Linden Ashby Talks About His Return To ‘Young & The Restless’

Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) - YouTube/The Young & The Restless

Fans were shocked to see Linden Ashby return to The Young & The Restless this week. After he left the soap opera last year, viewers didn’t expect to see him ever again unless he magically came back from the dead. Let’s face it, that’s not out of the norm for a soap opera storyline, but that’s not quite what’s happening here. Linden dished some of the details about his return to Y&R and what fans can expect.

Linden Ashby Makes A Surprise Return To Y&R

Apparently, Linden Ashby was just as surprised by his return to the soap opera. Fans remember that his character, Cameron Kirsten, was stabbed to death in 2023.

Now that he has returned, Linden is applauding the work of the writers on Young & The Restless. He spoke with TV Insider about his comeback. The 64-year-old actor remarked on how different his return is. He said, “It’s great because it’s not back from the dead.”

Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) - YouTube/The Young & The Restless (1)
YouTube/The Young & The Restless

Rather than being brought back to life, Linden’s character Cameron has come back to haunt Sharon Newman (played by Sharon Case). He’s not a ghost, but rather someone in Sharon’s head.

Linden further explained, “It’s a person who is living in Sharon’s head and is aware that he’s living in her head and aware that he doesn’t exist. And that adds a huge wrinkle.”

Linden Ashby made his debut as Cameron Kirsten on Y&R in 2003. He played the role throughout 2004 and then left the soap opera. After 20 years of being gone, he returned to the show in 2023 and reprised his role as Cameron.

Cameron’s Story On Young & The Restless Is Far From Over

As viewers know, Cameron was Sharon’s obsessed stalker. When he made his return in 2023, he was killed off fairly quickly. Young & The Restless fans and Sharon thought they’d seen the last of him. However, Cameron reared his head again during Thursday’s episode.

His conscience haunting Sharon’s dreams is a bit different than dealing with him in real life though. “The abusive parts are gone,” Linden said of his return. “I don’t think he has the same level of threat that he did in real life. It’s Sharon’s idea of Cameron.”

Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) - YouTube/The Young & The Restless
YouTube/The Young & The Restless

He continued, “He’s a manifestation of her internal world, to help her give voice to things that she’s afraid to say out loud, things she’s afraid to do. He’s that person who’s encouraging her to do things that maybe she shouldn’t be doing. It’s not quite what Cameron would do, but who knows what Cameron would do — it’s what Sharon believes Cameron would do.”

As far as Cameron’s future on the show, Linden Ashby said that there is a lot of good stuff to come. “I’ve read quite a bit ahead. I know where certain things are going and it’s pretty good stuff,” he revealed. “I love good stories; that’s what’s fun to me.”

The Young & The Restless airs on weekdays at 12:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

Amanda Blankenship

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