Amelia Heinle reflects on 20 years as Victoria and why she thought The Young and the Restless would fire her

Amelia Heinle never expected to stick around this long on The Young and the Restless. In fact, when she first stepped into the role of Victoria Newman in 2005, she wasn’t even convinced she’d keep the job. Heinle was coming in as a recast for a very established and beloved character originally played by Heather Tom, and she felt the pressure from the jump.

In an exclusive interview with Soaps.com published on April 1, 2025, Heinle opened up about her two-decade run on the show and the nerves that came with it early on. She admitted she thought she’d get the axe not long after starting.

At the time, Heinle had already done daytime work—she had solid runs on Loving and All My Children. But nothing quite prepared her for joining the juggernaut that is The Young and the Restless. What started as a three-year contract slowly turned into a long-term gig, and before she knew it, twenty years had flown by.

She credits the show's energy and her castmates for making it a place she genuinely didn’t want to leave. Still, she remembers how unsure she felt in the beginning.

“They’re totally going to fire me, and it’s going to be so embarrassing,” she recalled.

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Twenty years in, Amelia Heinle says Victoria still has more to explore in The Young and the Restless

The Young and the Restless (Image via CBS)

Amelia Heinle didn’t set out to make Victoria Newman a two-decade role—it just happened. What surprised her most wasn’t just how long she stayed, but how much she grew into it. In her interview with Soaps.com, she explained that she’d always signed on to her previous soaps, Loving and All My Children, with a three-year mindset.

Once the contract ended, she’d move on. But something changed after her first three years in Genoa City.

“After my first three years, I realized, ‘Wait, I really like it here and don’t ever want to leave,’” she said.

It wasn’t just the job security. Heinle felt a real connection to the people she worked with and to the Newman family dynamic she became part of. She described The Young and the Restless as different from anything else she’d done. She also pointed out how much the character evolved through heartbreaks, career chaos, parenting struggles, and complicated family ties.

“She’s changed over the years, just by the nature of what she’s gone through,” Heinle shared. “The happiness that she’s experienced, as well as the losses and disappointments, the falling down and getting back up.”

Victoria has been through a lot—from explosive divorces to power grabs at Newman Enterprises—but Heinle sees that as a reflection of real-life growth. She’s not playing the same woman she was in 2005, and that’s what’s kept things fresh.

In fact, Heinle has watched her portrayal shift over time in more ways than one.

“When I look at videos from when I first started, I’m like, ‘Why do I sound different?’” she laughed. “I had a different voice! I guess it takes a while for a voice to change, but for me, the time has flown by.”

Now that Claire has entered the mix as Victoria’s long-lost daughter, Heinle joked that her TV family just keeps expanding.

https://www.cbs.com/shows/the_young_and_the_restless/

She said Melody Thomas Scott, who plays Nikki, had the best take on it—saying Claire raising herself offscreen was the most “Newman” thing ever. Looking ahead, Heinle wouldn’t mind shaking things up.

“I’ve never gotten to play anything a little naughty,” she admitted. “Maybe it’s time for Victoria to unleash and go a little bit wild!”

It’s clear Heinle’s not done yet—and if she has her way, Victoria still has a few more layers to peel back in The Young and the Restless.

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Watch The Young and the Restless on CBS.