Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Back In Action: Lauralee Bell and Michael Damian will soon be back on screen as Danny and Christine.
Lauralee Bell originated the role of Christine, then known as Cricket, on Young And Restless in 1983 — and not long after that, her character crossed paths with rock star Danny Romalotti, played by Michael Damian. Cricket and Danny started out as friends, but soon, that blossomed into a romance, replete with an on-location Hawaiian wedding. Alas, a heartbreaking split and marriages to other people followed, though the duo remained friends. Recently, the couple re-declared their love for each other — and Bell takes the position the characters “never wanted to really break up in the first place. The world just kind of put them in that situation and then their lives grew apart but the feelings were still there and this second chance was a gift they were given.”
As viewers know, Bell and Damian have been off-screen for a bit; Christine accepted Danny’s invitation to accompany him and his band on his global tour and they’ve been off traveling the world. “It’s very in right now to follow your rock star boyfriend around and wait on the sides to get hugs when they come off stage,” Bell chuckles. “Cricket was very confident with her choice to be with him and they’re just having the time of their lives because they have found each other again and they’re seeing the world.”
But soon, Bell and Damian are headed back to the studio to shoot a special development for the on-again lovebirds slated to air in July — one the actress teases will consist of an experience that is brand-new to the characters.
“I was told about the concept,” Bell begins about what the show has in store for Danny and Christine. “I don’t know exactly the specifics, but I thought it was a great idea. It made sense with what they are doing [in the storyline].” Damian shared her opinion, she reports. “I was able to talk to Michael about it because we had to make sure he was free [to shoot the scenes], and he thought it was a great idea. And so now, we’re in a holding pattern for the exact dates — which I think are on the sooner side — and what specifically we’ll be doing. But we have faith in the creative process and we know that the idea is really fun. And we’re always up for a fun story versus a courtroom drama or a sad thing. So, we will try and elevate this to as much fun as we can have, on camera and off.”
When Danny and Christine do return to the canvas, their status as happily together will likely be a bone of contention for Chris’s long-time rival, Danny’s ex-wife Phyllis. “I would assume that the longer we’re happily away together, Phyllis has a choice; she either forgets about us because she’s a very ‘out of sight, out of mind’ person, or us hopping around the world and living the life just irks her even more,” Bell surmises. “Either way, she will always be unpredictable.”
