Mariah Copeland

Mariah Copeland
The Young and the Restless character
Portrayed by Camryn Grimes
Duration 2014–
First appearance January 27, 2014 (2014-01-27)
Created by Shelly Altman, Jean Passanante and Tracey Thomson
Introduced by Jill Farren Phelps
Classification Present; regular
Profile
Other names Cassie Newman
Occupation
Residence Genoa City, Wisconsin, U.S.

Mariah Copeland is a fictional character from the American soap opera, The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Camryn Grimes. Introduced by executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, the character made her first appearance on January 27, 2014. Grimes had previously played the role of Cassie Newman from 1997 to 2005, when the character was killed off.

Mariah first appears in Genoa City, hired by Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) to gaslight his former daughter-in-law Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) by posing as the ghost of Sharon's deceased daughter, Cassie, with whom she bears a remarkable resemblance. When the truth about her association with Victor is revealed, Sharon becomes drawn to a troubled Mariah, whom she moves into her home. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Mariah is the notorious ex-girlfriend of Tyler Michaelson (Redaric Williams), who stalked him and his girlfriend Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway). Mariah is also linked to cult leader Ian Ward (Ray Wise), who has been harassing Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott). While living with Sharon and Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow), Cassie's adoptive father, Mariah develops an infatuation with Nick. It is soon discovered that Mariah is actually Cassie's twin sister and the daughter Sharon did not know she had. Her birth was kept secret, following Ian's arrangements for Mariah to be stolen at birth, and acted as a father figure to her for years.

Phelps described Mariah as a "loose cannon," while Grimes has characterized her as a "bad girl with a heart" and more dimensional than what viewers would expect her to be. Reaction to Grimes' return to the soap opera has been positive.

Casting and creation

Camryn Grimes first appeared as the character on January 27, 2014.[1] Grimes had previously portrayed the role of Cassie Newman, Mariah's twin sister, on the series from 1997 to 2005, when the character was killed off in a car accident.[2] Grimes was six when she originated the role of Cassie, and in 2000 became the youngest recipient of the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series.[3] Over the years following her death, Grimes made several guest appearances as Cassie's ghost, which she played most recently from July 2013.[2][4] Although "Ghost Cassie" continued to make numerous appearances to her mother Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), it became apparent in February 2014 on-screen that the character appearing was not a spirit, and was in fact a real person.[5] Grimes later revealed that her return as Cassie's ghost was only slated to last four to six episodes.[6]

When Grimes learned that she was no longer portraying Cassie's ghost but another character, the actress stated: "I heard rumors that the storyline might be changing, that somehow I would be continuing on the show. I had all these ideas going through my head but I was thinking of the obvious things, like maybe Cassie had a twin sister nobody knew about (...) But what the writers came up with is so much fun and so unexpected," stating that the new character had "potential to go all over the place".[5] In March 2014, Grimes stated that she had little knowledge of the character, stating that it was "very much a reveal for me as it is for the audience" and "I am still learning new things about who the character is."[7] The following month, it was revealed that the character's name was Mariah Copeland, the ex-girlfriend of already established character Tyler Michaelson (Redaric Williams).[8] In May 2014, Grimes announced that she was now on contract with The Young and the Restless.[2] In a featured interview with Soaps in Depth, Grimes stated: "Looking back after a year, it's kind of crazy to see how things have developed. I'm playing a completely new character and I'm under contract — I would never have guessed that a year ago it would've turned into this!"[6]

Development

Characterization and portrayal

"Whereas Cassie had everything, Mariah had nothing, and the more she sees of the Newmans' life, the more she resents getting so little. Sure, we've seen that Mariah has a heart — she knows how much her Cassie face means to Sharon and is touched by that — but that's not the real her. There are no limits to what this woman will do to get what she doesn't have. Mariah is one very loose cannon."[9]

—Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps discussing Mariah (April 2014)

Mariah experienced an "emotionally deprived youth",[10] and according to Grimes, acts a "little bitchy".[11] Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps labelled Mariah as a "have-not", which is a "very powerful" driving force for her behavior.[9] Soap Opera Digest noted the character to be mischievous.[12] Grimes loves the "bite" and Mariah has to her, and stated that she is a "bad girl with a heart". Mariah has a "sassy, sarcastic, dry humor".[13]

Grimes has praised the show's writing team for giving her material that makes her return a "seamless transition". Explaining how the differences between Mariah and Cassie impact her portrayal, she said: "(...) as I've gotten older, you grow and your personality grows. I think I've honed in on what my thing is. A lot of me is very sarcastic and very dry, so I incorporate that. Now that I'm older and I have more sense of self, I try to incorporate who I am now, as opposed to who I was when I was playing Cassie. So Mariah is a fuller person."[14]

Introduction

Sharon Case plays Sharon Newman, Mariah's biological mother whom she comes into contact with after being hired to gaslight her by Victor Newman (Eric Braeden).

Upon the revelation that Cassie's "ghost" was an actual person hired by Cassie's adoptive grandfather, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) to gaslight her mother Sharon, several connections which Mariah shared with other characters on the show's canvas came to light.[8] Victor's intentions were to make his son, Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow) believe Sharon is mentally unstable and "seeing ghosts" so that he would not become romantically involved with her again.[5] Grimes described the character as "ballsy" and found the nature of her relationship with her employee, Victor, to be surprising.[5] Co-head writer Jean Passanante noted that the character's edge became clear in her interactions with Victor, finding it "startling and exciting".[15] TV Guide characterized Mariah as a "scam artist" for her role in Victor's scheme against Sharon.[9] However, Mariah became somewhat sympathetic towards Sharon, with Grimes stating that the audience would see a "more dimensional character than everybody would think".[16] Grimes also stated that she likes how Mariah "is not Cassie", stating: "It would be fun to have her make some friends her own age. Nobody likes Mariah! And I'd like to explore just who she is. What is she good at? Does she have any talents? Is she a closeted photographer?" The actress is also not opposed to a love interest, but wishes they would "stay away from incest with Nick or Noah". Grimes pictures Mariah being paired with a "bad boy".[6]

Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps stated that it was the soap's intention to make Cassie's doppelgänger turn out to be Mariah all along. She said: "As soon as Tyler even mentioned there was a Mariah, the writers new it would be Fake Cassie", stating that Mariah would now become a threat to Tyler's relationship with Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway).[8] Phelps described Mariah as a "wild girl" as opposed to Cassie, who was a "good girl".[8] Simultaneously, it was revealed that Mariah was connected to the "nefarious" and "evil" Ian Ward (Ray Wise).[9] Phelps noted that both Mariah and Ian were both "plain bad", and that there would be a "much bigger picture to be revealed" in relation to their relationship.[9] Writer Shelly Altman stated that, "It is clear that Ian cared for her differently than the way he relates to other people."[15]

Crush on Nick

"Other than Ian, Mariah hasn't really had a father figure, and Nick is a good guy, so it makes sense. I just hope she starts to realize that's not actually the right avenue to explore!"

—Camryn Grimes explaining Mariah's infatuation with Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow)[6]

While living with Nick and Sharon, Mariah develops an "increasing interest" and crush on Nick and begins planning to seduce him, despite the fact that she is identical to his deceased daughter.[10] She prepares a meal for Nick and begins wearing revealing outfits.[17] Grimes, who portrayed Morrow's on-screen daughter for years, said that she "really did not think they would really go down that road, and then ... they really went down that road".[11] In an interview with Soaps in Depth, Grimes stated: "I've known Joshua [Morrow] since I was 6! I kind of saw him as my own dad, so I would never, ever look at him that way. It's just not possible for me to think like that. At the end of the day, I am an actor, but it's not my favorite storyline. Of course, Josh thinks it's hysterical while I'm off cringing in the corner. I'm ready to gag, and he's laughing his head off!"[6] She described Morrow as being like her father: "I saw him every day for the first 10 years of my life. They gave me hell because they saw how uncomfortable I was and they thought it was the funniest thing on the planet."[14] Christian Today noted that Mariah was in "hot pursuit" of Nick.[18] Mariah begins misinterpreting Nick's kindness to her.[19] The peak of the story line involved a fantasy of Mariah's, in which she and Nick drew in for a kiss, before the shot ended. Grimes said, "We did this thing where I literally got so close to Joshua's face, and then they yelled 'Cut!' Then after that, I fell to the ground."[11] Sharon soon catches Mariah dressed in "intimate apparel", and Mariah confesses to her "hidden motives" where Nick is concerned, inciting a major argument which results in a sickened Sharon throwing Mariah out.[19][20] Speaking of the scenes where Sharon and Mariah engaged in a "war of words", Grimes stated that "Those were tough, because there was a lot of dialog, and it was scene after scene (...) it’s fun to get in a fight with somebody on-screen, especially when it’s that charged."[11]

Maternity reveal

After being thrown out by Sharon, Mariah disappears and it is soon revealed that she has been kidnapped by Ian.[21] Ian drugs Mariah and forces her to marry him.[16] After being rescued by Nick and Sharon, Mariah learns that Sharon, "the woman she despises", is actually her biological mother,[22] and does not handle the news well.[11] Prior to the kidnapping, Nick tracked down the doctor (Dr. Hill) that delivered Cassie and learns that Sharon (a poor teenager at the time) was drugged after giving birth to her, and had in fact delivered twins. Helen Copeland (Karina Logue), a "bitter" woman who claimed to be Mariah's mother for her entire life,[23] was the nurse present who bought the baby for Ian from Dr. Hill, who needed the money for gambling debts.[24][25] Grimes explained that Mariah has had the "rug pulled from out under her" with this news, stating that "This has been a stressful time for her. I think any change or new information at this point, or anybody's perceived happiness, will be very upsetting, because she has been through so much."[11] The actress also noted that Mariah finds herself in a state of limbo, "She is wandering about, and she is not really sure what she wants. She is trying to determine if she is going to flee, because that is what she is so used to doing, or what is keeping her here. I think right now she is trying to figure out where she belongs, and how she is going to take this next step."[11] Mariah maintains that she wants nothing to do with Sharon,[16] but they later forge a relationship. Grimes opined: "Mariah is smart and independent, but she has a lot of growing up to do. She needs to find her place in the world and reaching out to those around her—including her new family—will only help that process. I don't think Sharon and Mariah will ever stay mad at each other for too long."[26]

After the revelation of learning Sharon was her mother, Mariah grows closer to Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart) who is also going through a rough patch. Grimes noted that Mariah is "figuring out where she stands in this new city, with this new family, having had the rug pulled out from under her about what she thought she knew about her past", describing her as being in a phase of "soul searching". The actress enjoys working with Rikaart, as they play "into a very real element" from both of their real personalities.[14] She compared the characters of Kevin and Mariah, noting that they both "have a checkered past but good hearts".[26]

Storylines

Sharon (Sharon Case), who months prior had been diagnosed as bipolar, stops taking her medication. In a bid to get her ex-husband Nick (Joshua Morrow) back, she alters the results of a DNA test he had conducted to make him believe that a now-adult Summer Newman (Hunter King) - his daughter with Phyllis Summers (Gina Tognoni) - was not his biological child. Cassie urges Sharon to come clean about this secret. Sharon starts taking her medication and attending therapy again, and her hallucinations of Cassie stop. Cassie appears months later to Sharon on her birthday, once again urging her to tell the truth.

"Cassie" begins watching Nick and Sharon through a window. Later, she breaks into Sharon's house and spells out the word "phantasm" in toy letters. "Cassie" continues to appear to Sharon around town, and Sharon is shocked when she can touch her. Sharon undergoes electroconvulsive therapy to stop seeing "visions" of Cassie. It is soon revealed that this was not Cassie, but someone who resembles her, hired by Cassie's grandfather Victor (Eric Braeden) to gaslight Sharon, so that Nick would stay away from her. Cassie's lookalike is also linked to Ian Ward (Ray Wise).

It is later learned that she is Mariah Copeland, Tyler Michaelson's (Redaric Williams) ex-fiancée. The truth about Victor hiring Mariah to gaslight Sharon is revealed. Sharon becomes drawn to Mariah and helps her resolve outstanding warrants for robbery in Portland. Nick, who is now involved with Sharon again, hires Mariah at his nightclub, The Underground, where she works alongside their son Noah Newman (Robert Adamson). Ian suggests that Mariah become closer to the Newmans, so she moves in with them and bonds with their daughter Faith Newman (Alyvia Alyn Lind).

However, Mariah's improving rapport with the family comes to an abrupt end when Sharon discovers that Mariah has been attempting to seduce Nick, and throws her out. After discovering that Sharon is in actuality her mother, and that she is truly Cassie's twin, Mariah moves back into Sharon's home, but remains bitter towards her. Mariah develops friendships with Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart) and Summer's husband Austin Travers (Matthew Atkinson). Later on at a Valentine's Day party at the Abbott cabin, Fenmore Baldwin drugs the punch. They all fall asleep and wake up hours later. Summer Newman has flashes of a bloody door stopper. They soon discover Summer's husband Austin is dead in the closet. Summer is convinced she killed him so they tell the cops Austin hit his head on ice.

The group (Abby Newman, Summer Newman, Fenmore Baldwin, Kevin Fisher and Mariah Copeland) get mysterious clues regarding the murder of Austin. Weeks later, Abby gets hit in the park and ends up in the hospital. Sharon Newman gets framed for Austin's murder and receives a message on her mirror. She finds evidence and takes it to Avery Clark's office. Before she leaves, someone with black gloves knocks her out and places the evidence (a tire iron) in her living room.

Months later Sharon is cleared. Tobias Grey is at the club and interrupts a party the gang is at, badmouthing the Newmans and Abbotts about secrets. He is drunk and gets in a car accident before he has a chance to say who killed Austin. He dies in front of Mariah at the hospital.

Reception

On-Air On-Soaps lauded the Grimes performance when she learned that Sharon was her mother, naming hers the "Power Performance of the Week". "Through all these emotional scenes it was Camryn Grimes who made the story plausible with her top-notch acting as she went from hurt, to angry, to betrayal, to disbelief, to completely lost, while the whole time keeping the character's harder edges."[16] In the "Best and Worst of 2014" issue of Soaps in Depth, the magazine wrote of Grimes' return: "Sure, Mariah's storyline hasn't always made a ton of sense — Tyler's stalker sure chased him for a long time to give up on him so fast! But it's still great to have Cassie's former portrayer back in the fold."[27] Soaps in Depth also praised Mariah's snark, including it on a list of "5 Things We're Loving Right Now" in March 2015.[28] When referencing Mariah's attempt to seduce Nick, Aaron Hagey-MacKay of Global TV wrote: "Some people are just bad!"[29]

References

  1. ↑ Series producer: Jill Farren Phelps; Writer(s): Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman (January 27, 2014 (US); January 24, 2014 (Canada)). The Young and the Restless. Season 40. CBS. Check date values in: |date= (help);
  2. 1 2 3 Lewis, Errol (May 5, 2014). "Camryn Grimes Upped to Contract Status With ‘Y&R’". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Cast: Camryn Grimes". CBS.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Exclusive! Camryn Grimes Back To Y&R!". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. May 24, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Logan, Michael (February 14, 2014). "Exclusive: Camryn Grimes on That Shocking Young and the Restless Cliffhanger". TV Guide. Lions Gate Entertainment. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 McElwain, Julie (August 25, 2014). The Comeback Kid. Soaps In Depth. Bauer Media Group. pp. 55–57.
  7. ↑ "Y&R’s Camryn Grimes Speaks On The Mystery Surrounding "Faux Cassie"!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. March 13, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Y&R’s Jill Farren Phelps On The Faux Cassie is Mariah Twist and Connecting Her To Ian!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. April 30, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Logan, Michael (April 29, 2014). "Exclusive: Young and Restless Chief Jill Phelps on the Shocking Ian-Mariah Twist". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Kaur, Jaskiran (August 11, 2014). "Updates on Phyllis, Billy, Chelsea, Hilary, Devon and Neil and More". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fairman, Michael (September 15, 2014). "The Sharon Case, Joshua Morrow, and Camryn Grimes Interview – The Young and the Restless". On-Air, On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  12. ↑ "New Contract for Y&R's Grimes". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. May 6, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  13. ↑ Barnert, Deanna (September 11, 2014). "Interview with Camryn Grimes: The prodigal daughter". Global TV. Shaw Media. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Cohn, Paulette. "Y&R's Camryn Grimes Dishes on Mariah, Kissing Scenes & Greg Rikaart". About.com. IAC/InterActiveCorp. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "The Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante Interview – The Young and the Restless". On-Air, On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. May 8, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Fairman, Michael (September 5, 2014). "The Young and the Restless Camryn Grimes Delivers Power Performance Of The Week!". On-Air, On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  17. ↑ Kaur, Jaskiran (August 4, 2014). "Updates on Ian-Nikki Trial, Billy and Victoria, Mariah's Seduction Plan and More". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  18. ↑ Pena, Azalea (August 6, 2014). "'The Young and the Restless' spoilers: Victor's motives discovered by Sharon". Christian Today. Christian Today Limited. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Kaur, Jaskiran (August 18, 2014). "Updates On Chelsea, Billy, Victoria, Hilary, Devon, Mariah, Sharon, Nick And Phyllis". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  20. ↑ "The Truth About Mariah Revealed". Soap Opera Digest (American Media, Inc.). August 25, 2014. ASIN B00MR4N2BQ.
  21. ↑ Pena, Azalea (August 27, 2014). "'The Young and the Restless' spoilers: Phylis wakes from coma, Ian and Mariah disappear, Michael's bizarre behavior". Christian Today. Christian Today Limited. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  22. ↑ Kaur, Jaskiran (September 1, 2014). "Someone Returns Plus Updates On Sharon, Mariah, Nick, Nikki And More". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  23. ↑ Bowe, Jillian (July 16, 2014). "Karina Logue Cast as Helen on The Young and the Restless". Daytime Confidential. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  24. ↑ Young, Candace (August 22, 2014). "Y&R Recap: Painfully Beautiful". SheKnows Soaps. SheKnows Entertainment. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  25. ↑ "The Young and the Restless: The Truth About Mariah Is Revealed!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. August 22, 2014.
  26. 1 2 Giddens, Jamey (February 26, 2015). "Interview: Y&R's Camryn Grimes on "Scream If You Know How To Get Away With The Murder We Committed Last Valentine's Day"". Daytime Confidential. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Thanks a Lot!". CBS Soaps in Depth (Heinrich Bauer Publishing): 67. December 1, 2014.
  28. ↑ "5 Things We're Loving Right Now". CBS Soaps in Depth (Heinrich Bauer Publishing): 31. March 23, 2015.
  29. ↑ Hagey-MacKay, Aaron (August 21, 2014). "Y&R's Big Moment: Sharon and Mariah battle over Nick". Global TV. Shaw Media. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
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