Lily Winters
Encyclopedia
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 storylines. The character also made up one half of two popular pairings, the first a young love story with Daniel Romalotti and the other, a mature relationship with Cane Ashby
. Lily and Daniel were referred to by the portmanteaus "Dily" (for Daniel and Lily) and "Daily" (for Daniel and Lily), while Lily and Cane were known as "Lane" (for Lily and Cane) on Internet
message boards and in the press.
Christel Khalil
portrayed the character from August 2002 to September 2, 2005, when the actress decided to pursue a career in movies. Her departure forced the writers to change her storyline, while they looked for a recast. Several months later, Davetta Sherwood
took the role. The actress played the role in 2006 before being replaced by Khalil.
Khalil received Daytime Emmy
nominations for the role in 2004
, 2006
, and 2010
. She also won an NAACP Award for the part in 2008. During her portrayal of Lily, Khalil gained popularity among viewers.
cast Christel Khalil in the role of Lily Winters. She garnered two nominations for Outstanding Younger Actress for the 2004 and 2006 Daytime Emmy Awards and two Young Artist Award
nominations for Leading Young Actress in 2003 and 2004. Khalil left the show in 2005 and cited stress as the reason for her departure. The show attempted to convince Khalil to return, but when that failed, they recast the role in 2006 with Davetta Sherwood. "We are the same Lily, but [Christel Khalil and I are] not the same actress, so it's going to be a little different," Sherwood said. Though she replaced a popular actress, Sherwood said she felt no anxiety over it because Khalil chose to vacate the role.
After leaving The Young and the Restless, Khalil had multiple talks with representatives from the series about possibly stepping back into the role. In 2006, she agreed to return and the series released Sherwood from her contract. Former executive producer and head writer Lynn Marie Latham
said she was happy with the casting change because she was impressed by Khalil's work. "Christel is a brilliant actress," Latham said. "We're thrilled to have her [as] part of the Y&R family again...Davetta did a fine job, but shows generally prefer to have original players back when they can get them." On her MySpace
blog, Sherwood said she felt negativity from others on the set of the show before her firing. "I have yet to be informed of the reason behind this firing... by anyone at CBS," she said. "I suppose that bothers me and I don't think it's right or fair."
Both Khalil and Sherwood received NAACP Award nominations for Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2007. The next year, Khalil won the award and then gained another nomination in 2009. She earned a third Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in 2010 for the episode in which Lily finds out she has cancer.
One of the first plots she was written into centered around the character being manipulated by internet predator Kevin Fisher, who gave her the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. Khalil taped public service announcement
s related to the story and considered the plot one of her favorites. "How many soaps have really covered that? The meeting on the Internet, getting an STD, it was really great stuff," she said. Lily was next involved in a Romeo and Juliet
-style romance with Daniel Romalotti.
Khalil's departure from the series halted the story until Sherwood took over the role. Though Lily was always written and portrayed as feisty, Sherwood brought an added "fire" to the part. "I was cast, I was told, because of my fire, but I was supposed to use my fire only when necessary," she said. Lily's "a lot like her mother. It makes sense. She spent a lot of time with her mother growing up and she's seen how her mother reacts to certain situations when there is a problem or a dilemma."
In 2006, The Young and the Restlesss former head writer and executive producer Jack Smith decided to resolve the story of Lily's true paternity by revealing that Malcolm, not Neil, fathered Lily.
When Khalil returned to the role in 2006, she thought Lily changed a great deal since she last portrayed her. "The character of Lily was written very immaturely when I left," she said. "I came back and Lily is being married and living with her husband. It is more fun to be more mature but it is definitely different."
The Daniel and Lily plot ended with a social issue story dealing with Daniel's addiction to pornography. Lily's next storyline centered on a controversial romance with Cane and a career in modeling. The couple was designed as star-crossed
true loves. The relationship added further growth to Lily's character. "She's been in kind of an immature relationship," Khalil said. "I think that being with a real man does make Lily grow up and start thinking about her life and situation in a different way. I think it will change Lily for the better." Cane's portrayer, Daniel Goddard, agreed and compared the story to Lady Chatterley's Lover
. Stumbling blocks written into the relationship were the disapproval from Lily's family, a miscarriage, and interlopers, Chloe Mitchell
and Billy Abbott
.
In a 2009 interview with Soap Opera Digest
, Khalil expressed her happiness about the evolution of her character. "I like that she's getting more adult storylines, that she's had to deal with things like losing a baby or breaking off her engagement [to Cane]," she said. The magazine remarked that Khalil's role on the series had transitioned from a "teen star" into a "leading lady."
In 2009, head writer Maria Arena Bell developed a story about ovarian cancer for Lily. "The way that we're playing the struggle Lily faces is very much how it would play out in real life," Bell said. "There's days where you feel exhausted and you feel powerless... It helps that on our writing team, we have one writer who's currently suffering from breast cancer, who put a lot of her own heart and soul into this story. I myself am a survivor from two different cancers." Khalil filmed a public service announcement with CBS Cares about ovarian cancer and those affected by the disease.
and Angelina Jolie
did in W
magazine," Khalil said. "It was about the dark side of marriage...so all the shots we did were from that shoot." To assist with the shoot, The Young and the Restless brought in an outside crew which included makeup artist Kathy Jeung, an artist who works with singer Gwen Stefani
. For the wardrobe in the photo shoot, Khalil wore a Dolce & Gabbana
, an Elie Saab
, Herve Leger
, and a dress created by Sex and the City
's Kristen Davis.
For Cane and Lily's wedding, the plot called for the character to wear the dress her mother, Drucilla, wore at her wedding to Neil in the 1990s. The dress Victoria Rowell
wore was altered at Khalil's request. "It was old-fashioned, a typical '90s style gown, and I really didn't like it," she said. She talked to The Young and the Restless's head writer Maria Arena Bell
and the head of wardrobe about updating the dress. "Maria agreed, but there were little details about the original dress that she wanted to keep," Khalil said. "They ended up making the gown strapless, but keeping things like the scalloped detailing. It became a really beautiful dress."
During the character's cancer story, Lily shaves her head, requiring Khalil to wear hats, scarves, a bald cap, and wigs. The wigs chosen were all shorter than the actresses real hair because the writers wanted to make sure the audience knew they were wigs.
as a troubled fourteen-year-old in 2002. Her mother, Drucilla Winters (Victoria Rowell
) took her away from Paris
because Lily had gotten in trouble with her friends spreading graffiti
art around the city. Dru hopes Lily's father Neil Winters
(Kristoff St. John
) will help reign her in, but instead it is them who help him with his own problems with alcoholism. Dru and Neil fall back in love and plan to marry, much to Lily's chagrin. She wants her mother with Wesley Carter. Over time she comes to terms with her parents relationship.
In 2004, Lily becomes the victim of the 25-year-old online predator
Kevin Fisher
(Greg Rikaart
), who statutorily rapes
her and infects her with chlamydia, an STD
. He gets away with the crime because of lack of evidence. Lily eventually forgives him when he rescues her from a man who drugs and attempts to rape her that same year. Unbeknownst to Lily, the drugging is a setup orchestrated by Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei
) and Kevin in an attempt to make Kevin look like a hero.
In 2005, Lily begins a relationship with Daniel. Daniel and Lily storylines include a Romeo and Juliet inspired on the run story and teenage marriage.
Lily finds out that her biological father is not Neil, but rather Neil's brother Malcolm Winters
(Shemar Moore
). As the truth comes out, Lily's relationship with her mother becomes strained. They reconcile before Dru is presumed dead after falling off a cliff along with Sharon Newman (Sharon Case
), during an argument with Daniel's mother Phyllis (Michelle Stafford
).
Lily discovers that Daniel is keeping his addiction to pornography
from her. The couple undergoes counseling but ultimately end their marriage.
A mutual attraction develops between Lily and the recently divorced Cane Ashby
(Daniel Goddard). Before they become an official couple, the difference in their ages becomes an obstacle for them. She is twenty and he is thirty-one. They fight their feelings before ultimately giving in and starting a romantic relationship with each other, which Neil disapproves of.
Lily wins the Fresh Faces of Jabot contest and becomes an exclusive model for Jabot Cosmetics, owned by Cane's family, the Chancellors. She does photo shoots and undergoes constant criticism from Chloe Mitchell
(Elizabeth Hendrickson
), Lily's modeling mentor. Chloe encourages Lily to lose weight. She realizes she is pregnant with Cane's baby. He proposes marriage to her, but she declines. Lily miscarries the baby and blames herself for the loss.
Chloe flirts with Cane behind Lily's back. After realizing she is pregnant, she decides to trick Cane into thinking he fathered her baby by taking advantage of him after he passes out. A paternity test comes back showing that Cane can not be ruled out as the father. Lily convinces Cane to marry Chloe for the baby's sake.
Cane's brother, Billy Abbott
(Billy Miller
), returns to Genoa City and realizes he is the father of Chloe's baby. He keeps the secret to himself and romantically pursues Lily. She starts dating him despite her initial misgivings over becoming involved with him because he is Cane's brother and the uncle of her best friend Colleen Carlton
(Tammin Sursok
). They engage in sex for the first time in his office at Jabot. Afterward, they agree to take the relationship slowly.
Cane and Chloe become jealous of Lily and Billy's relationship. When they find out they are spending Valentine's Day together in the mountains, Cane and Chloe, separately, go up to the cabin they are staying at. Just as Chloe arrives, Billy confesses to Lily that he is the father of Chloe's baby. Chloe goes into labor and gives birth in the cabin. After Cane discovers the truth about the baby's paternity he pursues custody of the child. Lily disagrees with the choice and refuses to marry him because of it. Cane later changes his mind and proposes to Lily again. She accepts and they marry. Shortly after marriage, Cane and Lily decide to start a family.
Nina Webster Chancellor (who was Phillip's wife at the time of his supposed death) begins background research on Cane, as part of her efforts to adapt Katherine's memoir into a screenplay. Her suspicions about Cane continue to grow, and she eventually orders the exhumation of Phillip's body for genetic testing. When it is discovered that Phillip's casket is empty (and, in fact, never contained a corpse at all), Nina demands that Cane submit to DNA testing to verify his status as Jill's biological son. Upon learning of Nina's demand, Cane retrieves a vial of blood marked "Langley" from a carousel of vials he has kept in a hidden freezer for use in DNA testing.[21] On July 2, 2009, Paul reveals to Nina that the blood given for the test to confirm Cane's identity had blood cells which had burst, meaning it had been at one time frozen. When confronted, Cane reveals that he is not actually Phillip Chancellor III. Everyone is furious, except for Katherine who simply wants to know why he had tricked them all. When asked why he did it, the real Phillip appears before Cane can answer the question.Lily and Cane break up after Lily finds out he lied about being Jill Abbott's son and pretended to believe he fathered Chloe's baby in order to continue with the ruse. Lily is later diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her uterus is taken out during a surgery to remove the cancer, but the doctor is able to harvest two of her eggs. Lily reunites with Cane while continuing with cancer treatment. They decide to continue their plan in starting a family and pursue surrogacy options. Mackenzie Browning (Clementine Ford) agrees to act as their surrogate and becomes pregnant with Lily and Cane's twins. Soon after, Cane gets arrested by an immigration officer who plans to deport him. Cane hopes something happens that will prevent that.
Despite all of that, Cane is there for the birth of his and Lily's twins, son Charlie and daughter Matilda, who are born on June 25, 2010. He also remains determined to helping Lily overcome her cancer so they can both be there for each other and their children for a long time to come. Cane is happy when Traci Abbott Connolly, Colleen Carlton's mother, agrees to be the twins' godmother. Cane is a rock for Lily as she overcomes cancer. Soon they are living a happy life with the twins.
Weeks into Lily's remission, Cane begins to be blackmailed by the crime family he turned in while in Australia. Cane embezzles money from Tucker McCall's company with the reluctant assistance of Sofia Dupre, Malcolm Winter's fiancée. In addition, Cane's birth father, Colin Atkinson comes to town to help Blake, the leading person blackmailing him. Soon Colin, without telling anyone that he is Cane's father, begins romancing Jill Fenmore, and despite Jill and Cane's lack of a blood or legal relationship, he wants Colin to have nothing to do with Jill. Quickly Colin and Jill become engaged and Tucker discovers the embezzlement and fires both Cane and Sofia. Lily confronts Cane about what has been going on recently and he comes clean to Lily, except for mentioning the truth about Colin being his father. He tries to convince her and the kids to skip town with him, but Lily adamantly refuses, saying that Cane needs to own up to his problems and he is then kicked out.
The evening that Jill and Colin are to be married, Cane is shot by Blake in the chest after they engage in a fight on the steps of the church. Colin originally ordered Blake to make sure Cane doesn't interfere with the wedding. Blake falls down the stairs and breaks his own neck. Cane is alive for a few moments and then is pronounced dead by a paramedic with Jill, Colin, and Lily all crying over his body.
Since Cane's death, Colin and Jill's marriage seems to be going on fine and Colin admits that Cane's sister Samantha was also shot. Jill tells Colin that he has been a great help to her during these difficult times. Colin has also been comforting Lily. Interesting, Lily has begun involved a number of mysterious events which seem to involve Cane. For example, after her ex-husband, Daniel Romalotti Jr. visits and Lily kisses him goodbye, Lily gets a text message suggesting that it is too soon for Lily to be kissing other men. Lily finds a message written on the condensation of her window. A number of these moments have led Lily to believe in an afterlife in which Cane is communicating something to her. Olivia Winters, Neil Winters, and Daniel, have all suggested several times that Lily should visit a psychiatrist. Lily reluctantly agrees. However, soon Lily sees Cane again, but this time after he vanishes there are actual footprints left in the ground. She sees him increasingly and on May 18, 2011, her twin babies' eyes follow Cane in the room. She begins to realize that Cane might not be a figment of her imagination. On May 23, 2011, it is revealed that the character is not actually Cane, but Cane's identical twin brother, Caleb, and is plotting to help his father, Colin, take Lily and Cane's babies away from Lily (who is completely unaware of Caleb and Colin's plan) and take them to Australia to raise them as Atkinsons. However, Caleb and Colin's plan seems to be going in the wrong direction as Lily ends up admitting to Neil that she is losing her mind and she admits herself to a psych hospital. Also, Caleb's mother and Colin's ex-wife Genevieve Atkinson comes to Genoa City to help with Caleb's plans. However, it appears that Caleb is actually against his father's plans as he confides to his mother. It is later revealed that Caleb is actually the real Cane. Back in February, Caleb Atkinson came to Genoa City early 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. On July 7 2011, Lily and Daniel kiss. On August 5th/6th, 2011, Lily goes to see Cane at the bar in which he works at, and tells him that she is filing for divorce. On August 18 2011, the divorce papers were served and Lily and Daniel half way make love, before Lily starts to have good thoughts of Cane. On August 31st, Cane meets Lily at Crimson Lights, finalizes the divorce and tells her that he's going to move back to Australia. As Cane
is about ready to board on an airplane to Australia
, Lily bought Mattie and Charlie to the airport to decide whether or not Cane wants to go back to Australia.
, Soaps In Depth
, and Soap Opera Update
Critics also praised Khalil for her portrayal of the character. Soap Opera Digest named her performer of the week for her work during Lily's internet predator storyline and praised the subtlety of her performance. Soap Opera Weekly's Mark McGarry named the actress outstanding performer of the week of February 28, 2005. McGarry praised the actress for her "remarkable range". Soaps In Depth named Khalil the gold star of the magazine's May 29, 2007 issue, for her scenes surrounding the death of Lily's mother, Drucilla, saying "Few people could have played the emotionally pummeled Lily as well as Christel Khalil. Physically, the young actress has an ethereal kind of beauty that works well in scenes of crisis... Yet Khalil has more to offer than her fragile appearance; there is an inner fire in her big, dark eyes that suggest she is no pushover, either." When the actress departed the role, her successor, Sherwood, took over. Soaps In Depth criticized her and said she "got off to a slow start" when she began. The magazine then praised her for her work during the reveal that Lily's husband Daniel was responsible for her attack at the hands of her attempted rapist, Alex. Khalil returned to the role in 2006 to positive viewer feedback.
Lily's 2009 cancer storyline received praise from critics and viewers. Soap Opera Weekly's Janet Di Lauro praised the story for highlighting Neil and Lily's relationship. They "are one of the most effective and heart felt father/daughter combos in daytime," she said. "Kristoff St. John and Christel Khalil share a chemistry that lets the viewers feel Neil's pain when Lily is hurting, and relate to his anger when she has been wronged." Di Lauro also criticized the writers of The Young and the Restless for putting a young character like Lily through a series of traumatic stories, including the cancer and hysterectomy. Soap Opera Digest named the cancer story editor's choice.
Soap Opera Weekly's Di Lauro also praised Khalil for her performance during the death of Lily's best friend Colleen Carlton. Di Lauro considered Lily and Colleen's last scenes to be "a bona fide tearjerker" and "one of the most touching scenes to air" during the story of Colleen's death. "Lily could have easily fallen apart and chastised Colleen for leaving her during her house of need," Di Lauro said. "Instead, she held her head high and gave Colleen a proper sendoff... It was as if Lily was gathering strength from Colleen, even as Colleen let go."
Daniel and Lily, gained viewer support with both Khalil and Sherwood in the role of Lily. The couple began during Khalil's first tenure, continued through Sherwood's time on the show, and went into Khalil's second stint. The magazine labeled the scene where Daniel and Lily engage in sex before going on the run, as one of the top three moments of 2005. Roscoe Born
(Tom Fisher
) praised their storyline. "It really brought the two families into so much conflict, and I thought they were very believable as young lovers," Born said. "They were very passionate, and at the same time, really evoked that feeling of first love." When the character's broke up and moved into different sphere's on the show, fans of the couple expressed disappointment.
Despite the disappointment from that fan base, the Lily character became involved in a romance with Cane Ashby that received both positive and negative feedback from viewers and critics. Fans of the series were initially divided on whether the couple should be together or not because of the gap in age between the characters. "I'm sure there are going to be people who will always feel that Cane is too old for Lily, but there are people out there who don't care about the age difference," Khalil said. "You can't please everyone. You just have to do your best with the storyline and hope that people will like it."
Soap Opera Digest gave the pairing a thumbs up and said, "On paper, a Cane and Lily pairing shouldn't work. They've both just left marriages (to Amber and Daniel, though Cane's wasn't legal), their exes are living together, and Cane is older than Lily. Yet, the adorable Aussie and the cute coed make a charming match." The magazine also praised the couple because putting them together united the two core families, the Winters and the Chancellors. Soap Opera Weekly considered their Valentine's Day surprise a hit.
Michael Fairman referred to Cane and Lily as "one of daytimes's most popular couples" and considered their story with Billy and Chloe as "one of soaps all-time best quadrangle story arcs." Soap Opera Digest's Mallory Harlen praised the quadrangle for adding another layer to Lily. "The always prim, always perfect Lily reminded me way too much of Christine Blair
...in a bad way," Harlen said. "But being a woman scorned really worked for her; her new found feistiness is completely fitting for Drucilla's daughter." TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco criticized the pairing for having, in his opinion, no chemistry and said he wanted Cane "in the big leagues and not with little girls." He also mentioned how the pairing developed "a very vocal, and loyal fanbase." Soap Opera Update named Cane and Lily the best couple on The Young and the Restless for 2008. Viewers voted the pairing into various top couple polls in soap opera magazines.
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...
from the American CBS 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...
. 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 storylines. The character also made up one half of two popular pairings, the first a young love story with Daniel Romalotti and the other, a mature relationship with Cane Ashby
Cane Ashby
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...
. Lily and Daniel were referred to by the portmanteaus "Dily" (for Daniel and Lily) and "Daily" (for Daniel and Lily), while Lily and Cane were known as "Lane" (for Lily and Cane) on Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
message boards and in the press.
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...
portrayed the character from August 2002 to September 2, 2005, when the actress decided to pursue a career in movies. Her departure forced the writers to change her storyline, while they looked for a recast. Several months later, Davetta Sherwood
Davetta Sherwood
Davetta Sherwood is an American actress and musician. Sherwood first worked as a child model before venturing into an acting career including appearing in music videos and guest appearances...
took the role. The actress played the role in 2006 before being replaced by Khalil.
Khalil received Daytime Emmy
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
nominations for the role in 2004
31st Daytime Emmy Awards
The 31st Daytime Emmy Awards, commemorating excellence in American daytime programming from 2003, was held on May 21, 2004 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Vanessa Marcil hosted. Creative Arts Emmy Awards were presented on May 15, 2004...
, 2006
33rd Daytime Emmy Awards
The 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards, commemorating excellence in American daytime programming from 2005, was held on Friday, April 28, 2006 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. This was the first time that the Daytime Emmys were held outside of New York. ABC televised the ceremonies in the United States...
, and 2010
37th Daytime Emmy Awards
The 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held on June 27, 2010, hosted by Regis Philbin and broadcast on the CBS network. Nominations were announced May 12 on The Early Show...
. She also won an NAACP Award for the part in 2008. During her portrayal of Lily, Khalil gained popularity among viewers.
Casting and awards
In August 2002, The Young and the RestlessThe 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...
cast Christel Khalil in the role of Lily Winters. She garnered two nominations for Outstanding Younger Actress for the 2004 and 2006 Daytime Emmy Awards and two Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
nominations for Leading Young Actress in 2003 and 2004. Khalil left the show in 2005 and cited stress as the reason for her departure. The show attempted to convince Khalil to return, but when that failed, they recast the role in 2006 with Davetta Sherwood. "We are the same Lily, but [Christel Khalil and I are] not the same actress, so it's going to be a little different," Sherwood said. Though she replaced a popular actress, Sherwood said she felt no anxiety over it because Khalil chose to vacate the role.
After leaving The Young and the Restless, Khalil had multiple talks with representatives from the series about possibly stepping back into the role. In 2006, she agreed to return and the series released Sherwood from her contract. Former executive producer and 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...
said she was happy with the casting change because she was impressed by Khalil's work. "Christel is a brilliant actress," Latham said. "We're thrilled to have her [as] part of the Y&R family again...Davetta did a fine job, but shows generally prefer to have original players back when they can get them." On her MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog, Sherwood said she felt negativity from others on the set of the show before her firing. "I have yet to be informed of the reason behind this firing... by anyone at CBS," she said. "I suppose that bothers me and I don't think it's right or fair."
Both Khalil and Sherwood received NAACP Award nominations for Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2007. The next year, Khalil won the award and then gained another nomination in 2009. She earned a third Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in 2010 for the episode in which Lily finds out she has cancer.
Writing and portrayal
Lily Winters was created in 1995 as the daughter of Drucilla Winters. The story surrounding her birth was the question of her paternity with brothers Neil and Malcolm Winters as the potential father. The story continued unresolved for years with Neil believing he fathered her. Lily was written out of the series as the character and her mother moved to Europe. In 2002, the writers reintroduced her into the storylines as a 14-year-old portrayed by Christel Khalil. The character was designed as an "angst-ridden" heroine who continually struggled with "trauma". She was also described as strong, rebellious, and sassy. Lily "doesn't take anybody's crap," Khalil said. "She's her own person."One of the first plots she was written into centered around the character being manipulated by internet predator Kevin Fisher, who gave her the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. Khalil taped public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s related to the story and considered the plot one of her favorites. "How many soaps have really covered that? The meeting on the Internet, getting an STD, it was really great stuff," she said. Lily was next involved in a Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
-style romance with Daniel Romalotti.
Khalil's departure from the series halted the story until Sherwood took over the role. Though Lily was always written and portrayed as feisty, Sherwood brought an added "fire" to the part. "I was cast, I was told, because of my fire, but I was supposed to use my fire only when necessary," she said. Lily's "a lot like her mother. It makes sense. She spent a lot of time with her mother growing up and she's seen how her mother reacts to certain situations when there is a problem or a dilemma."
In 2006, The Young and the Restlesss former head writer and executive producer Jack Smith decided to resolve the story of Lily's true paternity by revealing that Malcolm, not Neil, fathered Lily.
Well, if you think about it as a storyteller the potential for interesting drama is much more interesting if Malcolm is the biological father and not Neil. If Neil was the biological father, the whole sub textual romantic potential between Drucilla and Malcolm fades away. The relationship between Lily and Malcolm becomes your normal, traditional uncle/niece relationship. The relationship between Neil and Lily becomes your typical father/daughter relationship. But if Malcolm is the biological father then, wow! You've got the potential for years to come for fireworks.
—Smith, SoapCity
SoapCityA division of Sony Pictures Digital, SoapCity was the home to the official websites for the American daytime soap operas Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless....
When Khalil returned to the role in 2006, she thought Lily changed a great deal since she last portrayed her. "The character of Lily was written very immaturely when I left," she said. "I came back and Lily is being married and living with her husband. It is more fun to be more mature but it is definitely different."
The Daniel and Lily plot ended with a social issue story dealing with Daniel's addiction to pornography. Lily's next storyline centered on a controversial romance with Cane and a career in modeling. The couple was designed as star-crossed
Star-crossed
"Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers whose relationship is often thwarted by outside forces. The term encompasses other meanings, but originally means the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or that the stars are working against the relationship...
true loves. The relationship added further growth to Lily's character. "She's been in kind of an immature relationship," Khalil said. "I think that being with a real man does make Lily grow up and start thinking about her life and situation in a different way. I think it will change Lily for the better." Cane's portrayer, Daniel Goddard, agreed and compared the story 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...
. Stumbling blocks written into the relationship were the disapproval from Lily's family, a miscarriage, and interlopers, 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...
.
In a 2009 interview with Soap Opera Digest
Soap 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...
, Khalil expressed her happiness about the evolution of her character. "I like that she's getting more adult storylines, that she's had to deal with things like losing a baby or breaking off her engagement [to Cane]," she said. The magazine remarked that Khalil's role on the series had transitioned from a "teen star" into a "leading lady."
In 2009, head writer Maria Arena Bell developed a story about ovarian cancer for Lily. "The way that we're playing the struggle Lily faces is very much how it would play out in real life," Bell said. "There's days where you feel exhausted and you feel powerless... It helps that on our writing team, we have one writer who's currently suffering from breast cancer, who put a lot of her own heart and soul into this story. I myself am a survivor from two different cancers." Khalil filmed a public service announcement with CBS Cares about ovarian cancer and those affected by the disease.
Wardrobe
In 2008, The Young and the Restless added a magazine publication, Restless Style, to the show which came along with a website allowing fans to view each issue. The magazine featured multiple photo shoots that affected the characters in the series. The writers incorporated Lily's return to modeling and her wedding to Cane with a Restless Style shoot for the magazine's one year anniversary. "The whole photo shoot was [inspired by] the photos Brad PittBrad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
and Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
did in W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
magazine," Khalil said. "It was about the dark side of marriage...so all the shots we did were from that shoot." To assist with the shoot, The Young and the Restless brought in an outside crew which included makeup artist Kathy Jeung, an artist who works with singer Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
. For the wardrobe in the photo shoot, Khalil wore a Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
, an Elie Saab
Elie Saab
Elie Saab , sometimes known simply as 'ES', is a Lebanese fashion designer.In 1982, Saab launched his Beirut-based fashion label when he was 18 years old. His main workshop is in Lebanon. He also has workshops in Milan and Paris.Born to Maronite Catholic parents in Beirut, Saab is self-trained...
, Herve Leger
Herve Leger
Herve Leger, sometimes written as Hervé Léger , is a French fashion house founded by the designer currently known as Hervé L. Leroux.-History:Herve Leger was founded in 1985 by the designer currently known as Hervé L. Leroux...
, and a dress created by Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
's Kristen Davis.
For Cane and Lily's wedding, the plot called for the character to wear the dress her mother, Drucilla, wore at her wedding to Neil in the 1990s. The dress Victoria Rowell
Victoria Rowell
Victoria "Vicki" Lynn Rowell is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her portrayal of ballerina-turned-model Drucilla Winters on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, and medical examiner/pathologist Dr. Amanda Bentley on the CBS drama Diagnosis: Murder...
wore was altered at Khalil's request. "It was old-fashioned, a typical '90s style gown, and I really didn't like it," she said. She talked to The Young and the Restless's 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:...
and the head of wardrobe about updating the dress. "Maria agreed, but there were little details about the original dress that she wanted to keep," Khalil said. "They ended up making the gown strapless, but keeping things like the scalloped detailing. It became a really beautiful dress."
During the character's cancer story, Lily shaves her head, requiring Khalil to wear hats, scarves, a bald cap, and wigs. The wigs chosen were all shorter than the actresses real hair because the writers wanted to make sure the audience knew they were wigs.
Character's background
Lily returns to Genoa CityGenoa 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 :...
as a troubled fourteen-year-old in 2002. Her mother, Drucilla Winters (Victoria Rowell
Victoria Rowell
Victoria "Vicki" Lynn Rowell is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her portrayal of ballerina-turned-model Drucilla Winters on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, and medical examiner/pathologist Dr. Amanda Bentley on the CBS drama Diagnosis: Murder...
) took her away from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
because Lily had gotten in trouble with her friends spreading graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
art around the city. Dru hopes Lily's father 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...
(Kristoff St. John
Kristoff St. John
Kristoff St. John is an American actor, best known for his role as Neil Winters on the daytime US drama The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
) will help reign her in, but instead it is them who help him with his own problems with alcoholism. Dru and Neil fall back in love and plan to marry, much to Lily's chagrin. She wants her mother with Wesley Carter. Over time she comes to terms with her parents relationship.
In 2004, Lily becomes the victim of the 25-year-old online predator
Online predator
An online predator is an adult Internet user who exploits vulnerable children or teens, usually for sexual or other abusive purposes.Online victimization of minors can include child grooming, requests to engage in sexual activities or discussions by an adult, unwanted exposure to sexual material ,...
Kevin Fisher
Kevin Fisher
Kevin Fisher is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actor Greg Rikaart since July 11, 2003. Rikaart won a Daytime Emmy Award for his portrayal of Kevin in 2005....
(Greg Rikaart
Greg Rikaart
Gregory Andrew Rikaart is an American actor, currently on the cast of the soap opera The Young and the Restless, playing Kevin Fisher since July 2003.-Biography:...
), who statutorily rapes
Statutory rape
The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior...
her and infects her with chlamydia, an STD
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
. He gets away with the crime because of lack of evidence. Lily eventually forgives him when he rescues her from a man who drugs and attempts to rape her that same year. Unbeknownst to Lily, the drugging is a setup orchestrated by Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei
Michael Graziadei
Michael Graziadei is an American actor best known for his role as Daniel Romalotti on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. He is only 14 years younger than Michelle Stafford, who plays the role of his mother Phyllis on the show. Graziadei is of Italian and Lithuanian heritage...
) and Kevin in an attempt to make Kevin look like a hero.
In 2005, Lily begins a relationship with Daniel. Daniel and Lily storylines include a Romeo and Juliet inspired on the run story and teenage marriage.
Lily finds out that her biological father is not Neil, but rather Neil's brother Malcolm Winters
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...
(Shemar Moore
Shemar Moore
Shemar Franklin Moore is an American actor and former male fashion model. His most notable roles are that of Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless from 1994 to 2005, Derek Morgan on CBS's Criminal Minds, and as the third permanent host of Soul Train from 1999 to 2003.-Early life:Moore was...
). As the truth comes out, Lily's relationship with her mother becomes strained. They reconcile before Dru is presumed dead after falling off a cliff along with Sharon Newman (Sharon Case
Sharon Case
Sharon Case is an American actress. She is known for her roles on daytime television soap operas. Her most well-known role has been on CBS Daytime Television's The Young and the Restless. She has portrayed the role of Sharon Newman since August 1994...
), during an argument with Daniel's mother Phyllis (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:...
).
Lily discovers that Daniel is keeping his addiction to pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
from her. The couple undergoes counseling but ultimately end their marriage.
A mutual attraction develops between Lily and the recently divorced Cane Ashby
Cane Ashby
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...
(Daniel Goddard). Before they become an official couple, the difference in their ages becomes an obstacle for them. She is twenty and he is thirty-one. They fight their feelings before ultimately giving in and starting a romantic relationship with each other, which Neil disapproves of.
Lily wins the Fresh Faces of Jabot contest and becomes an exclusive model for Jabot Cosmetics, owned by Cane's family, the Chancellors. She does photo shoots and undergoes constant criticism from 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...
(Elizabeth Hendrickson
Elizabeth Hendrickson
Elizabeth Hendrickson is an American actress. Her big break came when she was cast as character Frankie Stone on the daytime drama All My Children...
), Lily's modeling mentor. Chloe encourages Lily to lose weight. She realizes she is pregnant with Cane's baby. He proposes marriage to her, but she declines. Lily miscarries the baby and blames herself for the loss.
Chloe flirts with Cane behind Lily's back. After realizing she is pregnant, she decides to trick Cane into thinking he fathered her baby by taking advantage of him after he passes out. A paternity test comes back showing that Cane can not be ruled out as the father. Lily convinces Cane to marry Chloe for the baby's sake.
Cane's 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...
(Billy Miller
Billy Miller (actor)
Billy Miller is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Richie Novak on the ABC Daytime soap opera All My Children, and currently, as Billy Abbott on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless and "Charlie" on the CW Network drama Ringer .-Personal life:Born in Tulsa,...
), returns to Genoa City and realizes he is the father of Chloe's baby. He keeps the secret to himself and romantically pursues Lily. She starts dating him despite her initial misgivings over becoming involved with him because he is Cane's brother and the uncle of her best friend Colleen Carlton
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...
(Tammin Sursok
Tammin Sursok
Tammin Pamela Sursok is an Australian actress and musician of South African origin. She is best known for the role of Dani Sutherland on Home and Away, as Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless and as Siena in Disney Channel's Hannah Montana...
). They engage in sex for the first time in his office at Jabot. Afterward, they agree to take the relationship slowly.
Cane and Chloe become jealous of Lily and Billy's relationship. When they find out they are spending Valentine's Day together in the mountains, Cane and Chloe, separately, go up to the cabin they are staying at. Just as Chloe arrives, Billy confesses to Lily that he is the father of Chloe's baby. Chloe goes into labor and gives birth in the cabin. After Cane discovers the truth about the baby's paternity he pursues custody of the child. Lily disagrees with the choice and refuses to marry him because of it. Cane later changes his mind and proposes to Lily again. She accepts and they marry. Shortly after marriage, Cane and Lily decide to start a family.
Nina Webster Chancellor (who was Phillip's wife at the time of his supposed death) begins background research on Cane, as part of her efforts to adapt Katherine's memoir into a screenplay. Her suspicions about Cane continue to grow, and she eventually orders the exhumation of Phillip's body for genetic testing. When it is discovered that Phillip's casket is empty (and, in fact, never contained a corpse at all), Nina demands that Cane submit to DNA testing to verify his status as Jill's biological son. Upon learning of Nina's demand, Cane retrieves a vial of blood marked "Langley" from a carousel of vials he has kept in a hidden freezer for use in DNA testing.[21] On July 2, 2009, Paul reveals to Nina that the blood given for the test to confirm Cane's identity had blood cells which had burst, meaning it had been at one time frozen. When confronted, Cane reveals that he is not actually Phillip Chancellor III. Everyone is furious, except for Katherine who simply wants to know why he had tricked them all. When asked why he did it, the real Phillip appears before Cane can answer the question.Lily and Cane break up after Lily finds out he lied about being Jill Abbott's son and pretended to believe he fathered Chloe's baby in order to continue with the ruse. Lily is later diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her uterus is taken out during a surgery to remove the cancer, but the doctor is able to harvest two of her eggs. Lily reunites with Cane while continuing with cancer treatment. They decide to continue their plan in starting a family and pursue surrogacy options. Mackenzie Browning (Clementine Ford) agrees to act as their surrogate and becomes pregnant with Lily and Cane's twins. Soon after, Cane gets arrested by an immigration officer who plans to deport him. Cane hopes something happens that will prevent that.
Despite all of that, Cane is there for the birth of his and Lily's twins, son Charlie and daughter Matilda, who are born on June 25, 2010. He also remains determined to helping Lily overcome her cancer so they can both be there for each other and their children for a long time to come. Cane is happy when Traci Abbott Connolly, Colleen Carlton's mother, agrees to be the twins' godmother. Cane is a rock for Lily as she overcomes cancer. Soon they are living a happy life with the twins.
Weeks into Lily's remission, Cane begins to be blackmailed by the crime family he turned in while in Australia. Cane embezzles money from Tucker McCall's company with the reluctant assistance of Sofia Dupre, Malcolm Winter's fiancée. In addition, Cane's birth father, Colin Atkinson comes to town to help Blake, the leading person blackmailing him. Soon Colin, without telling anyone that he is Cane's father, begins romancing Jill Fenmore, and despite Jill and Cane's lack of a blood or legal relationship, he wants Colin to have nothing to do with Jill. Quickly Colin and Jill become engaged and Tucker discovers the embezzlement and fires both Cane and Sofia. Lily confronts Cane about what has been going on recently and he comes clean to Lily, except for mentioning the truth about Colin being his father. He tries to convince her and the kids to skip town with him, but Lily adamantly refuses, saying that Cane needs to own up to his problems and he is then kicked out.
The evening that Jill and Colin are to be married, Cane is shot by Blake in the chest after they engage in a fight on the steps of the church. Colin originally ordered Blake to make sure Cane doesn't interfere with the wedding. Blake falls down the stairs and breaks his own neck. Cane is alive for a few moments and then is pronounced dead by a paramedic with Jill, Colin, and Lily all crying over his body.
Since Cane's death, Colin and Jill's marriage seems to be going on fine and Colin admits that Cane's sister Samantha was also shot. Jill tells Colin that he has been a great help to her during these difficult times. Colin has also been comforting Lily. Interesting, Lily has begun involved a number of mysterious events which seem to involve Cane. For example, after her ex-husband, Daniel Romalotti Jr. visits and Lily kisses him goodbye, Lily gets a text message suggesting that it is too soon for Lily to be kissing other men. Lily finds a message written on the condensation of her window. A number of these moments have led Lily to believe in an afterlife in which Cane is communicating something to her. Olivia Winters, Neil Winters, and Daniel, have all suggested several times that Lily should visit a psychiatrist. Lily reluctantly agrees. However, soon Lily sees Cane again, but this time after he vanishes there are actual footprints left in the ground. She sees him increasingly and on May 18, 2011, her twin babies' eyes follow Cane in the room. She begins to realize that Cane might not be a figment of her imagination. On May 23, 2011, it is revealed that the character is not actually Cane, but Cane's identical twin brother, Caleb, and is plotting to help his father, Colin, take Lily and Cane's babies away from Lily (who is completely unaware of Caleb and Colin's plan) and take them to Australia to raise them as Atkinsons. However, Caleb and Colin's plan seems to be going in the wrong direction as Lily ends up admitting to Neil that she is losing her mind and she admits herself to a psych hospital. Also, Caleb's mother and Colin's ex-wife Genevieve Atkinson comes to Genoa City to help with Caleb's plans. However, it appears that Caleb is actually against his father's plans as he confides to his mother. It is later revealed that Caleb is actually the real Cane. Back in February, Caleb Atkinson came to Genoa City early 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. On July 7 2011, Lily and Daniel kiss. On August 5th/6th, 2011, Lily goes to see Cane at the bar in which he works at, and tells him that she is filing for divorce. On August 18 2011, the divorce papers were served and Lily and Daniel half way make love, before Lily starts to have good thoughts of Cane. On August 31st, Cane meets Lily at Crimson Lights, finalizes the divorce and tells her that he's going to move back to Australia. As Cane
Cane Ashby
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...
is about ready to board on an airplane to 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...
, Lily bought Mattie and Charlie to the airport to decide whether or not Cane wants to go back to Australia.
Reception
While portraying Lily Winters, Khalil rose to popularity among viewers who voted her onto top actress list from soap opera publications 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...
, Soaps In Depth
Soaps In Depth
Soaps In Depth is a series of magazines created in 1997 by Bauer Publications to give American soap opera viewers more variety in their soap-related magazine purchases...
, and Soap Opera Update
Soap Opera Update
Soap Opera Update was a magazine dedicated to the coverage of soap operas, co-founded by Angela Shapiro in 1988, and purchased by Bauer Media Group in 1992. The magazine became popular on news-stands in the mid-1990s. However, due to a lack of subscriptions, no promotion, and being criticized for...
Critics also praised Khalil for her portrayal of the character. Soap Opera Digest named her performer of the week for her work during Lily's internet predator storyline and praised the subtlety of her performance. Soap Opera Weekly's Mark McGarry named the actress outstanding performer of the week of February 28, 2005. McGarry praised the actress for her "remarkable range". Soaps In Depth named Khalil the gold star of the magazine's May 29, 2007 issue, for her scenes surrounding the death of Lily's mother, Drucilla, saying "Few people could have played the emotionally pummeled Lily as well as Christel Khalil. Physically, the young actress has an ethereal kind of beauty that works well in scenes of crisis... Yet Khalil has more to offer than her fragile appearance; there is an inner fire in her big, dark eyes that suggest she is no pushover, either." When the actress departed the role, her successor, Sherwood, took over. Soaps In Depth criticized her and said she "got off to a slow start" when she began. The magazine then praised her for her work during the reveal that Lily's husband Daniel was responsible for her attack at the hands of her attempted rapist, Alex. Khalil returned to the role in 2006 to positive viewer feedback.
Lily's 2009 cancer storyline received praise from critics and viewers. Soap Opera Weekly's Janet Di Lauro praised the story for highlighting Neil and Lily's relationship. They "are one of the most effective and heart felt father/daughter combos in daytime," she said. "Kristoff St. John and Christel Khalil share a chemistry that lets the viewers feel Neil's pain when Lily is hurting, and relate to his anger when she has been wronged." Di Lauro also criticized the writers of The Young and the Restless for putting a young character like Lily through a series of traumatic stories, including the cancer and hysterectomy. Soap Opera Digest named the cancer story editor's choice.
Soap Opera Weekly's Di Lauro also praised Khalil for her performance during the death of Lily's best friend Colleen Carlton. Di Lauro considered Lily and Colleen's last scenes to be "a bona fide tearjerker" and "one of the most touching scenes to air" during the story of Colleen's death. "Lily could have easily fallen apart and chastised Colleen for leaving her during her house of need," Di Lauro said. "Instead, she held her head high and gave Colleen a proper sendoff... It was as if Lily was gathering strength from Colleen, even as Colleen let go."
Romance
The character became successful with two romantic pairings, the first with Daniel Romalotti and the second with Cane Ashby. Both fictional pairings were listed among Soaps In Depth's 100 Greatest Soap Opera Couples.Daniel and Lily, gained viewer support with both Khalil and Sherwood in the role of Lily. The couple began during Khalil's first tenure, continued through Sherwood's time on the show, and went into Khalil's second stint. The magazine labeled the scene where Daniel and Lily engage in sex before going on the run, as one of the top three moments of 2005. Roscoe Born
Roscoe Born
Roscoe Born is an American actor, born in Topeka, Kansas, who is best known for playing a variety of roles over the years in successful television shows, most recently in The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
(Tom Fisher
Tom Fisher (The Young and the Restless)
Thomas "Tom" Fisher is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Roscoe Born from April 7, 2005 to January 13, 2006 and by Jonathan Fraser in 2 episodes in 2004...
) praised their storyline. "It really brought the two families into so much conflict, and I thought they were very believable as young lovers," Born said. "They were very passionate, and at the same time, really evoked that feeling of first love." When the character's broke up and moved into different sphere's on the show, fans of the couple expressed disappointment.
Despite the disappointment from that fan base, the Lily character became involved in a romance with Cane Ashby that received both positive and negative feedback from viewers and critics. Fans of the series were initially divided on whether the couple should be together or not because of the gap in age between the characters. "I'm sure there are going to be people who will always feel that Cane is too old for Lily, but there are people out there who don't care about the age difference," Khalil said. "You can't please everyone. You just have to do your best with the storyline and hope that people will like it."
Soap Opera Digest gave the pairing a thumbs up and said, "On paper, a Cane and Lily pairing shouldn't work. They've both just left marriages (to Amber and Daniel, though Cane's wasn't legal), their exes are living together, and Cane is older than Lily. Yet, the adorable Aussie and the cute coed make a charming match." The magazine also praised the couple because putting them together united the two core families, the Winters and the Chancellors. Soap Opera Weekly considered their Valentine's Day surprise a hit.
Michael Fairman referred to Cane and Lily as "one of daytimes's most popular couples" and considered their story with Billy and Chloe as "one of soaps all-time best quadrangle story arcs." Soap Opera Digest's Mallory Harlen praised the quadrangle for adding another layer to Lily. "The always prim, always perfect Lily reminded me way too much of Christine Blair
Christine Blair
Christine Marie Ellen "Cricket" Blair is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed since July 1983 by Lauralee Bell...
...in a bad way," Harlen said. "But being a woman scorned really worked for her; her new found feistiness is completely fitting for Drucilla's daughter." TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco criticized the pairing for having, in his opinion, no chemistry and said he wanted Cane "in the big leagues and not with little girls." He also mentioned how the pairing developed "a very vocal, and loyal fanbase." Soap Opera Update named Cane and Lily the best couple on The Young and the Restless for 2008. Viewers voted the pairing into various top couple polls in soap opera magazines.