A pair of award-winning fan favorites stepped into the role of Heather Stevens after Vail Bloom exited the role back in 2010. However, when the show wanted to bring the character back, execs reached out to Bloom as the one they wanted to reprise the part of Daniel’s estranged partner. Recently, Bloom talked to Soap Hub about her return to the canvas.

Vail Bloom Returns as Heather Stevens
“It was a great surprise,” Bloom says about hearing from Y&R about this current return to the show. “I had bumped into Michelle Stafford [Phyllis] at Erewhon [food market] a few months before and Jennifer Gareis [Donna, The Bold and the Beautiful] at The Hideaway in Beverly Hills. They were both really lovely encounters.”

Bloom embraced her character’s role as an important figure in Lucy’s (Lily Brooks O’Briant) life. “I think it’s great for Heather’s character,” Bloom says. “Heather is a good female role model to Lucy. Lily is a delight, so professional and funny and mature for her age.”

Reality Rules
In between Y&R stints, Bloom entered the world of reality TV, appearing as herself on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, a spinoff of the successful The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills series. It’s not common for actors to join the cast of reality programs, but it’s not unheard of either, as shown by Lisa Rinna (ex-Billie, Days of our Lives) and Eileen Davidson (Ashley, Y&R) having appeared on TRHOBH.

“Things are more fluid now, and I think things have continued to evolve over the last few years,” Bloom muses. “But back when I did it, you have to be brave. There was a stigma back then [about actors doing reality] just as there were stigmas about performers in daytime, nighttime TV, and film.”

That said, Bloom has no regrets about her time on Vanderpump Rules. “My experience on the show was fine,” she shares. “I had no idea how many people watched reality TV. A friend of mine from Princeton was one of the show’s producers. He said, ‘You’re hanging out here [at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant] anyway.’”

Bloom’s pals at SUR Lounge were not the main stars of the show, and she was promised she’d be represented accurately. “I felt safe, but I got out of there as soon as possible,” she reveals. Bloom much prefers playing Heather, whom she describes as “strong and independent. She doesn’t pine away. She’s a serious person with ethics and a sense of justice.”

Vail Bloom in Love: With Y&R
While Heather and Daniel only interacted peripherally during her first time on the show, Bloom was able to forge a bond with Michael Graziadei on-screen because they’re pals off-screen. “I hung out with Graz for years after I left Y&R,” she says. “We both have babies now. We hadn’t spoken [recently], but he was the perfect person for me to come back and act with. I love him as an actor. He’s very, very talented. He’s fun, and our chemistry is natural.”

Daniel and Heather hitting this rough spot doesn’t mean they can’t hit the reset button — and Bloom says she’s definitely open to coming back to Y&R to explore more of her character’s life. “Heather has her life with Lucy in Portugal all set up,” Bloom says. “This return is a moment for them to figure out [what’s next] and is an acknowledgment of the deep love that’s there.

“If a relationship is unhealthy, it has to fully die before it can come back,” continues Bloom. “If there’s a new relationship, it’ll be born out of a healthier dynamic. They’re finding their new footing.”