The Young and the Restless’ Heather Stevens met a grisly end in the September 26 episode after tussling with Sharon (Sharon Case), which means her portrayer, Vail Bloom, has wrapped her run on the No. 1 show.
Bloom, who first created the role in 2007, left in 2010, and reappeared in early 2023, was grateful to get another shot at playing Heather after 13 years. “The return was a million percent a blessing,” she begins. “It was fun for the show, and I’m so happy that I was received well and that fans were excited to see me again. But personally, it was a blessing because it felt like home and family. The first time I played Heather, I was young and I just moved to LA and you’re not a fully grown, operating adult when you’re just starting out. So, it was so beautiful to have the experience of what I had in my early 20s and then be able to see it through the lens of someone who’s older and wiser and 10 years deeper into the industry. I was just so thankful for it. I felt so lucky.”
While she didn’t know how long her return would last, she was understandably thrown when she heard about Heather’s death. “I had about three weeks’ notice,” notes Bloom. “It’s always surprising when you get that news, but you’re aware that that can happen. That’s just the world of soaps. But any time you get news like that, it’s shocking because you love the character and it was such a beautiful, long run woven in and out through a couple decades.”
But the actress says she quickly came to terms with the twist. “You can understand and appreciate that for a storyline, it’s gonna get a lot of bang for your buck,” she adds. “You’re going to pull on the heartstrings of the audience, you’re going to engage them, you’re going to offset and uplift a different storyline. But there’s sadness because change is always hard. I love Heather, and I love what she’s done this year and it’s fun playing her. But as an actor, you know this show is not just about you. You’re fitting into a larger story with a lot of people.”
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A highlight of her second time around in Genoa City was being paired again with Michael Graziadei’s Daniel Romalotti. “Graz is my favorite to work with,” Bloom declares. “My absolute favorite. He’s just so full of life and he’s funny and a really nimble, talented actor, but he’s also hard-working. He doesn’t wing it, he does the prep work and he’s always making jokes so he makes it fun on set. I think that’s probably a large part of why my experience was so positive.”
She also appreciates the meaty material she was given, especially in her final scenes. “They were intense,” she recalls. “There was a lot of dialogue and mostly it was a lot of blocking. I saw the episode the other day and I thought that the blocking played really well with all the movement and the activation in the scene. It was really fun to do all of that interesting stuff the last couple of weeks. Any time there are those dynamics when the stakes are that high, it’s a joy to act.”
Working with Case made it a breeze. “We had a lot of fun,” Bloom enthuses. “Sharon is extremely relaxed in between scenes, and she’s very go-with-the-flow. There are certain actors that are not as go with the flow and there are certain actors that are neutral. She rolls with it and she really brings a lot to play with. She doesn’t have an ego that you sometimes see in acting. She’s really humble and so chill in between scenes. At the end, we were like, ‘Oh, no. What are we going to do now? Ok, let’s link up outside of work.’ ”
Playing dead was new for Bloom, and Heather’s body was on the floor for most of the fateful episode. “It was difficult staying in a contorted position for so long, I can tell you that,” she muses. “The next day, I was like, ‘Oh, I think I gotta get a little massage or a stretch.’ It is surprising how difficult it is to lay there still in an awkward position. I was like, ‘I’m not a diva; I’m totally fine,’ and the next day, I was like, ‘Ouch, I’m stiff!’ So that was funny to me.”
Bloom does concede that the way Heather’s exit was filmed, the possibility for the show to script a reversal of fortune exists. “I think resurrection is always cool,” she says. “I’m a huge fan of resurrection. I think what’s really fun about daytime as opposed to maybe other formats is you can experience things beyond your wildest dreams. I would be open to it if the fans really wanted to see more of Heather again.”
And one person who may just see Heather again is Sharon. “I don’t think it’s the last time you’ll see Heather,” Bloom teases. “You really never know in the wonderful, wild world of soaps.”
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As for what’s next for the actress, she offers, “My plans now are to enjoy driving my children. I’m pretty much a child Uber driver now. I’ll take a little break — the kids just started school again — and then I’ll get back to working. I love CBS. I love The Young and the Restless. I also still have a really good relationship with Bravo [she appeared on Season 3 of Vanderpump Rules]. I’ve got two movies set up this year. I’m excited to see where I end up.”
