User:Livelikemusic/Genevieve Atkinson

Genevieve Atkinson is a fictional character on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. The role has been portrayed by soap veteran actress Genie Francis, who is best known for her three decade long portrayal of Laura Spencer, one-half of the infamous supercouple Luke and Laura on the ABC Daytime soap, General Hospital. Francis first appeared as Genie on May 27, 2011 and has continued to portray the role since.

Casting and character development
In February 2010, Genie Francis reunited with her former on-screen husband Anthony Geary during the "Soap Opera Spectacular" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Both Francis and Geary were part of the supercouple pairing Luke and Laura fame on the ABC Daytime series General Hospital. When questioned by show host Oprah Winfrey if she, Francis, would ever reprise the role of Laura Spencer, she revealed:

I would like her to be funny and have a little bit of an agenda that might look a little bit vengeful, but it really isn’t. I think she’d have a plan. If there is a way to go forward with Laura and make her into what I'd like her to be now, then perhaps I would do it. There is nothing in me that is willing to play a victim anymore. I’m sort of done with the wounded dove in my life.

A month later, in March 2011, it was announced that Francis had landed the newly created of the mother of Daniel Goddard's character Cane Ashby on CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless. The casting would reunite her with several of her former General Hospital alumni including Tristan Rogers, Stephen Nichols, Judith Chapman and Kin Shriner.

In a statement on how she gained the newly created role, Francis admitted:

I got a call from [Y&R Executive Producer] Maria Bell three or four weeks ago. She explained to me that she had seen me on Oprah and liked the idea of what I wanted to play, and she had an idea of how to write that, how to incorporate that into A story on Young and the Restless. She would create a new role for me. I wouldn’t be coming in to replace someone. She called me personally to ask me if I was willing to listen to an offer, and I said, yes, I’m willing!

Francis also expressed her disappointment in her former daytime home, General Hospital and how she feels her fans would feel about her joining another soap, stating:

What I have found is that my fan base will follow me to whatever I’m doing. They gave me a big tune-in for Hallmark. They were just happy to see me working again, and my job is not to disappoint them, not to cheat them. And I feel like the last little appearance on GH cheated them. I welcome the opportunity to do something new to continue to entertain my audience. What I loved about Laura — and what people loved about Laura — is that she is a terrific memory, but it’s just not there anymore. [GH] cannot conceive a Laura who is 48 years old, a grown woman. So that’s that. I’m a little surprised, too, since this year is the 30th anniversary of Luke and Laura’s marriage. (The wedding aired on Nov. 17, 1981.)

Soap Opera Digest later confirmed Francis' alter-ego's name to be Genevieve Atkinson. The Young and the Restless co-head writer Scott Hamner stated, "This is going to be a very, very different character than we've seen Genie Francis portray".

Executive producer and head writer of the series, Maria Arena Bell opened up about her hiring of Francis, she revealed:

Genie is amazing and a real pro. I put pen to paper and she ran with it. She is really a brave, courageous actress. She will go there, and I think it speaks to her frustration in playing one role for so long that she felt limited in it. It was a beloved soap character, and I loved Laura of GH, too. I mean, who doesn’t love Laura! But I think Genie was itching to play a smart, aggressive person who makes things happen. I think she is stupendous and really sold the story, as has everyone in that storyline. It really has been fantastic to watch, and I think she is terrific.

In mid-2011, Francis began experiencing a lack of on-air viewing time, leading fans to speculate she had been let go from the soap and possibly returning to her General Hospital alter-ego. However, a spokesperson for The Young and the Restless confirmed that Francis was simply taking a brief hiatus to film a sequel to her Hallmark Channel film The Note. In 2012, Francis received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Genevieve Atkinson. On her nomination, Francis said:

I just feel like I’ve had tremendous good fortune with this new show and I’m thrilled to be part of it. [...] I was already awake because we get up very early here. The kids go to school, so we were all up. I got the call and it was a really nice surprise. I really did not expect it. [...] I hope it gets televised in some way, just for the sake of the medium. Nevertheless, it will still be exciting. I've only been with this show for a year, so I'm thrilled that we managed to put together some nice work that people are enjoying."

Francis lost her bid for the award to former General Hospital co-star Nancy Lee Grahn for her portrayal of Alexis Davis. In September, following the hiring of former General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps onto the series, Francis was reportedly let go from the series in her role as Genevieve Atkinson, due to budget cuts from Sony Pictures Television and CBS. Speaking of her outster, Francis said in a statement:

I finished my scenes a week ago and [Supervising Producer] Tony Morina, who is a very lovely man, came down from the booth and said, "Jill wants you to come up to her office." I said, "Should I call first?" and he said, "No, just go up." Then I looked at him and said, "Am I fired [laughs]?" He just went, "I don't know." So, I went up to talk to Jill and she was actually very kind. Actually, I think she was mortified. I don't think she wanted to be in that position to tell me that. Nobody does. We both said we were sorry that we wouldn't have the chance to work together.

A last air date has not yet been revealed.

Storyline
Genevieve first arrived in Genoa City in late May 2011 alongside her presumed deceased son Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard), who is posing as his deceased twin brother, Caleb Atkinson. The pair are revealed to be working together against a common thread: Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers). Genevieve held a grudge against her ex, believing he murdered their daughter, Samantha.

Genevieve led Colin to her home where a shrine was set up for Samantha. She later tried to push him off a balcony, as he was trying to abduct their grandchildren Charlie (Parker Rose Curry) and Matilda (Jordan Lemnah). Colin's wife, Jill Abbott (Jess Walton), saved him from his fall. At the hospital, it was revealed Colin and Genevieve were married, and his marriage to Jill was declared invalid. Colin is sent to prison. Genevieve tried to bond with her grandchildren, however Cane's wife Lily Ashby (Christel Khalil) doesn't want her to, believing she is dangerous. Her marriage to Colin then legally ends. She begins flirting with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), which eventually leads into a relationship. Jack also hires her at Jabot Cosmetics.

Genevieve locked Colin in a wine cellar, and he wanted revenge on her. He planned an explosion that would have killed her and Gloria Bardwell (Judith Chapman), whom he also had a grudge against. The plan goes awry when Lily and Genevieve's unseen housekeeper Myrna, who ends up being the insane Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk), are the explosion's victims. Colin is arrested for attempted murder and deported to Australia. Patty, acting has Myrna, who has a history of obsession with Jack, is enraged because of Jack and Genevieve's relationship. She claims she is shy and covers her face in public. Jack and Genevieve are engaged.

When Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) turns himself in for murdering Diane Jenkins (Maura West), his son Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) takes over Newman Enterprises and decides to sell Beauty of Nature to the highest bidder, planning to call Tucker and tell him how much to bid in order to win. However, he fails to inform Tucker, being seduced by Sharon Newman (Sharon Case). This way, Genevieve's bid, as head of her own company FMN, is the highest and she becomes the new owner of Beauty of Nature, rising Jack's suspicion regarding the source of all her money. Later, her son Cane reads an article of FMN, which stands for Forget Me Not. Having a flicker of suspicion and remembrance, he heads to his mother's empty house to find "Forget Me Not" engraved on the golden pot that contains his sister Samantha's ashes. Genevieve then realizes, hours before her wedding, that she can no longer marry Jack as she wasn't loyal to him. She writes him a Dear John letter and asks a delivery man to deliver it to the church where they were supposed to marry, however Patty knocks him out before he can deliver the letter to Jack. Patty then dresses in Genevieve's wedding dress, which she stole from her house, and walks down the aisle to the altar with her face covered. When Jack uncovers her face, he assumes it is Emily (Stacy Haiduk), Jack's ex-fiancee who is identical to Patty. Patty is enraged by this, and reveals that she is Patty before shooting Jack in the stomach. It was finally found out that "Myrna" was in fact Patty. Upon going to the hospital, it was revealed that FMN is Genevieve's company and she is in ownership of Beauty of Nature. Jack and his friends and family rejected Genevieve. She later found solace in Victor.

Genevieve agrees to relinquish power of Beauty of Nature only if he gives their relationship another chance. Genevieve, still under the impression that Jack still loved her, overheard Jack telling Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) that he doesn't love or like Genevieve and is using her for Beauty of Nature. Jack accepts Genevieve's offer, and agrees to marry her. However, he leaves her before their wedding. Genevieve has sex with Victor and sells Beauty of Nature back to him. The SEC later begin investigating Genevieve as to where she got the funds to buy Beauty of Nature. The SEC subsequently took away all of her assets, including her estate. After being prevented from getting into a secret Swiss back-account, Genevieve asked Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart), known for his hacking capabilities, to find out who was stealing from her. Genevieve's money later appeared in front of Cane's door and her room was the GCAC was trashed. There are possibilities that her daughter, Samantha, could be alive and doing all of this to her. When Victor goes missing, Tucker requests Genevieve's help; and promises her something if she does. She ends up finding Victor with amnesia, believing his name is "Christian".