The Young And The Restless Icon Michael Damian Celebrates His Big Return As Danny Romalotti
It's rare for a soap opera character to be as much of a good guy as Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) is on "The Young and the Restless." Danny has consistently tried to do right by his sister, Gina Roma (formerly Romalotti, played by Patty Weaver), including supporting her when her restaurant burned down. Danny also attempted to repair his relationship with his son Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei), even though Daniel's mother, Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) had lied about his paternity.
After becoming a rock star, with his musical opportunities exponentially expanded, Danny has understandably been in and out of Genoa City (via Soap Central). According to the Orlando Sentinel, the multi-talented Damian reached #1 on the Billboard music charts himself with his cover of the song, "Rock On," which was originally a hit for David Essex in 1974. While he had already been a fan favorite on "Y&R," Damian's success catapulted him into the music stratosphere, much like his character Danny.
He's also become a successful film director with such movies as "High Strung" and its sequel, "High Strung Free Dance." As the actor told Soap Opera News, "Subconsciously I think I was already having a class from my nineteen years on 'The Young and the Restless.' I was always observing and watching on the set." Now, Damian is returning to where he started and the fans are truly thrilled.
Michael Damian is delighted to be back on the show
Soap Central confirms that "The Young and the Restless" alum Michael Damian is set to reprise his fan-favorite character Danny Romalotti in December. The actor took to Instagram to share, "Had a blast today filming @youngandrestlesscbs !! Thank you @therealstafford , MichaelGraziadei and amazing crew!" A fan replied, "We can not wait to see what Danny is up too [sic]! Love that it is Phyllis and Daniel too."
As Damian noted, Michael Graziadei, who plays Daniel Romalotti, the son of Danny and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), has also returned to the show (via Soaps She Knows). Stafford eagerly responded to the news of Damian's return on Instagram, writing, "WHAAAAT!? #yr #myfirstlove @therealmichaeldamian #rockon." One commenter noted, "Yes I saw this post and was beyond happy!! I have always loved Michael Damian and him as Danny R!!" while a fan of Danny and Phyllis wrote, "Gah, my childhood memories of my mom watching Danny and Phyllis is all coming back. I'm so excited!!!"
In 2020, the "Dishing with Digest" podcast interviewed Damian about his time on the show. He brought up starring alongside Stafford in particular, gushing that he had "an incredible time working with her." Of his beloved co-star, Damian added, "[She's] always unpredictable. Didn't matter what was written in the script, you had no idea what Michelle would do ... that was really fun. Wherever she went, you went with her and that was really exciting."