The handsome grandpa also gets candid about sharing the good life with soap star Susan Walters

As Sharon Newman has devolved on The Young and the Restless, creepy Cameron Kirsten has thoroughly enjoyed egging her on. Sure, the returned psycho is just a figment of her imagination, but he’s very real to her—and to actor Linden Ashby!

Sitting on the beach in sunny California, the actor also known for Teen Wolf, Mortal Kombat and Melrose Place got candid with Woman’s World about playing Cameron and Sharon’s unique relationship with costar Sharon Case and celebrating almost 40 years of marriage in the real world with The Young and the Restless beauty Susan Walters, who plays Diane.

In the most Hollywood of interviews, we caught up with Ashby in between surf sets—and in the most un-Hollywood of interviews, the 2024 Daytime Emmy nominee spent a portion of our chat gushing over the costar he fell for when they were on Loving in the ’80s and the grandchild who calls him Peepaw.

Linden Ashby on Cameron Kirsten’s ghost and Sharon Newman’s descent on ‘Y&R’

Just over 20 years ago, Sharon’s abusive one-night stand Cameron followed her back to Genoa City and tried to destroy her and her family. When the obsessed schemer returned last year, Sharon stabbed him dead again . . . only to see him return this summer.

This time, however, Cameron is a figment of Sharon’s imagination, pushing her to settle an age-old score with Daniel by any means necessary.

“It’s funny, because so many of these stories start out sort of black-and-white, but this one started out with a lot of interesting colors,” says actor Linden Ashby. “This really is a relationship. Cameron and Sharon go back and forth and have feelings for each other. He’s a character . . . but he’s also simply a part of her subconscious mind. We’re painting on a canvas that doesn’t get painted on very often.”

“It’s interesting, and there is a power in it for me when Sharon’s saying, ‘You’re a terrible person,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m also not real,’” he adds. “She has to be reminded, because this character becomes so real for her. Their relationship skates this very fine line, and it gets kind of scary.”

How ‘Y&R’ star Sharon Case eased Ashby’s nerves about returning to soaps

Speaking of scary, after 20 years away, the veteran actor admits he was nervous about returning to the soap world in 2023—and even after earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for that run, he felt those nerves again this summer.

“It’s always a challenge to step back into this medium, because it’s so unlike any other thing you do as an actor,” he explains. “It’s massive amounts of memorization and the speed requires you to be light on your feet. It can be fun, but it can be really stressful. I try not to let it be, and Sharon Case is amazing.”

“I love working with her,” he continues. “We click. We hang out, run lines and I think we’re doing good stuff. It’s been really fun.”

Linden Ashby on playing a ‘Y&R’ character no one can see: ‘It’s hilarious’

While Linden and Case have continued to build their onscreen chemistry, everyone else on The Young and the Restless stages has to completely ignore him and pretend he’s not there.

“It’s hard to keep a straight face sometimes,” Ashby confides with a chuckle. “I can be like, ‘Okay, get rid of this idiot.’ And Josh Morrow (who plays Nick) is like, ‘I can’t hear him!’ Or it’s, ‘Wow, you’re really saying mean things about me.’ I’m like, ‘Sorry, I’m just not that nice of a person!’ It’s hilarious.

This good-natured actor even enjoys getting to wear Cameron’s nasty, bloody wardrobe every day.

“I love that shirt,” Ashby says. “I’ve done movies where I’ve worn the same outfit the whole movie, and it’s not that different. You go into work and you put on your uniform, and when you’re done, you take off your uniform and you go home. It’s great.”

Linden Ashby talks marriage to Susan Walters: ‘I’m truly lucky’

While he has no trouble leaving Cameron’s drama behind when he goes home, Ashby often brings a piece of home with him when he comes to The Young and the Restless—namely, his wife and costar Susan Walters, who plays Diane.

“I recently shot some scenes where there was a lot going on for Cameron and Sharon, and Susan came in on her day off and hung out with me,” Ashby shares. “We rode to work together and then she ran lines for the next day, but she was also there just to help.”

As the couple approaches 39 years of marriage this March, Ashby seems as smitten as ever.

“There’s a funny point in your life, if you’re lucky, where you really can’t imagine life without the other person,” he says. “You might feel that when you’re young, but there’s a whole different feeling to it now—because it’s still romantic, sexy and all these other things, but there are also so many layers added to it. There’s a depth to the relationship.”

“Look, she’s my wife, but she’s also such a good friend,” he adds. “And that’s amazing. I’m truly lucky.”

Veteran actor Linden Ashby talks sharing success with wife Susan Walters

When asked for the secret to a lasting marriage, Ashby admits it’s a question he often gets, but he’s still not quite sure of the answer.

“We’ve had good times, we’ve had bad times, but the good times far outweigh the bad times,” he considers. “We grow and change, and people have different needs at different times in their life. They’re not always constructive or positive needs . . . but you can get through those patches and come out of it stronger, hopefully.”

Having also built successful careers side-by-side, Ashby and Walters have hit different high points along the way.

“In my late 20s, she was on fire,” Ashby recalls. “I don’t think I could have paid her taxes with what I was making! Then I had a really great run . . . and then she had great runs. We sort of complemented each other, and we’ve been so lucky as actors. Not many people have 40-plus year careers where they work pretty steady the whole time.”

Linden Ashby talks being a “rickity” but fit grandpa

Having been part of the Teen Wolf franchise, the Mortal Kombat movie, and Melrose Place, Ashby keeps up with several fanbases by attending Comic-Con and other conventions, and he’s having a blast bringing the drama to The Young and the Restless—but his favorite audience these days is his 2-year-old granddaughter

“I love being ‘Peepaw,’” he says with a grin. “Nora’s so funny. She’s so smart. She’s so sweet. And being a grandparent is so much better than being a parent. It’s all the good stuff and very little of the bad stuff. 

Despite his new, more mature role, the martial arts expert who kicked butt as Mortal Kombat’s Johnny Cage in 1995 is still ready to rumble . . . more or less.

“My endurance is still pretty good, but my kicks are lower, that’s for sure,” Ashby cracks. “I’m not as strong as I used to be and am certainly a little more rickety, but I still have a lot of fun.”

“I still study martial arts,” he continues. “Susan and I recently went camping and did some mountain biking. And I’m sitting on the beach in a wetsuit right now, surfing. I just came in to do the interview, so I’m going out again after we talk. I surf whenever I can. Honestly, I’ve got no complaints, at all. I’m having a really fun time at this point in life.”

Linden Ashby reveals what he admires about ‘Y&R’ vet Joshua Morrow

At 64 years old, Linden Ashby has found a sense of self he’s always admired in The Young and the Restless veteran Joshua Morrow, who plays Nick Newman.

“You spend so much time as a young person trying to be something that you’re not,” he explains. “You’re so focused on achieving your goals, but Josh is one of those people you meet in life who is so comfortable in their own skin. He’s so funny and so quick. He knows he’s enough. It’s so rare, and when you finally find it later in life, you think, ‘Damn, I wish I knew this when I was in my 20s. I would have conquered the world!’”

Ashby may not think he’s conquered the world, but we think he’s done pretty well. With a gorgeous family he adores, the director is currently developing a holiday rom-com for next year—and he’s certainly wreaking havoc on Genoa City as Cameron Kirsten!

“I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna last on The Young and the Restless,” Ashby admits. “Who knows? Sharon and Cameron might become like an old married couple. Sharon will be that person who has a relationship with someone that no one else can see. We’d probably have to set new ground rules for that.”