The Young and the Restless star Michael Graziadei wasn’t too keen on the idea of his character, Daniel, playing the guitar on screen. Grazidei, who has been rockin’ the guitar in real life since he was 13, was hesitant to expose his talent on the soap opera. The 46-year-old recently cited his reason, and it’s actually quite intriguing.
Michael Graziadei initially didn’t want Daniel to play guitar on The Young and the Restless
Despite being a skilled guitar player himself, Michael Graziadei didn’t want his character to play the instrument on the CBS drama. However, fate (and the writers) had some other plans. In an interesting turn of events, music has become an escape for his character, Daniel, as he recovers from the death of his beloved Heather.
Michael Graziadei recently shared the reason why he steers away from his favorite hobby on screen in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, and it does make a solid case. The Boogeyman 2 actor further highlighted how Daniel didn’t have a musical bone in his body during his previous stint on The Young and the Restless (2004-2013).
However, upon his return, head writer Josh Griffith suggested incorporating his real-life guitar skills into the show. The actor wanted to keep his cherished hobby private and not associate it with his character, Daniel. Hence, he initially turned down the suggestion.
Having said that, as episodes went by, the plot demanded he play the guitar, and Michael, too, eventually complied. In the storyline, Daniel falls for Tessa (Cait Fairbanks), who’s married. Josh Griffith brings the characters together by having Daniel take guitar lessons from her. Furthermore, his first performance will be with Tessa at Danny and Christine’s wedding reception in the show’s November 24 episode.
While revealing what intrigued him about the suggestion, Michael said, “I was like, ‘That’s actually kind of fun and kind of interesting, and it will be a challenge for me to sound like I suck at the guitar.’ So I was into it. It felt like there was no pressure.”
