Cane Ashby
Encyclopedia
Ethan "Cane" Ashby is a fictional character
in the American
soap opera
The Young and the Restless
. Daniel Goddard has portrayed the character since his January 12, 2007 debut. The actor was fired in 2011 and rehired that same year after viewers campaigned for his return.
Former head writer and executive producer Lynn Marie Latham
created Cane in a 2007 storyline establishing him as the son of legacy characters, Jill Foster and Phillip Chancellor II. Maria Arena Bell
later rewrote his backstory in 2009 and created a new family around him, casting soap opera veterans Tristan Rogers
and Genie Francis
to portray the characters parents.
Soon after debuting, Cane became a popular leading man, praised by fans and critics. The character's romance with Lily Winters
also gained a large following.
as Brad Snyder (Austin Peck
). Though he was not cast in the part, Barbara Bloom
, the senior vice-president of CBS Daytime, recommended Goddard to The Young and the Restlesss head writer and executive producer Lynn Marie Latham
. After testing for the part of Cane for Latham and casting director Karen Rea, Goddard received the role. The Australian actor auditioned with an American accent, but when the show found out about his Australian background, that influenced Cane's backstory. "The concept of Cane was that he was given away at birth," Goddard said. "So he could have been from Mongolia. It just worked out luckily for me that I was the right person for the job." Since the producers could not understand the actor's real Australian accent, Goddard "Americanized" it while portraying the character.
In 2011, Goddard was fired from the series and the character of Cane was killed off in the February 2 episode. There were rumors that Maria Arena Bell got rid of the character because he was created by her predecessor, Latham. The show denied this. Soap Opera Weekly reported another rumor regarding the firing, saying tension between the actor and his co-stars resulted in Goddard's firing. Cane's death caused a "massive outcry" from viewers. Fans campaigned for the actor's return by sending emails and making phone calls to CBS and Sony. As part of the campaign, a group of viewers paid for a plane to fly over CBS Studios with the message, "Y&R Fans Want Daniel Goddard As Cane Ashby". The plane flew over the building for about an hour. "When they started their campaign to bring Cane back, I wrote on my Facebook page that I never expected this," Goddard said. "I have the greatest fans. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. One of my fans coined Goddard's Family of Fans and that's what it is, GFF." The series rehired Goddard, revealing within the storyline that Cane's death had been faked and his twin brother, Caleb, was the one who died.
's Amber Moore
and the son of Jill Foster Abbott
and Phillip Chancellor II, Phillip Chancellor II.
William J. Bell
created Phillip Chancellor III in 1976. From that point, he stayed a part of the show's storylines until the character was killed off in 1989. In 2007, former head writer Lynn Marie Latham
rewrote the birth of the character by establishing that Katherine Chancellor
(Jeanne Cooper
), Jill's enemy and Phillip II's wife, switched their child with another, hours after his birth. The character was brought back to the show as an adult named Cane Ashby.
Cane debuts as an Australian in search of his birth mother with no knowledge of his true paternity. During that time, Goddard did not want to know the real motives of his character because he did not want that to influence his performance. After the reveal that Jill is Cane's mother came to light, his views changed. "Now, I welcome the information because it adds more color to my portrayal," he said. The initial lack of information made playing Cane difficult since there was an amount of ambiguity over whether he was a good, bad, or in between character. The ambiguity deepened when Goddard read the script revealing that the DNA test performed for Jill and Cane came back negative. "I had never gone to Lynn to ask what's going on," Goddard said. "But I went to her then and said, 'I can play anything I need to, but just answer this one question- am I really Jill's son?' And she said, 'Yes, you are.'" A second test later reflected that. Though the maternity question was cleared up, more ambiguity about Cane's intentions appeared as the character received a phone call from his uncle Langley that hinted towards Cane scheming against Jill and Katherine. The original intent of the call was to show that Cane wanted what was owed to him after being given away. The writers changed directions after the popularity of the character grew. Goddard said he felt the phone call was resolved within the story when Cane sent money to his uncle as part of taking care of him.
The writers detailed Cane as a smart, loyal, and moral survivalist with an edge. They showed that edge during the character's reaction to Amber's betrayal. After that relationship ended, the writers planned on pairing Cane with Michelle Stafford
's Phyllis Summers. A scene aired between the characters in the same episode as Cane and Amber's break up. The popularity of Phyllis with Nicholas Newman
halted the plans for the pairing. Cane was instead written into a romance with Christel Khalil
's Lily Winters
. Viewers felt the character lost some of his edginess when paired with her. "I can say, as an actor, that Cane has lost a certain amount of edge, a certain amount of his dynamic," Goddard said. "But at the same time, it's been replaced with a level of compassion, understanding, tolerance, romance, and love...all the things that daytime is really about at its core."
Goddard compared the romance between Lily and Cane to Lady Chatterley's Lover
since both characters grow and learn from the relationship. The storylines designed for them included the controversy with the gap in the character's ages, a miscarriage, and a quadrangle with Chloe Mitchell
and Billy Abbott
. Within the quadrangle story arc, Chloe tricks Cane into thinking they conceived a child together. To make the story work, the writers scripted Cane as less intelligent, a strategy they used previously with the Amber storyline. To keep the character from looking bad, Goddard said he made acting choices to justify Cane's actions. Despite the lessening of the character's intelligence, Goddard said he liked the story because of the originality of the plot. Love triangles and questioned paternity happen regularly in soap operas, but he felt that head writer Maria Arena Bell
managed to make those conventions fresh and new.
In 2008, Bell took over as head writer of The Young and the Restless. A storyline she readdressed was the phone call Cane received from Langley. In her revised version of the story, Langley is really Phillip Chancellor III, portrayed by Thom Bierdz
. The show kept secrecy around the twist by sneaking Bierdz in to shoot scenes and asked that he not tell anyone of his return. Goddard told Soaps In Depth he liked the story twist because it added another dimension to Cane. "This change will allow another metamorphosis to begin, another development and evolution of Cane..." he said. "Cane has always been a three-dimensional character, but now you will see a fourth dimension, because you will finally find out where he's coming from and who he is."
' nightclub in Genoa City, Wisconsin
. An Australian national, Cane remained in the United States beyond the expiration of his visa, and he was fearful of being deported.
jealous. She later found out that Cane was trying to find his birth mother. He was adopted by a woman named Violet Montgomery, who died shortly after, and then he was raised by Violet's brother, Langley Ashby, who lived in Canberra
, Australia
. At the same time, Amber was also trying to track down Jill Abbott's
lost son, Phillip Chancellor III, who actually was switched with another child by Katherine Chancellor
shortly after his birth in 1975. She realized that Cane might be Jill's son, and she tried to capitalize on that by marrying him. Amber and Cane went to Las Vegas where she got him drunk and tricked him into thinking that they got married. It was revealed in February 2007 that Amber's suspicions of Cane being Jill's son were correct. Jill and Cane shared a tearful reunion. Additionally, the revelation that Cane was the true Phillip Chancellor III prevented his deportation; since he was born in Genoa City, he was a native-born U.S. citizen.
Cane and Amber got used to being married, and they eventually moved onto the Chancellor estate. Kay also offered an executive position to Cane in the construction division of Chancellor Industries, which he happily accepted. Later, Cane got suspicious over his marriage to Amber. He realized that his signature on the wedding certificate did not look like his own, though Amber claimed it was due to how drunk he was that night. After contacting Amber's former mother-in-law, Brooke Logan
, and asking questions about her history with Amber, he eventually realized the truth: the marriage was invalid. Cane wanted nothing to do with Amber, and he claimed that she only ever wanted him for the Chancellor money. Before asking her to sign the papers invalidating their marriage, Cane had sex with Amber and then rejected her, hoping to make her feel his pain. Amber, meanwhile, actually fell in love with Cane during the marriage, and she was devastated at his rejection.
, and he also began a flirtation with A.D.A. Heather Stevens
. Cane and Heather mutually decided to be just friends, citing no chemistry as the reason. Cane did feel the chemistry with Lily though, and he want to romantically pursue her. When he found out how much younger she was compared to him, he decided against romancing her. The two continued to be drawn to each other until they decided to not let their age gap be an issue for them. Cane and Lily started dating, despite Lily's father, Neil Winters' disapproval. Cane planned to move into a condo when he found out that Lily was planning to move out of her house as well. Cane wanted to ask Lily to move in with him, but he was skeptical about Neil's approval. During this time, Lily became pregnant with Cane's child, but she miscarried early on. Cane and Lily continued to see each other, and they each professed their love for one another on several occasions. They were in a committed relationship and started living together in the house that Cane bought for them. In August 2008, Cane proposed to Lily by giving her a fortune cookie with a ring inside, and Lily accepted.
's car. Chloe took advantage of the situation by tricking Cane into believing that they had sex. Even though Chloe was pregnant before pulling her scheme, a DNA test showed that Cane was not excluded as the father of her child, much to her enjoyment and Cane and Lily's horror. Upon this revelation, Lily moved out of the house.
In early October Cane met his half-brother, Billy Abbott
, who returned to Genoa City to work at his family's company, Jabot, while keeping contact with House of Kim, where he worked overseas, via satellite. Because Cane might have been the father of Chloe's baby, Lily urged Cane to marry Chloe to be there for his child. In September 2008, it was revealed that Chloe lied about her identity all along. Her real name was Kate Valentine, and she was in fact the daughter of Katherine Chancellor's longtime maid, Esther Valentine
. This revelation enraged Cane, who realized that Chloe lied to him since the start of the whole fiasco. Jill urged Cane to consider getting a good lawyer with the ultimate goal of getting an annulment from Chloe.
Cane began to grow closer to Chloe over the prospect of them having the baby. After a fight between Chloe and Lily, which resulting in Chloe falling from a ladder, he made it clear to Lily that Chloe and the baby were his first priority. Lily agreed that that was where his priorities should be, and she told both Cane and Chloe that she would keep her distance. While Chloe was in the hospital because of the fall from the ladder, Billy found out that he was the father of her baby, not Cane. Billy decided to let Cane raise his baby because he did not think that he was father material. Lily then became intrigued by a mystery man online by the name of Sonny, who just happened to be Billy.
Billy also later took over Jabot in a coup ran by his brother, Jack Abbott
, and he ousted Cane out. Lily fell for Billy, and they had an affair. Billy questioned Chloe about the paternity of the baby, and he calculated that the baby was his from the timing of their first meeting. However, he kept it a secret to everyone except his brother, Jack. He wanted Lily, and he decided to forget Chloe and let Cane raise his child since he was the better man. Cane and Chloe become more of a family discussing the baby's nursery. However, Cane was not aware that Chloe fantasized about Billy and their baby on a regular basis.
Cane planned to stay in the family that he created with Chloe, despite his love for Lily. Lily pushed Billy and Chloe to tell Cane the truth. Chloe eventually did, but Cane decided to fight for custody of Delia, who he claimed as his own, threatening both Chloe and Billy as to their parental rights and qualifications. Cane asked Lily to marry him, and she accepted, yet he still intended to fight Billy for paternal rights to Delia.
, who was Phillip's wife at the time of his supposed death, began a background research on Cane, as part of her efforts to adapt Katherine's memoir into a screenplay. Her suspicions about Cane continued to grow, and she eventually ordered the exhumation of Phillip's body for genetic testing. When it was discovered that Phillip's casket is empty, and, in fact, never contained a corpse at all, Nina demanded that Cane submit to DNA testing to verify his status as Jill's biological son. Upon learning of Nina's demand, Cane retrieved a vial of blood marked "Langley" from a carousel of vials that he hid in a freezer for use in DNA testing.
On July 2, 2009, Detective Paul Williams
revealed to Nina that the blood given for the test to confirm Cane's identity had blood cells which had burst, meaning that it had been at one time frozen. When confronted, Cane revealed that he was not actually Phillip Chancellor III. Everyone was furious, except for Katherine, who simply wanted to know why he had tricked them all. When asked why he did it, the real Phillip appeared before Cane to answer the question. Lily and Cane then broke up after Lily found out that Cane lied about being Jill's son and pretending to fathered Chloe's baby in order to continue with the ruse.
, a friend of Lily's, agreed to act as their surrogate, and she became pregnant with Lily and Cane's twins. Soon after, Cane got arrested by an immigration officer, who planned to deport him, now that the news was out that he was not Phillip Chancellor III.
Despite all of that, Cane was there for the birth of his and Lily's twins, Charlie and Mattie, who were born on June 25, 2010. He also remained determined to help Lily overcome her cancer, so they could both be there for each other and their children. Cane was overjoyed when Traci Abbott Connolly, Colleen Carlton's
mother, agreed to be the twins' godmother. Lily and Colleen were best friends, and Colleen had fatally drowned just a few weeks before, leaving Lily beside herself. Cane became a rock for Lily as she overcame her cancer. Soon, they began living a happy life with the twins.
, Malcolm Winter's
fiancée. Malcolm was Lily's biological father, although his brother, Neil, raised Lily as his own daughter. In addition, Cane's birth father, Colin Atkinson came to town to help Blake, the leading person blackmailing Cane. Soon, Colin, without telling anyone that he was Cane's father, began romancing Jill Abbott Fenmore
. Despite Jill and Cane's lack of a blood or legal relationship, Cane did not want Colin to go anywhere near her. Quickly, Colin and Jill became engaged, and at the same time, Tucker discovered the embezzlement and fired both Cane and Sofia from his company. Lily confronted Cane about what was going on, and he came clean to her, except for the truth about Colin being his father. He tried to convince her and the kids to skip town with him, but Lily adamantly refused, saying that Cane needed to own up to his problems. Lily then kicked him out of their home.
The evening that Jill and Colin were to be married, Cane was shot by Blake in the chest after they engage in a fight on the steps of the church. Cane was there to try to stop Jill from marrying his father. Colin originally ordered Blake to make sure that Cane didn't interfere with the wedding, but Blake took matters into his own hands. Then, Blake fell down the stairs of the church, and he broke his own neck. Cane was alive for a few moments, and but then he was pronounced dead by a paramedic with Jill, Colin and Lily all crying over his body.
After Cane's death, Colin and Jill's marriage seemed to be going on fine. Colin admitted to Jill that his daughter, and Cane's sister, Samantha, was also shot to death back in Australia. He thought that this thought would help console Jill over Cane's death. Colin was also comforting a distraught Lily. Interestingly enough, Lily became involved in a number of mysterious events that seem to involve Cane. For example, after her ex-husband, Daniel Romalotti Jr. visited, and Lily kissed him goodbye, Lily got a text message suggesting that it was too soon for her to be kissing other men. Lily then found a message written on the condensation of her window. A number of these moments led Lily to believe in an afterlife in which Cane was communicating something to her. Her aunt, Olivia Winters
, her dad, Neil Winters
, and Daniel, all suggested several times that Lily should see a psychiatrist, and Lily reluctantly agreed.
However, soon Lily saw Cane again, but this time after he vanished, there were actual footprints left in the ground. She began to see Cane more often, and on May 18, 2011, the twins' eyes followed Cane in the room. She began to realize that Cane might not be a figment of her imagination. On May 23, 2011, it was revealed that the character was not actually Cane, but Cane's identical twin brother, Caleb Atkinson, and he was plotting to help his father, Colin, take the twins away from Lily and take them to Australia to raise them as Atkinsons. However, Caleb and Colin's plan seemed to be going in the wrong direction as Lily ended up admitting to her father that she was losing her mind, and she admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital.
Then, Caleb and Cane's mother and Colin's ex-wife, Genevieve Atkinson, came to Genoa City to help with Caleb's plans. However, it appeared that Caleb was actually against his father's plans, as he confided to his mother about what was going on. It was then revealed that Caleb was actually the real Cane. Back in February, Caleb Atkinson came to Genoa City to help Colin. The night Cane was shot, it was actually Caleb who died. Cane was now alive and well and pretending to be Caleb, all the while trying to protect Lily and the twins from Colin. The night that Colin tried to put his plan into action, Cane sabotaged him and saved his babies and Lily. Eventually, Colin found himself hanging from a balcony of Genevieve's home, and Genevieve didn't hesitate to push him off, leaving him badly injured. When Lily found out that Cane was really alive and lying about his death the entire time, she could not forgive him and refused to let him near the twins.
Cane decided to stay in Genoa City to further protect Lily, although she didn't want him to, as long as his parents were still in town. Colin was arrested for trying to kidnap his grandchildren, but he was given diplomatic immunity and was free to roam Genoa City after he was released from the hospital. Also, Genevieve bought the McMillan Estate from Gloria Bardwell
, showing Cane and Colin that she had no plans of leaving herself. Cane got his old job back as a bartender at Jimmy's Bar, and he had the misfortune of being at work while Lily came in with her ex-husband, Daniel Romalotti, and on July 7, 2011, the two kissed as Cane looked on. Jill began to warm up to Cane, who apologized to her several times for making her believe that he was dead. He consoled her over her heartache over Colin.
After realizing that no one wanted him near them anymore, a distraught Cane decided to move back home to Australia, because that was what he thought that everyone wanted. When Lily found out that Cane was planning on leaving, she began to have second thoughts. After several of her friends told her that her twins needed their father, Lily found Cane at the airport, with the twins in tow, and the family of four reunited. Still, Lily made it clear to Cane that she still did not want to be involved with him, and she was only giving him a chance on behalf of their children. When Daniel found out that Lily was talking to Cane again, he tattled on her to her father, which angered Lily, causing her to lash out at Daniel and tell him to stay away from her. More and more, Lily warmed up to Cane, letting him come to their home again to visit the children and go on family outings with them.
Just as things started to get better with Lily and the twins, Cane found out that Katherine Chancellor
had suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Katherine was like a grandmother to Cane, and he visited her while she was unconscious at the hospital, continuing to be a support system for Jill, although she had recently reconnected with Colin after he filed for divorce from Genevieve. As Cane was leaving the hospital, he saw someone who looked like Billy Abbott
taking off a surgical mask and leaving the hospital in another elevator. Cane followed the Billy look-alike back to a trailer, and he discovered that it really was Billy. A few months before, Billy left town to go to Hong Kong after both of his children, Delia and Lucy Abbott, were taken from him in separate custody battles, and he and his wife, Victoria Newman Abbott
, were experiencing subsequent marital strife. When Delia was diagnosed with leukemia, Victor Newman
found Billy in jail in Hong Kong and brought him back to Genoa City to see if he was a bone marrow match for his daughter. Upon agreeing to accept Victor's help, Billy made a deal with him: 1) he had to keep his return a secret, 2) he had to leave as soon as he was finished helping his daughter, and 3) he could not go near his wife and Victor's daughter, Victoria, ever again. Therefore, Cane was there first person to unintentionally discover Billy's return.
praised the story as "a riveting tale". TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco found the story unrealistic, but praised the addition of Goddard and Cane to the series. "A few eyebrows were raised when The Young and the Restless decided to rewrite history by bringing in Daniel Goddard to play Jill's 'real' son, Phillip Chancellor," Branco said. "But as romantic rogue Cane Ashby, the talented newcomer seduced us into suspending our disbelief- for now!" Soon after the character's introduction, Cane and Goddard became popular among viewers and gained praise from critics. He also became part of a successful pairing with Lily Winters, which gained "a very vocal, and loyal fan base".
In 2009, Maria Arena Bell altered Cane's backstory by revealing that Cane is not really Jill's son and was sent by the real Phillip Chancellor III to take care of his family. Soap Opera Weekly's
Janet Di Lauro commended the change. "This story also breathes new life into Cane, who was becoming increasingly dull as a whitewashed, pompous do-gooder," she said. "Suddenly, he has his edge back." Soap Opera Digest gave the story a thumbs up and a thumbs down because, though it was an exciting twist, it happened too closely with the other Chancellor family rewrite undoing the mother and daughter relationship between Jill and Katherine. The magazine later named the story "Most Preposterous Plot Twist" of 2009 because the rewrite "was way out of sync with Y&R's usual authentic approach to storytelling."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
. Daniel Goddard has portrayed the character since his January 12, 2007 debut. The actor was fired in 2011 and rehired that same year after viewers campaigned for his return.
Former head writer and executive producer Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the short-lived series Berrenger's in 1985...
created Cane in a 2007 storyline establishing him as the son of legacy characters, Jill Foster and Phillip Chancellor II. Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is currently the Head Writer and Executive Producer of CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless.-Personal:...
later rewrote his backstory in 2009 and created a new family around him, casting soap opera veterans Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
and Genie Francis
Genie Francis
Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless...
to portray the characters parents.
Soon after debuting, Cane became a popular leading man, praised by fans and critics. The character's romance with Lily Winters
Lily Winters
Lily Winters Ashby is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Starting off as a rebellious yet naive teenager, the character became one of the series' popular heroines. Stories centered around Lily included the mystery of her paternity and social issue...
also gained a large following.
Casting
In 2007, Daniel Goddard debuted on The Young and the Restless as Cane Ashby, an Australian bartender in search of his birth family. Goddard originally auditioned for a role on As the World TurnsAs the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
as Brad Snyder (Austin Peck
Austin Peck
Jeffrey Austin Peck known professionally as Austin Peck, is an American actor. He is best known for his work in daytime soap operas.- Personal life :...
). Though he was not cast in the part, Barbara Bloom
Barbara Bloom
Barbara Bloom is an American writer and TV programming executive. She earned a bachelor of science degree in theater from Skidmore College.-Career:...
, the senior vice-president of CBS Daytime, recommended Goddard to The Young and the Restlesss head writer and executive producer Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the short-lived series Berrenger's in 1985...
. After testing for the part of Cane for Latham and casting director Karen Rea, Goddard received the role. The Australian actor auditioned with an American accent, but when the show found out about his Australian background, that influenced Cane's backstory. "The concept of Cane was that he was given away at birth," Goddard said. "So he could have been from Mongolia. It just worked out luckily for me that I was the right person for the job." Since the producers could not understand the actor's real Australian accent, Goddard "Americanized" it while portraying the character.
In 2011, Goddard was fired from the series and the character of Cane was killed off in the February 2 episode. There were rumors that Maria Arena Bell got rid of the character because he was created by her predecessor, Latham. The show denied this. Soap Opera Weekly reported another rumor regarding the firing, saying tension between the actor and his co-stars resulted in Goddard's firing. Cane's death caused a "massive outcry" from viewers. Fans campaigned for the actor's return by sending emails and making phone calls to CBS and Sony. As part of the campaign, a group of viewers paid for a plane to fly over CBS Studios with the message, "Y&R Fans Want Daniel Goddard As Cane Ashby". The plane flew over the building for about an hour. "When they started their campaign to bring Cane back, I wrote on my Facebook page that I never expected this," Goddard said. "I have the greatest fans. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. One of my fans coined Goddard's Family of Fans and that's what it is, GFF." The series rehired Goddard, revealing within the storyline that Cane's death had been faked and his twin brother, Caleb, was the one who died.
Writing and portrayal
Goddard described Cane as a "typical Australian, working-class kind of guy who mined opals, raised goats, then went off for travel and adventure to sort of find himself." The character's initial story positioned him as the love interest of Adrienne FrantzAdrienne Frantz
Adrienne Danielle Frantz is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is known for her role as Amber Moore in The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless .-Career:First breaking into the soap opera genre in 1997 as Tiffany Thorne on Sunset Beach, Frantz left the show...
's Amber Moore
Amber Moore
Ambrosia "Amber" Moore is a fictional character on the CBS soap operas The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless played by actress Adrienne Frantz who debuted on July 18, 1997 on The Bold and the Beautiful where she stayed until April 14, 2005...
and the son of Jill Foster Abbott
Jill Foster Abbott
Jill Abbott Fenmore is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. She is one of the series' original characters, and the only one remaining from its debut in March 1973...
and Phillip Chancellor II, Phillip Chancellor II.
William J. Bell
William J. Bell
William J. Bell was the creator and executive producer of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.-Personal life:...
created Phillip Chancellor III in 1976. From that point, he stayed a part of the show's storylines until the character was killed off in 1989. In 2007, former head writer Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the short-lived series Berrenger's in 1985...
rewrote the birth of the character by establishing that Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor Murphy is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
(Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper , best known as Jeanne Cooper, is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
), Jill's enemy and Phillip II's wife, switched their child with another, hours after his birth. The character was brought back to the show as an adult named Cane Ashby.
Cane debuts as an Australian in search of his birth mother with no knowledge of his true paternity. During that time, Goddard did not want to know the real motives of his character because he did not want that to influence his performance. After the reveal that Jill is Cane's mother came to light, his views changed. "Now, I welcome the information because it adds more color to my portrayal," he said. The initial lack of information made playing Cane difficult since there was an amount of ambiguity over whether he was a good, bad, or in between character. The ambiguity deepened when Goddard read the script revealing that the DNA test performed for Jill and Cane came back negative. "I had never gone to Lynn to ask what's going on," Goddard said. "But I went to her then and said, 'I can play anything I need to, but just answer this one question- am I really Jill's son?' And she said, 'Yes, you are.'" A second test later reflected that. Though the maternity question was cleared up, more ambiguity about Cane's intentions appeared as the character received a phone call from his uncle Langley that hinted towards Cane scheming against Jill and Katherine. The original intent of the call was to show that Cane wanted what was owed to him after being given away. The writers changed directions after the popularity of the character grew. Goddard said he felt the phone call was resolved within the story when Cane sent money to his uncle as part of taking care of him.
The writers detailed Cane as a smart, loyal, and moral survivalist with an edge. They showed that edge during the character's reaction to Amber's betrayal. After that relationship ended, the writers planned on pairing Cane with Michelle Stafford
Michelle Stafford
Michelle Stafford is an American actress, best known for her role as Phyllis Summers on The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
's Phyllis Summers. A scene aired between the characters in the same episode as Cane and Amber's break up. The popularity of Phyllis with Nicholas Newman
Nicholas Newman
Nicholas Christian "Nick" Newman is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by American actor Joshua Morrow since 1994, but was earlier portrayed by various child actors, including John Nelson-Alden, a son of the show's former writer, Kay...
halted the plans for the pairing. Cane was instead written into a romance with Christel Khalil
Christel Khalil
Christel Adnana Khalil is an American actress.-Career:Khalil is best known for her role as Lily Ashby on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She played the role from August 15, 2002 until September 2, 2005. Soon after she left the soap, Khalil was replaced by Davetta Sherwood...
's Lily Winters
Lily Winters
Lily Winters Ashby is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Starting off as a rebellious yet naive teenager, the character became one of the series' popular heroines. Stories centered around Lily included the mystery of her paternity and social issue...
. Viewers felt the character lost some of his edginess when paired with her. "I can say, as an actor, that Cane has lost a certain amount of edge, a certain amount of his dynamic," Goddard said. "But at the same time, it's been replaced with a level of compassion, understanding, tolerance, romance, and love...all the things that daytime is really about at its core."
Goddard compared the romance between Lily and Cane to Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1928. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy with assistance from Pino Orioli; it could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960...
since both characters grow and learn from the relationship. The storylines designed for them included the controversy with the gap in the character's ages, a miscarriage, and a quadrangle with Chloe Mitchell
Chloe Mitchell
Chloe Mitchell is a fictional character on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. She was first portrayed by a set of twins, Darla and Sandra Greer, from 1990 to 1991, and briefly by Danielle Ryah in 1994...
and Billy Abbott
Billy Abbott
William "Billy" Abbott is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. He is portrayed by Billy Miller as of September 19, 2008; other actors that have played the part include a set of child actors, and three contract actors: David Tom, Ryan Brown and Scott Seymour...
. Within the quadrangle story arc, Chloe tricks Cane into thinking they conceived a child together. To make the story work, the writers scripted Cane as less intelligent, a strategy they used previously with the Amber storyline. To keep the character from looking bad, Goddard said he made acting choices to justify Cane's actions. Despite the lessening of the character's intelligence, Goddard said he liked the story because of the originality of the plot. Love triangles and questioned paternity happen regularly in soap operas, but he felt that head writer Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is currently the Head Writer and Executive Producer of CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless.-Personal:...
managed to make those conventions fresh and new.
In 2008, Bell took over as head writer of The Young and the Restless. A storyline she readdressed was the phone call Cane received from Langley. In her revised version of the story, Langley is really Phillip Chancellor III, portrayed by Thom Bierdz
Thom Bierdz
Thom Bierdz is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Phillip Chancellor III on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless, appearing from 1986 to 1989, returning for a "dream sequence" in 2004, and in a surprising twist, returned to the role in May 2009.-Phillip Chancellor...
. The show kept secrecy around the twist by sneaking Bierdz in to shoot scenes and asked that he not tell anyone of his return. Goddard told Soaps In Depth he liked the story twist because it added another dimension to Cane. "This change will allow another metamorphosis to begin, another development and evolution of Cane..." he said. "Cane has always been a three-dimensional character, but now you will see a fourth dimension, because you will finally find out where he's coming from and who he is."
Arrival in Genoa City
In January 2007, Cane was a bartender at Indigo, Neil WintersNeil Winters
Neil Winters is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Kristoff St. John since his first appearance in January 1991...
' nightclub in Genoa City, Wisconsin
Genoa City (fictional city)
Genoa City, Wisconsin is the fictional setting for the long-running American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The real U.S. village of the same name is otherwise unlike and unrelated to the mid-size city depicted in the series.- Overview :...
. An Australian national, Cane remained in the United States beyond the expiration of his visa, and he was fearful of being deported.
Romance with Amber Moore and Search for Birth Mother
Shortly thereafter, he became involved with Amber Moore, who first used him to make Adrian KorbelAdrian Korbel
Professor Adrian Korbel is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by American actor Eyal Podell from September 18, 2006 until August 5, 2008.-Character's background:...
jealous. She later found out that Cane was trying to find his birth mother. He was adopted by a woman named Violet Montgomery, who died shortly after, and then he was raised by Violet's brother, Langley Ashby, who lived in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At the same time, Amber was also trying to track down Jill Abbott's
Jill Foster Abbott
Jill Abbott Fenmore is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. She is one of the series' original characters, and the only one remaining from its debut in March 1973...
lost son, Phillip Chancellor III, who actually was switched with another child by Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor Murphy is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
shortly after his birth in 1975. She realized that Cane might be Jill's son, and she tried to capitalize on that by marrying him. Amber and Cane went to Las Vegas where she got him drunk and tricked him into thinking that they got married. It was revealed in February 2007 that Amber's suspicions of Cane being Jill's son were correct. Jill and Cane shared a tearful reunion. Additionally, the revelation that Cane was the true Phillip Chancellor III prevented his deportation; since he was born in Genoa City, he was a native-born U.S. citizen.
Cane and Amber got used to being married, and they eventually moved onto the Chancellor estate. Kay also offered an executive position to Cane in the construction division of Chancellor Industries, which he happily accepted. Later, Cane got suspicious over his marriage to Amber. He realized that his signature on the wedding certificate did not look like his own, though Amber claimed it was due to how drunk he was that night. After contacting Amber's former mother-in-law, Brooke Logan
Brooke Logan
Brooke Logan Forrester is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. She has been portrayed by Katherine Kelly Lang since the series debuted in March 1987, although Catherine Hickland and Sandra Ferguson briefly filled in on two occasions when Lang was on...
, and asking questions about her history with Amber, he eventually realized the truth: the marriage was invalid. Cane wanted nothing to do with Amber, and he claimed that she only ever wanted him for the Chancellor money. Before asking her to sign the papers invalidating their marriage, Cane had sex with Amber and then rejected her, hoping to make her feel his pain. Amber, meanwhile, actually fell in love with Cane during the marriage, and she was devastated at his rejection.
Romance with Lily Winters
In September 2007, Cane shared a kiss with the recently-divorced Lily WintersLily Winters
Lily Winters Ashby is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Starting off as a rebellious yet naive teenager, the character became one of the series' popular heroines. Stories centered around Lily included the mystery of her paternity and social issue...
, and he also began a flirtation with A.D.A. Heather Stevens
Heather Stevens
Heather Stevens is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She was born onscreen in 1979 as the daughter of Paul Williams and April Stevens....
. Cane and Heather mutually decided to be just friends, citing no chemistry as the reason. Cane did feel the chemistry with Lily though, and he want to romantically pursue her. When he found out how much younger she was compared to him, he decided against romancing her. The two continued to be drawn to each other until they decided to not let their age gap be an issue for them. Cane and Lily started dating, despite Lily's father, Neil Winters' disapproval. Cane planned to move into a condo when he found out that Lily was planning to move out of her house as well. Cane wanted to ask Lily to move in with him, but he was skeptical about Neil's approval. During this time, Lily became pregnant with Cane's child, but she miscarried early on. Cane and Lily continued to see each other, and they each professed their love for one another on several occasions. They were in a committed relationship and started living together in the house that Cane bought for them. In August 2008, Cane proposed to Lily by giving her a fortune cookie with a ring inside, and Lily accepted.
Involvement with Chloe Mitchell
Cane spent an evening drinking with an old friend from Australia, and he ended up getting drunk and passing out in Chloe MitchellChloe Mitchell
Chloe Mitchell is a fictional character on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. She was first portrayed by a set of twins, Darla and Sandra Greer, from 1990 to 1991, and briefly by Danielle Ryah in 1994...
's car. Chloe took advantage of the situation by tricking Cane into believing that they had sex. Even though Chloe was pregnant before pulling her scheme, a DNA test showed that Cane was not excluded as the father of her child, much to her enjoyment and Cane and Lily's horror. Upon this revelation, Lily moved out of the house.
In early October Cane met his half-brother, Billy Abbott
Billy Abbott
William "Billy" Abbott is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. He is portrayed by Billy Miller as of September 19, 2008; other actors that have played the part include a set of child actors, and three contract actors: David Tom, Ryan Brown and Scott Seymour...
, who returned to Genoa City to work at his family's company, Jabot, while keeping contact with House of Kim, where he worked overseas, via satellite. Because Cane might have been the father of Chloe's baby, Lily urged Cane to marry Chloe to be there for his child. In September 2008, it was revealed that Chloe lied about her identity all along. Her real name was Kate Valentine, and she was in fact the daughter of Katherine Chancellor's longtime maid, Esther Valentine
Esther Valentine
Esther Valentine is a fictional character on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actress Kate Linder since April 1982...
. This revelation enraged Cane, who realized that Chloe lied to him since the start of the whole fiasco. Jill urged Cane to consider getting a good lawyer with the ultimate goal of getting an annulment from Chloe.
Cane began to grow closer to Chloe over the prospect of them having the baby. After a fight between Chloe and Lily, which resulting in Chloe falling from a ladder, he made it clear to Lily that Chloe and the baby were his first priority. Lily agreed that that was where his priorities should be, and she told both Cane and Chloe that she would keep her distance. While Chloe was in the hospital because of the fall from the ladder, Billy found out that he was the father of her baby, not Cane. Billy decided to let Cane raise his baby because he did not think that he was father material. Lily then became intrigued by a mystery man online by the name of Sonny, who just happened to be Billy.
Billy also later took over Jabot in a coup ran by his brother, Jack Abbott
Jack Abbott (Y&R)
John "Jack" Abbott Jr. is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The character is the oldest son of the Abbotts, one of the core families that was introduced to the show in 1980. Terry Lester played Jack from June 1980 until September 1989, when he resigned from the...
, and he ousted Cane out. Lily fell for Billy, and they had an affair. Billy questioned Chloe about the paternity of the baby, and he calculated that the baby was his from the timing of their first meeting. However, he kept it a secret to everyone except his brother, Jack. He wanted Lily, and he decided to forget Chloe and let Cane raise his child since he was the better man. Cane and Chloe become more of a family discussing the baby's nursery. However, Cane was not aware that Chloe fantasized about Billy and their baby on a regular basis.
The Birth of Cordelia Abbott
Cane discovered that Lily and Billy were on their way to a Valentine's Day rendezvous in the mountains. He was upset, and he started reminiscing over his and Lily's love affair. He started to panic, and he rushed to the Cabin to stop them and tell Lily that he loved her. Chloe arrived at the cabin just as Billy told Lily that he fathered Chloe's baby. Then, Chloe went into labor, and Billy and Lily helped her deliver the baby. Cane arrived and professed his love for Lily just as the baby was born. She was given the name Cordelia Katherine Valentine Ashby, or Delia for short.Cane planned to stay in the family that he created with Chloe, despite his love for Lily. Lily pushed Billy and Chloe to tell Cane the truth. Chloe eventually did, but Cane decided to fight for custody of Delia, who he claimed as his own, threatening both Chloe and Billy as to their parental rights and qualifications. Cane asked Lily to marry him, and she accepted, yet he still intended to fight Billy for paternal rights to Delia.
Reunion with Lily
At Lily's urging, Cane decided to drop the paternity suit. He declared his love for Lily again, and they got married. Following the wedding, Cane recalled his telephone conversation years earlier with a man named "Langley", regarding their joint plan to con Jill and Katherine. The man bore a startling resemblance to the supposedly deceased Phillip Chancellor III. On June 10, 2009, it was revealed that "Langley" is indeed Phillip, and that he was still very much alive, unknown to everyone except Cane. Therefore, Cane was not really Jill's son.Return of Phillip Chancellor III
Nina Webster ChancellorNina Webster
Nina Webster is a fictional character on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, played by American actress Tricia Cast from June 26, 1986 to February 1, 2001, as a guest star from November 14 to November 20, 2008, and returned on a regular basis on May 1, 2009. Cast won a Daytime Emmy Award...
, who was Phillip's wife at the time of his supposed death, began a background research on Cane, as part of her efforts to adapt Katherine's memoir into a screenplay. Her suspicions about Cane continued to grow, and she eventually ordered the exhumation of Phillip's body for genetic testing. When it was discovered that Phillip's casket is empty, and, in fact, never contained a corpse at all, Nina demanded that Cane submit to DNA testing to verify his status as Jill's biological son. Upon learning of Nina's demand, Cane retrieved a vial of blood marked "Langley" from a carousel of vials that he hid in a freezer for use in DNA testing.
On July 2, 2009, Detective Paul Williams
Paul Williams (Y&R)
Paul Williams is a fictional character on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Doug Davidson since his first appearance in May 1978. A mainstay on the series continuously for more than 30 years, no male character has appeared on Y&R more frequently than...
revealed to Nina that the blood given for the test to confirm Cane's identity had blood cells which had burst, meaning that it had been at one time frozen. When confronted, Cane revealed that he was not actually Phillip Chancellor III. Everyone was furious, except for Katherine, who simply wanted to know why he had tricked them all. When asked why he did it, the real Phillip appeared before Cane to answer the question. Lily and Cane then broke up after Lily found out that Cane lied about being Jill's son and pretending to fathered Chloe's baby in order to continue with the ruse.
Lily's Cancer Diagnosis and the Birth of the Twins
Lily was then diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her uterus was taken out during a surgery to remove the cancer, but the doctor was able to harvest two of her eggs. Lily reunited with Cane while continuing with cancer treatment. They decided to continue their plan in starting a family, and they pursued surrogacy options. Mackenzie BrowningMackenzie Browning
Mackenzie Hellstrom is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, introduced in 1999 as a part of the new teen scene and revealed to be the granddaughter of wealthy businesswoman Katherine Chancellor.-Casting:Ashley Bashioum, the actress that played the role for the...
, a friend of Lily's, agreed to act as their surrogate, and she became pregnant with Lily and Cane's twins. Soon after, Cane got arrested by an immigration officer, who planned to deport him, now that the news was out that he was not Phillip Chancellor III.
Despite all of that, Cane was there for the birth of his and Lily's twins, Charlie and Mattie, who were born on June 25, 2010. He also remained determined to help Lily overcome her cancer, so they could both be there for each other and their children. Cane was overjoyed when Traci Abbott Connolly, Colleen Carlton's
Colleen Carlton
Colleen Cecile Carlton is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. She was last portrayed by Tammin Sursok, who joined the cast on July 30, 2007 and departed on October 5, 2009...
mother, agreed to be the twins' godmother. Lily and Colleen were best friends, and Colleen had fatally drowned just a few weeks before, leaving Lily beside herself. Cane became a rock for Lily as she overcame her cancer. Soon, they began living a happy life with the twins.
Arrival of Colin and Genevieve Atkinson
Weeks into Lily's remission, Cane began to be blackmailed by the crime family he turned in while in Australia. Cane embezzled money from Tucker McCall's company with the reluctant assistance of Sofia DupreSofia Dupre
Sofia Dupre is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless originated by actress Julia Pace Mitchell on July 20, 2010.-Character History:...
, Malcolm Winter's
Malcolm Winters
Malcolm Winters is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Shemar Moore from May 1994 to February 14, 2002 and from November 1, 2004 to September 1, 2005...
fiancée. Malcolm was Lily's biological father, although his brother, Neil, raised Lily as his own daughter. In addition, Cane's birth father, Colin Atkinson came to town to help Blake, the leading person blackmailing Cane. Soon, Colin, without telling anyone that he was Cane's father, began romancing Jill Abbott Fenmore
Jill Foster Abbott
Jill Abbott Fenmore is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. She is one of the series' original characters, and the only one remaining from its debut in March 1973...
. Despite Jill and Cane's lack of a blood or legal relationship, Cane did not want Colin to go anywhere near her. Quickly, Colin and Jill became engaged, and at the same time, Tucker discovered the embezzlement and fired both Cane and Sofia from his company. Lily confronted Cane about what was going on, and he came clean to her, except for the truth about Colin being his father. He tried to convince her and the kids to skip town with him, but Lily adamantly refused, saying that Cane needed to own up to his problems. Lily then kicked him out of their home.
The evening that Jill and Colin were to be married, Cane was shot by Blake in the chest after they engage in a fight on the steps of the church. Cane was there to try to stop Jill from marrying his father. Colin originally ordered Blake to make sure that Cane didn't interfere with the wedding, but Blake took matters into his own hands. Then, Blake fell down the stairs of the church, and he broke his own neck. Cane was alive for a few moments, and but then he was pronounced dead by a paramedic with Jill, Colin and Lily all crying over his body.
After Cane's death, Colin and Jill's marriage seemed to be going on fine. Colin admitted to Jill that his daughter, and Cane's sister, Samantha, was also shot to death back in Australia. He thought that this thought would help console Jill over Cane's death. Colin was also comforting a distraught Lily. Interestingly enough, Lily became involved in a number of mysterious events that seem to involve Cane. For example, after her ex-husband, Daniel Romalotti Jr. visited, and Lily kissed him goodbye, Lily got a text message suggesting that it was too soon for her to be kissing other men. Lily then found a message written on the condensation of her window. A number of these moments led Lily to believe in an afterlife in which Cane was communicating something to her. Her aunt, Olivia Winters
Olivia Winters
Dr. Olivia Winters, M.D. is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Canadian actress Tonya Lee Williams originated the role in June 1990 and departed on September 7, 2005, reappearing as a guest star on April 12 and 13, 2007. The actress returned on October 23, 2008...
, her dad, Neil Winters
Neil Winters
Neil Winters is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Kristoff St. John since his first appearance in January 1991...
, and Daniel, all suggested several times that Lily should see a psychiatrist, and Lily reluctantly agreed.
However, soon Lily saw Cane again, but this time after he vanished, there were actual footprints left in the ground. She began to see Cane more often, and on May 18, 2011, the twins' eyes followed Cane in the room. She began to realize that Cane might not be a figment of her imagination. On May 23, 2011, it was revealed that the character was not actually Cane, but Cane's identical twin brother, Caleb Atkinson, and he was plotting to help his father, Colin, take the twins away from Lily and take them to Australia to raise them as Atkinsons. However, Caleb and Colin's plan seemed to be going in the wrong direction as Lily ended up admitting to her father that she was losing her mind, and she admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital.
Then, Caleb and Cane's mother and Colin's ex-wife, Genevieve Atkinson, came to Genoa City to help with Caleb's plans. However, it appeared that Caleb was actually against his father's plans, as he confided to his mother about what was going on. It was then revealed that Caleb was actually the real Cane. Back in February, Caleb Atkinson came to Genoa City to help Colin. The night Cane was shot, it was actually Caleb who died. Cane was now alive and well and pretending to be Caleb, all the while trying to protect Lily and the twins from Colin. The night that Colin tried to put his plan into action, Cane sabotaged him and saved his babies and Lily. Eventually, Colin found himself hanging from a balcony of Genevieve's home, and Genevieve didn't hesitate to push him off, leaving him badly injured. When Lily found out that Cane was really alive and lying about his death the entire time, she could not forgive him and refused to let him near the twins.
Cane's Fight to Win Lily Back
Cane repeatedly tried to win Lily back, explaining to her that his father was a dangerous man, and he only lied about his death in order to protect his family. Still, Lily did not understand his reasoning, and she continued to push him away from her. Once Jill found out about Colin's scheme and that he was really Cane's father, she became extremely upset with the two Atkinson men. To make matters worse, Jill found out that Genevieve and Colin were never legally divorced, meaning that her marriage to him was invalid.Cane decided to stay in Genoa City to further protect Lily, although she didn't want him to, as long as his parents were still in town. Colin was arrested for trying to kidnap his grandchildren, but he was given diplomatic immunity and was free to roam Genoa City after he was released from the hospital. Also, Genevieve bought the McMillan Estate from Gloria Bardwell
Gloria Bardwell
Gloria Bardwell is a fictional character, a resident of Genoa City on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. The role was originated by Joan Van Ark who played the role from April 6, 2004 to January 7, 2005, and is currently portrayed by Judith Chapman, who assumed the role on January...
, showing Cane and Colin that she had no plans of leaving herself. Cane got his old job back as a bartender at Jimmy's Bar, and he had the misfortune of being at work while Lily came in with her ex-husband, Daniel Romalotti, and on July 7, 2011, the two kissed as Cane looked on. Jill began to warm up to Cane, who apologized to her several times for making her believe that he was dead. He consoled her over her heartache over Colin.
After realizing that no one wanted him near them anymore, a distraught Cane decided to move back home to Australia, because that was what he thought that everyone wanted. When Lily found out that Cane was planning on leaving, she began to have second thoughts. After several of her friends told her that her twins needed their father, Lily found Cane at the airport, with the twins in tow, and the family of four reunited. Still, Lily made it clear to Cane that she still did not want to be involved with him, and she was only giving him a chance on behalf of their children. When Daniel found out that Lily was talking to Cane again, he tattled on her to her father, which angered Lily, causing her to lash out at Daniel and tell him to stay away from her. More and more, Lily warmed up to Cane, letting him come to their home again to visit the children and go on family outings with them.
Just as things started to get better with Lily and the twins, Cane found out that Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor Murphy is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
had suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Katherine was like a grandmother to Cane, and he visited her while she was unconscious at the hospital, continuing to be a support system for Jill, although she had recently reconnected with Colin after he filed for divorce from Genevieve. As Cane was leaving the hospital, he saw someone who looked like Billy Abbott
Billy Abbott
William "Billy" Abbott is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. He is portrayed by Billy Miller as of September 19, 2008; other actors that have played the part include a set of child actors, and three contract actors: David Tom, Ryan Brown and Scott Seymour...
taking off a surgical mask and leaving the hospital in another elevator. Cane followed the Billy look-alike back to a trailer, and he discovered that it really was Billy. A few months before, Billy left town to go to Hong Kong after both of his children, Delia and Lucy Abbott, were taken from him in separate custody battles, and he and his wife, Victoria Newman Abbott
Victoria Newman
Victoria Nicole Newman is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless...
, were experiencing subsequent marital strife. When Delia was diagnosed with leukemia, Victor Newman
Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless played by actor Eric Braeden from February 1980 through November 2, 2009 and again from January 15, 2010 to present. The character briefly appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful in 1999...
found Billy in jail in Hong Kong and brought him back to Genoa City to see if he was a bone marrow match for his daughter. Upon agreeing to accept Victor's help, Billy made a deal with him: 1) he had to keep his return a secret, 2) he had to leave as soon as he was finished helping his daughter, and 3) he could not go near his wife and Victor's daughter, Victoria, ever again. Therefore, Cane was there first person to unintentionally discover Billy's return.
Reception
Cane Ashby's 2007 debut had positive and negative reviews. Soap Opera DigestSoap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
praised the story as "a riveting tale". TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco found the story unrealistic, but praised the addition of Goddard and Cane to the series. "A few eyebrows were raised when The Young and the Restless decided to rewrite history by bringing in Daniel Goddard to play Jill's 'real' son, Phillip Chancellor," Branco said. "But as romantic rogue Cane Ashby, the talented newcomer seduced us into suspending our disbelief- for now!" Soon after the character's introduction, Cane and Goddard became popular among viewers and gained praise from critics. He also became part of a successful pairing with Lily Winters, which gained "a very vocal, and loyal fan base".
In 2009, Maria Arena Bell altered Cane's backstory by revealing that Cane is not really Jill's son and was sent by the real Phillip Chancellor III to take care of his family. Soap Opera Weekly's
Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
Janet Di Lauro commended the change. "This story also breathes new life into Cane, who was becoming increasingly dull as a whitewashed, pompous do-gooder," she said. "Suddenly, he has his edge back." Soap Opera Digest gave the story a thumbs up and a thumbs down because, though it was an exciting twist, it happened too closely with the other Chancellor family rewrite undoing the mother and daughter relationship between Jill and Katherine. The magazine later named the story "Most Preposterous Plot Twist" of 2009 because the rewrite "was way out of sync with Y&R's usual authentic approach to storytelling."
External links
- Ethan "Cane" Ashby profile at soapcentral.com
- Daniel's role as Cane from soaps.com
- Twitter Campaign to Bring Back Cane
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-cane-on-the-young-and-the-restless/186617661369238?v=wall