] and Christel Khalil [Lily Winters]. I mean, she had only been on for a couple of years, but I looked up to her.
There was no difference, really, in the levels of how good these actors were. I remember feeling the pressure of needing to catch up very quickly. But I also remember just feeling extremely welcomed and at home right away, even from my screen test. I found out that the studio teacher on Young and Restless was the same teacher I had on Family Matters from 3 years old through the whole time, so it was almost like coming home to a brand-new environment.
Family Matters (ABC/courtesy Everett Collection)
You made close connections with the actors in your story and you’re the godfather to Christel’s son. What have those connections meant to you?
Well, it started with Christel because I met her when she did an episode of Family Matters when we were, I think, 9 and 10 years old. We worked together for a week and then I didn’t see her again until my screen test for Young and Restless. I found out that after the screen test, she advocated for me to get on the show. She became my best friend very quickly. She’s a sister that I never had and probably the closest person in my life to me. And then coming on the show and learning that my story was inspired by Victoria Rowell’s real life and real life experiences? What a gift for any actor coming into a new environment to have someone to give you the tools and direction of where you need to be going in scenes and in the storyline. She was an amazing mentor. It was the same thing with Kristoff. His mentoring was showing me that even in this serious, fast-paced environment, there’s always levity to bring to the stage, which is what we all remember him for, his balance of fun and being professional. They were incredible to me.
Was there ever a time where you made a conscious choice to stay?
I don’t think it was ever a conscious choice. I understand what The Young and the Restless is, the legacy it has and the weight of being part of a brand like that. I always thought that if the show and the fans appreciate what I do and value what I do, I’ll be there. I’ll forever be loyal to the show and fight to be a part of it.
You’ve had a lot of memorable storylines. Is there one that you consider a favorite?
I think definitely Devon losing his hearing. I mean, you can’t really truly understand what it is like to lose a sense unless you actually go through it, so you study as much as possible and do your best. The challenge of it was a lot of fun, and getting to go on the journey with the rest of the cast who were in my story and learning sign language was a great experience. And it also brought one of the best moments off stage. I was out having lunch and a fan came by my table and just left a note on the table that they had written on a napkin and walked off without saying anything. They wrote that they were deaf and they lost their hearing at a very young age and they grew up watching The Young and the Restless and how much they admired my performance and how I was portraying losing my hearing on the show. To hear that from someone who was actually experiencing it was everything to me.
You’ve picked up two Emmys along the way and you’re nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor for this year’s ceremony on June 7. It’s your 11th nomination in 20 years. How does it feel?
Well, 11 out of 20 is not too bad! I’m going to be bringing my mom this year for only the second or third time, so I’m excited for that. It definitely never gets old. Anybody who tells you it does, they’re lying. I approach every day at work trying to make not only the show proud, but the entire daytime community proud, so any kind of recognition like that means a lot to me.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
You have a unique experience in that you started on the show as a teenager and are now a grown man. What has it been like to grow up on camera?
I’ve been very fortunate to be used to growing up in front of the camera, even long before Y&R, but going from a young teen to an adult, you naturally get to bring your life experiences to work. I’ve gotten married, I’ve been divorced, I’ve lost a parent over the course of my time on the show, and a lot of those things have played into storylines that Devon has gone through. It can only help improve the performance, where you can dig from and reach from to bring those performances out. So, it’s been a great experience and one I wouldn’t trade for the world. It’s also given me a second family. It’s crazy how fast time goes by, but you look around and you see this group of people that are truly there for you and support you and you support them and it’s a great thing to have.
What do you think when you hear someone say you’ve been on Y&R for 20 years?
It’s a privilege and it’s an honor to be a part of a legacy like Young and the Restless that the Bell family created. It means everything. I’ve appreciated every second of it and I wouldn’t change a thing.
