Billy Abbott - Casting

Casting

Billy was born onscreen in July 1993 and grew up naturally until 1999, when the producers decided to revise the birth date to 1983. Up to 1999, the character was portrayed by child actors, first by a set of twins named Katrin and Margret Ingimarsdottir, then by Brett Sherman, Shane Silver, Blake Pontello, Josh Michael Rose and Scotty Leavenworth. When the character was rapidly aged, the character was first portrayed by David Tom, brother of the acclaimed Heather Tom, who first aired on July 26, 1999. "I auditioned five times," said Tom at the time. "Every time, Heather would call and ask, 'How was it? Did you feel good about it?'" When Tom received the role, he said, "She was very excited. I probably won't have too many scenes with my sister. But it's great to be on the same show!" Tom went on to receive a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in 2000. In 2002, Tom opted not to renew his contract but agreed to stay until that August when Billy was written out, and was last seen on August 15, 2002. The character was absent from the series from August to December 2002, and even though he was supposed to return much sooner, the casting department allegedly had trouble finding a suitable replacement for Tom.

The role was recast with Ryan Brown, who debuted on December 26, 2002. During Brown's portrayal, rumors started circulating about his dismissal, but when Brown was actually fired, the producers said it was storyline dictated. He last aired on July 16, 2003. In 2006, it was announced that newcomer Scott Seymour would assume the role, debuting on August 15, 2006. However, Seymour was let go after only three months, and his final airdate was November 9, 2006. In 2008, Billy Miller assumed the role as the fourth actor to do so. He first aired on September 19, 2008. Miller won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his portrayal in 2010. In 2011, Miller announced that he would like to leave the series by the end of that summer. However, after months of contract negotiations, Miller agreed to one more year on the series.