Lily Brooks O’Briant opened up about what exactly she needed to do to realistically portray Lucy’s grief, and the responsibility she felt for that portrayal.

The Young and the Restless’ Lily Brooks O’Briant discussed approaching Lucy’s grief.

With the shocking death of Heather on The Young and the Restless comes the sadness and grief of her family. Daniel and Lucy Romalotti are taking it so incredibly hard, and the acting all around has been wonderful. Lucy’s portrayer, Lily Brooks O’Briant, opened up about what fueled her motivation in those heartbreaking scenes of loss.

There Were Many Subtle Layers

Although shocked that Heather was being 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed off, O’Briant told Soap Opera Digest, that sort of thing comes with the soap opera territory. She also had the responsibility as a young actor to portray Lucy’s grief as genuinely possible, remarking, “I found it very important to try to represent that the best way that I could.”

She liked that Lucy was in such denial and kept finding reasons why Heather couldn’t possibly be dead, noting that the many subtle layers there made it “A  fun scene to play.” Along with denial, O’Briant felt that Lucy also had some guilt because she and Heather were having minor conflicts. She noted that as a result, “That’s a really hard place for Lucy to be in because she’s constantly thinking about the what-ifs and what she wishes she could have said to her.” (Take a peek into Graziadei’s downtime.)

They Had Each Other’s Backs

O’Briant was also thankful to have Michael Graziadei (Daniel) there as a scene partner and her on-screen dad. Together, they were able to navigate how Daniel was going to tell Lucy that her mom died, and what Lucy’s reaction would be. “That was really cool, and also, having Graz there to kind of ground me was really good,” she stated.

She further praised Graziadei. “Working with him is such a dream,” and she was thrilled with the resulting scenes. She appreciated his support and felt they were there for one another to get through such an emotional time. Whether or not Heather is truly dead remains to be seen, but for the time being, we’re right there with Lucy, feeling her pain.