This Thursday, we are starting our new throwback series by revisiting some of our favorite kids and teens of daytime! Join us as we take a look back at three young actors who made a stop in the world of soaps on their road to success. We’ll reintroduce you to their characters and then catch up with what they are doing now!
Photos: CBS
Allie Gorenc –
Allie Gorenc played Sage Snyder on As The World Turns from 2006 to the show’s end in 2010. As the daughter of one of the show’s most problematic supercouples, Jack and Carly, Sage was destined to be involved with some drama. So, when she faked her own kidnapping we didn’t even bat an eye. Just a yep, that makes sense! LOL, She also would fake “dying” to win the Miss Snowflake Pageant. Yep! But her story usually revolved around wanting to see her parents back together and doing whatever it took to make that happen. Good thing for her and us that they reunited just in time for the end of the series!
Photo: Allie Gorenc Instagram
ATWT is the only acting credit to her name, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t done some pretty amazing things. Along with her brothers, she has formed the band GORENC. Even recently trying out for American Idol! They frequently post amazing covers on their YouTube channel which you can check out below.
Photos: ABC
Michael B. Jordan –
Reggie Porter Montgomery, played by Michael B. Jordan from 2003 – 2006, was introduced to the Pine Valley canvas receiving medical treatment at the Front Street Clinic from injuries he sustained in a gang fight. Feeling the heat from the cops, he held Anna Devane hostage including at knifepoint. Janelle who worked at the clinic wanted to help Reggie because she knew he had a rough time of it while growing up. She asked David Hayward to help Reggie when he was accidentally placed in an adult prison and not in a juvenile detention center. David’s brother Trey who had been in the foster care system himself helped Reggie. He got Reggie a job at Fusion and let Reggie move in with him.
It wasn’t long before Reggie’s past showed up in his new life. Gang leader, Luis, threatened Reggie with physical harm if he didn’t help him rob Trey’s very nice place. Reggie succumbed and was subsequently arrested. Trey helped Reggie again when he was arrested. Trey also confided in Reggie that he had burned down Linden House in an effort to show him he wasn’t alone he too had a checkered past. Reggie wanted to drop the dime on Luis about his involvement in the robbery of Trey’s place but Luis threatened Janelle so instead Reggie turned on Trey. He told the DA, Jackson Montgomery, that Trey was the one who had burned down Linden House. Jackson was then named Reggie’s guardian (Trey went to jail) and would eventually adopt him. Given Reggie’s background, he was hesitant and wary of receiving help and assistance from Jackson. It had been hard enough for Reggie to begin to trust Trey and now he would have another “white daddy.” But in time Reggie learned to completely trust, receive and rely on the love not only from Jackson but from Erica and Bianca too. Reggie almost backslid and reverted to his old ways but stood firm and turned his life completely around and became a real member of the Montgomery family.
Reggie took in runaway Danielle, “Dani”, who unknown to him at the time was the Police Chief, Derek Frye’s daughter. Derek wasn’t Team Reggie and initially opposed the pairing. But eventually, he gave the couple his “blessing.” Both of them were virgins and when/if to, become intimate also created problems in the relationship. Dani often kept Reggie at arm’s length. The relationship became very strained and Dani ended up losing her virginity to Josh Madden in a drunken one nightstand. Oh My Goodness. Reggie and Dani broke-up. Reggie moved away to attend college on a basketball scholarship.
Michael B. Jordan was born in Santa Ana, CA. He started his career as a child model before he began acting in 1999 appearing in Cosby and The Sopranos. His first major movie role was in Hardball starring Keanu Reeves. Michael’s resume (starring and guest-starring) is a vast one in television and film; All My Children, The Wire, CSI, Without A Trace, Law & Order, Fright Night Lights, Parenthood, Red Tails, Fantastic Four and Fruitvale Station among others. Without question, Michael’s career really took off in the movie Creed starring as boxer Adonis Creed son of the late Apollo Creed. And then his career skyrocketed with his portrayal of the villain, Erik Killmonger in the blockbuster movie Black Panther. Three years after the original Creed movie, Michael started in the sequel, Creed II. This month Netflix released its superhero science fiction web series, Raising Dion, where Michael stars and shares executive producing credits. Michael’s upcoming projects include; portraying social justice activist, founder/executive, Bryan Stevenson in the movie Jusoldierst Mercy and starring in Without Remorse, based on the book by Tom Clancy, as John Clark, a former Navy SEAL and director of the elite counterterrorism unit Rainbow Six. He’s also slated to appear in the second remake of The Thomas Crown Affair and to star in Journal for Jordan as a soldier who “kept a journal full of poignant life lessons for their newborn son, Jordan, while deployed overseas” to be directed by Denzel Washington.
Photo: CBS
McKenna Grace –
McKenna played Faith, the youngest child of The Young and the Restless’ fan-favorite couple Sharon and Nick Newman from 2013-2014. Since her time on the CBS soap, her star power has shone bright! She has had guest spots on shows like Once Upon a Time, Young Sheldon, and CSI: Cyber. In recent years, she has transitioned to more prominent roles in shows like The Haunting of Hill House, Fuller House, and Designated Survivor. McKenna was able to score parts in Marvel’s Captain Marvel, Annabelle Comes Home, the award-winning I, Tonya, and the upcoming Ghostbuster film! She has also been tapped to star in and co-produce a film adaption of the acclaimed Annie Hartnett novel Rabbit Cake. In which she will be making history as the youngest producer of a studio film surpassing the previous record by Marsai Martin who was only 14 when she executive produced the comedy Little that was released earlier this year. Recently, she’s been dabbling into the world of songwriting on her YouTube channel. HAVE WE MENTIONED SHE IS ONLY 12!! She’s is doing some pretty amazing things, and we can’t wait to see what this former soap star does next!
We want to give a special thank you to @soapfanfiction for giving us this idea for a series. Now, Stephanie didn’t ask me to do this, in fact, she told me she didn’t want me to. However, I must. I was taught and am a firm believer that nobody has to do anything for you. So when they do, you should show your gratitude….so THANK YOU, Stephanie. It was a great idea. And we hope you all (our readers, well really our soap family) enjoy this series as much as we are taking this trip down soap memory lane.
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