In a very interesting interview with TV Guide Magazine, departing THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS actress Michelle Stafford talked about leaving daytime's top-rated soap (her last airdate Friday, August 2nd) and previewed her upcoming indie comedy THE STAFFORD PROJECT."My going had nothing to do with Jill [Farren Phelps] and Josh [Griffith]," Stafford said when asked about Y&R's current executive producer and head writer. "You don't leave a show you love after 15 years because of one person, or two people. At least I don't. That just doesn't make sense. But, if people are pissed, I can see why they might find Jill and Josh an easy target. Nobody should be mad at them."
"And I am not being punished with the way they wrote out Phyllis! When I spoke to them about my decision to leave, I did say that I thought it would be a mistake to kill Phyllis," Stafford continued. "And they were very funny about it. 'If we say we're going to kill her, will that make you stay?' [Laughs] A little blackmail! I like that they have kept this role open and I totally support the idea of a recast. Phyllis is way too important of a character to let her go away just because I'm leaving the show."
Meanwhile, THE STAFFORD PROJECT is a way for Stafford to get in touch with her comedic side.
"I decided I needed to create something for myself," Stafford said, "and you write what you know, right? I teamed up with my two friends, Paige Long and Paige Dorian, and we came up with The Stafford Project as a way of finding the humor in all the degrading things that happen to me."
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- Kevin's Indie House: Watch the trailer for THE STAFFORD PROJECT
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