Young & Restless’ Michelle Stafford Opens Up About the Billy Miller That She Knew

Michelle Stafford may have just shared the anecdote that gives the best sense of the Billy Miller that most fans never got to know. “One time, I was having a hard time with this guy who was fixing my oven, and he heard me on the phone and he said, ‘Here, give that to me,’” she told Extra. “He grabbed it and said, ‘Hey, listen! I don’t like the way you’re talking to my wife.’ He just pretended like he was my husband. The guy immediately changed.

“That’s what he did with everyone. Everyone knows this about Billy,” she added. “He took care of everyone… He wanted to. That made him happy.”

Stafford is also among Miller’s many admirers — and she got to observe his work up close at both The Young and the Restless (where they were castmates as Phyllis and Billy) and General Hospital (where they played Nina and Jason/Drew). “It was so great to be in scenes with [him, he was] so creative and inventive as an actor, like a true talent. Not only that, so much charisma. The coupling of great talent and charisma is quite something.”

Stafford was not aware of her co-star’s struggles with bipolar depression (which is mother confirmed). “I just knew Billy on an aesthetic level… What I knew of Billy is how much he loved his family… and how important his family was to him, and him being a Texas boy, that was very much a part of him.”

Miller was also great with youngsters. “All the kids on set, he would always play with them… ” Stafford recalled. “He was just a big kid.”

In closing, the Emmy winner shared her wish for Miller’s legacy. “I hope he is remembered for the guy he really was,” she said. “Someone who loved his family, an extraordinary actor and someone who really loved to love life.”