It’s time to celebrate as Bryton James hits a huge milestone on The Young and the Restless! It’s crazy to think that he has played the cornerstone character of Devon Hamilton for a whopping twenty years! The actor first arrived in Genoa City on June 1, 2004, and has been shaking up the Winters family ever since. His early storylines were packed with heartache, drama, and angst. However, James never missed delivering the excitement that daytime television fans loved. But what if Bryton’s Hollywood career had taken a different path?
The Young and the Restless actor Bryton James took a trip down memory lane with Soaps.com. James reminisced about the day that changed his life forever, with not one but two big auditions. He revealed, “I remember that day I had a Coca-Cola commercial, a national commercial, and an audition for a soap opera.” And guess what? Byton was in full mood to do the commercial because they paid well.
He was seventeen then and wondered what a soap opera wanted with a kid. Unbeknownst to him, the Daytime soap opera had an amazing plotline waiting for him. The role eventually brought two Daytime Emmys under his belt. Additionally, James thought he did a good job during The Young & the Restless screen test. He recalled, “I felt the most confident after the first audition I had for Y&R with our casting director, Marnie Saitta.” His gut feeling wasn’t lying!
The casting director of The Young and the Restless stopped the scene midway to say a few magic words. Marnie told Bryton, “Finally, someone who reads this role the way it’s meant to be read.” The words meant the world to James, “It gave me all the confidence in the world.” Moreover, the iconic role seemed destined for him, as his screen test partner turned out to be Christel Khalil. She was a former guest star on “Family Matters.”
The Young and the Restless star last saw Christel when they were “nine and ten years old.” Interestingly, the American soap now wanted them to do four scenes together. On top of this, his studio teacher from his eleven years on the ABC sitcom was now in the same position on the CBS daytime show. It was like the universe was telling James he was officially home!
Cut to the present, Bryton is part of the legacy that the Bell family created 51 years ago! He will “never stop trying to make this place proud.” We wish our beloved James a happy 20th anniversary! Meanwhile, keep an eye on Soap Opera Daily to stay abreast with the latest The Young and the Restless celeb updates!
