The Young and the Restless’s Cane & Phyllis vs. Cane & Lily — Billy Flynn Speaks Out! (Excl)

When Cane and Phyllis hooked up on Young and Restless last month, viewers naturally had big reactions to the pair mixing business with pleasure and making their already tense relationship even more complicated. And Soap Opera Digest was curious how Billy Flynn felt about the response to his and Michelle Stafford’s characters hitting the sheets, and got his take on the results of our online poll on that very subject!

Soap Opera Digest: Cane and Phyllis sleeping together got a really big reaction from fans. Did that surprise you?

Billy Flynn: No, I don’t think so. I guess it depends on what boat you’re in, you know? You have one faction of people who want Cane to be with Lily, so I think that was probably a surprise for some people. And then the other side of it, I think a lot of people liked the energy that Phyllis and Cane have together. When it started, I think Cane was entertained by Phyllis. And the chemistry Michelle and I have is really interesting and fun and sort of this playful kind of thing, so it turned into this sort of thing where you don’t really know why they’re doing it or what they’re doing it for. I think both of them have their own little agenda within it, but at the same time, I think they’re having fun. So I don’t know… What was the audience’s reaction?

Digest: Well, funny you should ask! We actually polled our readers to see what they thought. Twelve percent of the respondents said they were on board with a Cane/Phyllis pairing, if only for the mess. What do you think about how messy it could get between these two?

Flynn: Oh yeah, it’s gonna be super-messy [chuckles]! You know, Lily’s gonna be pissed. And I think it’s messy in terms of… at least for Cane, none of this stuff is going the way I think Cane had planned. The thought of somebody who’s carefree and and is this sort of [ticking] time bomb, I think that’s kind of appealing to Cane. But at the same time, he needs something from her. I don’t think Cane quite understands how messy it’s gonna get yet!

Digest: The next most popular response from viewers, getting 18% of the vote, was viewers saying that they thought Cane and Phyllis were hot together and saw some potential. What kind of potential do you think this pairing could have?

Flynn: Oh, I don’t know. With somebody like Phyllis, I think they both have the people that they’re in love with, and I don’t think it’s each other. So, like, long-term potential? I don’t know. It’s just something that’s fun. It’s part of the agenda, but also fun. So I don’t know about potential, but I know Michelle and I have a good time with all of it.

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Phyllis had tried joining forces with Billy and Cane on Young and Restless, but as those alliances have fractured and fallen apart before her eyes, it has become crystal clear to her that the only one she can truly rely on in life is herself. “Hey, listen,” portrayer Michelle Stafford declares to Soap Opera Digest. […]

Digest: A full 21% thought that Cane was too much of a mess to be with anybody right now. Do you agree with that sentiment?

Flynn: Damn, Cane is the mess? I mean, maybe I’m too biased. Maybe I’m too “inside looking out.” Yeah, I can see how the whole situation seems messy. I think there was a plan that Cane had, and nothing’s really gone according to plan, so I guess his whole kind of life is a mess. But I think the agenda is still clear, so maybe that’s why I don’t feel like it’s messy. He’s using his body to get what he wants [laughs]. At this point in time, it’s all he has left!

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When Cane revealed that he was the man behind the mysterious Aristotle Dumas persona on Young and Restless, his plans began to come into focus. But at the same time that he’s making big moves to try and topple the biggest empires in Genoa City, he’s also desperate to reconnect with his ex-wife, Lily (Christel […]

Digest: And then the majority, 49%, wanted Cane back with Lily. How do you feel about those loyal “Lane” fans?

Flynn: I like it. I’m a romantic at heart. I’m on board with the “Lane” fans, and I think that’s the goal. That’s the north star for Cane. You know, I think it is all a mess. I think he’s gotten himself wrapped up in something that he’s not quite sure how he’s going to get out of. But I think in the end, he needs to pray for forgiveness [laughs].

Digest: It must also feel nice, as a recast, to know that the loyal “Lane” fans still want Cane and Lily to be together again, even with someone else in the role.

Flynn: Yeah, that feels really good. I mean, look, I know Daniel [Goddard, ex-Cane] and Christel [Khalil, Lily] made Cane and Lily a really popular pairing. And as someone who came from a popular pairing on another show [Days of Our Lives’s Chad and Abigail], I know what that fan base can mean. But I think much like Conner [Floyd, ex-Chance, Y&R] taking over my part on [DAYS as Chad], I think if you support that couple, you’re supporting it in whatever form you can get it in. You know, with the caveat of, do both the actors have a chemistry, and do they both seem like they’re interested in trying to have the same support for the pairing that the audience does? And with Christel and myself, I think we both do. So it’s like, trying to figure out how do they get back together? Obviously, there’s a new version of Cane and he’s much different than he was. For me, the only thing I can do is sort of portray that no matter what I’m doing, when Lily’s in the room, she’s the only one in the room. And I think if you support “Lane,” then you’re going to eventually kind of pick up on that and start to want to root for that. So I’m with them. I’m a romantic. I want Cane and Lily to ultimately find their way back to each other, and I’m rooting for that to be done in the best, most romantic way possible.