When Billy Miller came on set to play Billy Abbot, the seriously flawed but loveable bad boy captured the hearts of many Y&R fans. Miller burst onto the set of The Young and the Restless in 2008 as the fourth contract actor to tackle the role of Genoa City's resident bad boy.

On daytime television, there's never a shortage of  hot, humble and talented actors. Aside from the looks and talent, this humble Texan native has Southern charm that will make any female swoon.

Since Miller's first appearance on Y&R, he's been at the front and center of  several juicy story lines. As a member of the prominent Abbott family, Miller's character has been thrust into situations of mayhem, debauchery, and family rivalries. This comedic actor has had a wild ride working with Daytime television royalty. Miller recently dished to The Soap Bubble about the vulnerable side of Billy Abbott, working with veteran actors on Y&R, and his recent Emmy win for outstanding supporting actor.    

Before The Young and the Restless, you played Richie Novak on All my Children. How have your Y&R and AMC experiences differed?
 
One was in New York and one was in Los Angeles, that's a huge difference! Both shows really welcomed me and brought me in with open arms. With All My Children, it was my first Daytime gig and they were very patient with me. They showed me the ropes of Daytime. It was a great role and a lot of fun, but by design wasn't made to be very long lived. Especially towards the end, they really let me experiment with the character and let me play outside the box.

That role helped immensely when it came to my start at Y&R. When I got to Y&R, there were writers and friends that used to work over at AMC. This world is very small. I was lucky enough to be able to take chances with the character of Billy and when it works it's very believable and sometimes I fall flat on my face and they let me continue anyways. I really appreciate both shows and I'm lucky to have friends on two shows.

Was it at all nerve-racking or challenging coming to Y&R as the fourth recast of Billy Abbott?

I've seen how recasts can get treated and I know that there have been a lot of Billy recasts, specifically David Tom, who originated the role as an adult version of Billy and was very well liked. I went back and looked at some of the things that he did. He's a great actor. With that said, I know all you can really do is go and do your own thing and hope that it's liked. You can't really worry about who came before you. At this moment it's your job and your responsibility, until they tell you that it is no longer such. I just came and did my job. 


Do you share any personality traits with Billy Abbott?

I think at the very base, Billy is a good guy. He's kind of struggling with his morality at times but there's a vulnerability to him and an openness that he kind of guards. This is all very parallel to my own life. Letting people in has always been difficult, which I lend to my character as well.

Most viewers describe Billy Abbot as the bad boy with a heart. Is this how you view your character?

I think if anybody refers to themselves as a bad boy, they are pretty much a fake, posing bad boy. I think that's a term best left for those around him. Billy always has a conflict between what he should do and what he does. This makes him a bad boy. At the very base of him, it's all about his family. 

Billy is seen as a womanizer who can't be tamed. Now that he's married to Victoria Newman, do you think this is the real deal? Or what can fans expect of the couple?

Their guess is as good as mine!

Before Billy married Victoria she was married to JT (played by real-life husband Thad Luckinbill). Does this create any awkwardness off-screen or are the three of you good friends?

Not at all actually! The Luckinbill's are good friends of mine. I hang out with Thad's twin brother and the married couple all of the time. We're all very close.

Do you find it intimidating going toe to toe with veteran actors like Peter Bergman and Eric Braedan on-screen?

That's the thing about veteran actors, they've been in your position and they're always willing to help.  It's not like acting against the wall. These guys really know what they're doing and they encourage and demand that you do better.

The Abbott clan seems to have great camaraderie on-screen. Do you all have a close-knit relationship off-screen as well?

Oh yeah!

Peter Bergman was the first guy to call me when I got this job. He wanted to make sure that I was safe and comfortable when coming to Genoa City. He's kind of like a big brother in real-life. He's always calling me to ask "how you feeling? What's going on?" He's invested in my personal life as well.

Aren't you Peter?
(Peter Bergman in the background)
Oh yes!

How is it working with Jess Walton and the matriarch of the show, Jeanne Cooper?

Jess is great! She's a lot of fun and really takes her character Jill Abbott very personally. She's very protective of her character and it shows because she cares quite a bit.

As for Jeanne, Jeanne Cooper is just awesome! She's been maybe my biggest advocate here. I've been very lucky to be working with the people I've been working with.  Jeanne's been very vocal about how she feels about me. She's always like "come here kid, come to my room real quick." She then tells me what I'm doing right and what she thinks I'm doing wrong. She's immensely supportive.


If you could pick one actor on the show that you wish you could have more screen time with, who would it be and why?

I have to say I've been very lucky; I've worked with pretty much everybody. In the beginning I've worked a lot with Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe Mitchell), and we had a really good time. She's a good friend as well in real-life. Lately, we work less and less, so it would be fun to have some more scenes with her. She's a great actress and a lot of fun.

I haven't worked that much with Phyllis either (played by Michelle Stafford). We're just starting to work together more, and she's a pistol, man. She's a good time!

This year you took home the Daytime Emmy for best supporting actor for your portrayal on Y&R, Congratulations! What was it like when your name was called and you realized you had won?

It's funny. I didn't really think I was going to win at all, not until we showed up there. I didn't really take it seriously. I didn't want to look through tapes. I just thought, I appreciated being nominated but I don't want to sit and watch tapes of myself. It seems like an event reserved for hell (laughs).

Elizabeth Hendrickson was the one who was like "look idiot, we're going to watch these tapes," and we did. We picked the show that The Young and the Restless was gracious enough to give me, and that was very much a show all about Billy. We were very proud of it and filmed it in one day. I didn't think much of it until I got there, and people said they really enjoyed what I did.

So, I sat down and thought "damn, I might actually win." (Laughs)  I've been blessed with the gift of gab. I can usually talk my way out of anything in the next minute or two. No big deal. When they start to announce the nominees I started sweating. My friends were looking at me like "what's wrong with you?" (Laughs) I thought, "What happens if I win and I have to say something and I only have 30 seconds?" I'm in trouble. I thought of a speech, while I was sitting there. When I did win and I'm getting up, it seemed like everything was speeding up and slowing down at the same time. I mumble constantly and I was really hoping that my diction would be present and I could get out what I wanted to say. And just like that, it was done!

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By: Hayley Farb