Daytime fans know Elizabeth Hendrickson as a force of nature in front of the camera. From her early, groundbreaking years playing twins Frankie and Maggie Stone on All My Children to her multi-decade run as Chloe Mitchell on The Young and the Restless, Hendrickson has earned her status as a soap opera MVP. But these days, she is working hard behind the scenes as a director for the hit CBS daytime drama.
During a recent appearance on the CBS series Soapy—a podcast hosted by her longtime friends and former co-stars Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart—Hendrickson opened up about this huge career shift. She admitted that transitioning to the director’s chair has given her a profound new appreciation for the genre that raised her.
A Twist of Fate: The ‘Days’ Deal That Vanished
While Hendrickson’s career may look seamless from the outside, she revealed that several major opportunities came down to last-minute industry decisions.
One of the biggest surprises from her interview was learning that she had been preparing to join Days of Our Lives before the opportunity suddenly vanished.
“I actually almost went to days. I was going to Days,” she recalls.
After her stint at The Young and the Restless, Hendrickson was actively discussing a move to NBC’s daytime drama. But as soap fans know, casting decisions can change in an instant.
“The day that it kind of all fell apart was the day that Frank Valentini called me,” Hendrickson recalled, explaining that the Days opportunity disappeared just as the General Hospital executive producer unexpectedly reached out.
“I think Billy Miller gave him my phone number.”
Instead of heading to Salem, she found herself thrown into the world of Port Charles almost immediately.
“Frank, I cannot play a DA,” Hendrickson remembered telling Valentini.
Despite her hesitation, she accepted the role.
“I ended up doing it, and I remember it was like 75 pages of just court lawyer jargon,” she said. “It was probably one of the hardest weeks of my career.”
Career twists like this are common in daytime television, but how different might Hendrickson’s journey have been if that Days of Our Lives deal had actually happened?
Learning a Whole New Craft at The Young and the Restless
That whirlwind experience at General Hospital feels worlds away from where Hendrickson is today.
Her focus is now on mastering the fast-paced environment of the Young and the Restless control room. Rather than learning in a traditional classroom, she developed her directing skills through observation, hands-on experience, and guidance from veteran director Owen Renfro.
“The biggest thing that I really needed to learn was the technical part,” Hendrickson explained.
Directing a daytime drama requires managing multiple cameras, tracking actor movement, coordinating audio, and processing constant communication from producers. It demands a completely different skill set than acting.
Fortunately, once she became comfortable with the technical side, the process started to feel familiar.
“Once I started to get the technical part down, the more comfortable I felt. It’s a muscle,” she said. “The same muscle that you use with acting, that muscle of memorizing your lines, it gets stronger and stronger.”
The experience has also transformed how she views soap operas.
“I’ve grown to appreciate this genre so much more,” Hendrickson shared. “I wish that I had done this earlier as an actor because I feel like I would have been such a better actor for it. You sit, and you watch them, and you watch how they just dance with cameras. It is so cool.”
Directing Daytime Royalty
Taking a seat in the director’s chair comes with its own challenges, especially when you’re directing actors you’ve admired for years.
For Hendrickson, that reality hit immediately.
“My first script that I got to direct… I directed Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott,” she revealed.
The prospect of giving notes to the performers behind Victor and Nikki Newman was understandably intimidating. Thankfully, the soap icons made the experience unforgettable for all the right reasons.
“They could not have been more gracious, more supportive,” Hendrickson said.
The moment became even more emotional when Braeden offered his encouragement after filming wrapped.
“[Eric] hugged me at the end of it, put my face in his hands, and said how proud he was of me. I cried.”
A New Chapter That Feels Like Home
For now, Hendrickson appears more than happy with her evolving role behind the scenes.
Although she hasn’t ruled out returning to the screen entirely, she joked that she’d love to bring Chloe back for a holiday reunion, especially if Greg Rikaart returned alongside her.
Still, directing is where her passion currently lies.
“I’m feeling very safe right now. I feel really safe here,” Hendrickson said with a smile. “I’m learning so much, and I’m really loving it.”
After nearly two decades in Genoa City, it seems Hendrickson has found another way to leave her mark on daytime television, this time from behind the camera.
Do you think Elizabeth Hendrickson should eventually return as Chloe Mitchell, or would you rather see her continue focusing on directing at The Young and the Restless?
Watch the full interview below!
Photo Credit: CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Why didn’t Elizabeth Hendrickson join Days of Our Lives?
Elizabeth Hendrickson revealed that she was in talks to join Days of Our Lives while on recurring status at The Young and the Restless. However, the deal fell apart unexpectedly. Around the same time, General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini contacted her with an opportunity, leading her to a role on the ABC soap instead.
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