Two-time Daytime Emmy winner Eileen Davidson, no stranger to dramatic tales since her soap debut as Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless in 1982, is tackling one of her biggest acting challenges yet: playing Ashley’s Dissociative Identity Disorder.
The story began to take shape last year after Ashley and Tucker’s (Trevor St. John) marriage imploded in Paris. “Josh (Griffith, executive producer and head writer) and I had been talking, and I happened to mention Ashley’s mental health issues [from the ’80s],” Davidson recalls. “He remembered and got really inspired by that. So, it was an offhand conversation about the character that tied in beautifully with what he’d already been writing.”
Once Davidson became aware of the definitive plans for Ashley, she began researching DID. “When Ashley first had mental health issues in the ’80s, I went to Camarillo State Hospital,” she relays. “Now there’s Google. So I Googled it and talked to a couple of professionals and asked them about it. Everything is so readily available now, and there are so many ways that [DID] displays itself that you have a certain amount of latitude with it.” The actress, who played five different roles during her time on Days of our Lives, had to take a different approach when creating Ashley’s alters. “It had to be more subtle, especially in the beginning,” she notes. “She didn’t want to tip anybody off. As time went on, they each became more assertive.”
Eileen Davidson on The Young and the Restless in the 1990s (CBS /Courtesy Everett Collection)
Bringing the other characters — Ms. Abbott, Ash, and another one to be revealed soon — to life is second nature to her now. “They’re all vastly different from one another,” she explains. “If I walk by the TV, and I happen to be on, I absolutely know who it is just by the way she’s looking.”
The balancing act presents a high degree of difficulty, however. “It takes a lot of concentration,” Davidson admits. “It makes my head hurt because it’s Ashley and then sometimes mid-scene, I’m becoming the alter, so I’m starting off as one and ending up as another who’s talking to someone else in her head.”
Fortunately, she has real-life bestie Lisa Williams, who served as her double on Days, sharing scenes with her now on Y&R. “I called her right away because when we started having the alters talking to each other, I said, ‘Are you available?’ ” Davidson shares. “I called Josh and I said, ‘From the script, it looks like you guys need a double. My best friend has been my double and she is game for it for old time’s sake.’ We’ve had so much fun. I mean, we never thought we’d be doing that again on a different show, and it’s just been great.”
Ashley’s concerned family will stage an intervention to try to get to the root of her issues. “That is intense because it’s at a very high decibel,” Davidson previews. “It’s Ms. Abbott and she’s fighting for her life and the gloves are off.”
Though it’s been a demanding time, Davidson is thrilled with the intensity of the material. “I didn’t see this coming,” she marvels. “It’s a huge gift. I told Josh, ‘Please just keep going. This is what I live for.’ It’s a blast for me. I’m having a great time.”
