February is a magical month at The Young and the Restless, where both Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott celebrate their anniversaries with the CBS soap opera. Soap Central marked Braeden's anniversary as Victor Newman on February 9, exactly 42 years after he made his on-screen debut, and now we're honoring Scott, who made her debut as Nikki Reed 43 years ago, on February 20, 1979.
Though it seems almost impossible to imagine these days, Scott was actually a recast for the role of Nikki, who was originally portrayed by actress Erica Hope. Despite being a new face, Scott quickly became a hit with viewers, who latched on to the Pretty Woman-esque love story of Nikki, who was an exotic dancer at the Bayou, being whisked into a life of luxury by business magnate Victor. Of course, all of this pre-dated 1990's Pretty Woman, which means Victor and Nikki were the original Edward and Vivian!
Though Nikki is happily with Victor now, her 4.3 decades in Genoa City haven't always been on the arm of the Mustache. She's had many other romantic connections over the years with leading men like Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), Ian Ward (Ray Wise), Andy Richards (Steven Ford), Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck), Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), David Chow (Vincent Irizarry), Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan), and Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman).
Nikki has also tried various careers, from model to pianist to CEO to the aforementioned stripper position. So, she's had lots of love stories and lots of job stories, but one thing she hasn't had?
"A dual role is still elusive to me!" enthuses Scott in an interview with TV Insider. "Any writers listening?!"
Despite not having had the chance to play a twin, Scott is thrilled for the bevy of wonderful material she's been given over the years.
"Y&R continues to be the blessing that was bestowed upon me so many years ago," she shares, giving specific thanks to Y&R creators Bill Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, as well as CBS. "I'm loving growing older in Genoa City!"
Would you like to congratulate Melody Thomas Scott on 43 years at Y&R? What are your favorite memories of the actress' time in Genoa City? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
