Chelsea Lawson | |||||||||||||
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The Young and the Restless character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Melissa Claire Egan | ||||||||||||
Duration | 2011– | ||||||||||||
First appearance | November 11, 2011 | ||||||||||||
Created by | Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer and Scott Hamner | ||||||||||||
Introduced by | Maria Arena Bell | ||||||||||||
Classification | Present, regular | ||||||||||||
Profile | |||||||||||||
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Father | Jeffrey Bardwell |
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Mother | Anita Lawson |
Stepparents | Gloria Abbott Bardwell (2008–09, 2012–) |
Husband |
Adam Newman (2012–13, 2014–16) Dylan McAvoy (2013) |
Sons |
Johnny Abbott Connor Newman |
Uncles |
William Bardwell Ross Bardwell (great) |
Chelsea Lawson is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Portrayed by Melissa Claire Egan, she was created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell and made her debut during the episode airing on November 11, 2011. Egan was said to be joining the soap opera as a mystery woman involved with Billy Abbott (Billy Miller). Egan and Miller previously acted together on the ABC soap opera All My Children.
Initially a con artist and "bad girl", Chelsea has developed into a loving person. She arrived in town revealing that she had become pregnant with Billy's child, later giving up all her parental rights. She then began a romance with Adam Newman (Michael Muhney), which has garnered significant fan attention. Egan's portrayal has garnered a positive response, for which she received Daytime Emmy Award nominations in 2013 and 2014.
In October 2011, it was announced that actress Melissa Claire Egan, previously known for her role as Annie Lavery on ABC's All My Children, had been cast in a contract role named Chelsea. Egan's character was to be "a mysterious woman named Chelsea who is connected to Billy’s arrest in Myanmar". On the topic of Egan working with her former co-star Billy Miller, the actress said: "We are buds from way back, of course, from our days on All My Children, and so we have been hanging out even before I came to Y&R. Now being here with Billy I get to see him double." Egan debuted on November 11, 2011.
Chelsea was originally portrayed as a con artist and bad girl. Egan said that she "knew some people hate her", and she finds Chelsea "fun because she's a con artist".Catherine Bach was cast in the role of Anita Lawson, Chelsea's mother, to "play a vital role in Egan's character storyline". Egan said that "you see where Chelsea gets it from because her mom is a con artist, but way worse than Chelsea", and that "Chelsea has more of a conscience than Anita".Jeffrey Bardwell (Ted Shackelford) was then revealed as Chelsea's father, after which Egan said "it came out of nowhere", though "it’s great to have so many people to be intertwined with, if you will." On the topic of her character's personality, the actress said: "The viewers met Chelsea as a schemester and pregnant with child. She did not have any friends. And now, you will be able to see her personality. We can see her finally in some hot clothes, maybe a skirt, and high heels. She is no longer the beached whale at the bar." In an interview in 2013, Egan stated that she thought Chelsea had "certainly evolved a lot", saying: "Well she’s certainly evolved a lot; I mean she’s done a complete 180 as far as her intentions are. When I started, like you said, she was kind of a con artist, and manipulative, and doing things for money, and you know – completely, kind of not a very good person. But since then, she’s fallen in love, she’s gotten married – she’s gotten divorced! –and experienced life, its highs and lows and ups and downs and learned about family she didn’t know she had. She’s gotten closer to certain members of her family and gained friendships. I don’t think Chelsea was someone who had girlfriends before when she was on the road and cons don’t really have good relationships. So she’s just a better person; a better human being. She’s kind of lived life a little bit and definitely become more of a genuine, well-rounded person."