Fictional character in The Young and the Restless
Nicholas Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless". Created and introduced by William J. Bell, he was born onscreen in 1988 as the second child of supercouple characters Victor and Nikki Newman. Portrayed by a set of twins and later two child actors for his first six-year period, the writers of the series decided to rapidly age the character to a teenager in the summer of 1994. That June, Joshua Morrow began portraying Nick, and has remained in the role ever since. The character was reintroduced with the purpose of developing a relationship with another character, Sharon Collins, who was introduced around the same story arc. The pairing, which yielded three children, Cassie, Noah and Faith Newman, proved popular with viewers. They are regarded as a prominent supercouple by the soap opera media.
In 2005, the character underwent a dramatic change in storyline when Nick and Sharon's fourteen-year-old daughter Cassie was killed off after a car accident. This led Nick to seek comfort in the arms of another woman, Phyllis Summers, which resulted in an affair. Phyllis became pregnant with Nick's child, Summer Newman. Nick divorced Sharon and married Phyllis the following year. For years, however, Nick battled between his ongoing feelings with Sharon and Phyllis. His other storylines have included trying to seek independence away from his powerful father as well as multiple other relationships. In 2013, a storyline regarding Summer's paternity was visited, centered on speculation that she is actually the daughter of Jack Abbott, Phyllis' ex-husband.
Morrow regards Nick as a "good dude" who has a "fiery" protective personality, which has developed into a "more mature" persona as the character grew. Nick and Morrow gained a significant amount of crazed fan attention and popularity during the late 1990s, considered a long-time fan favorite by "TV Guide". The pairing of Nick and Sharon has been met with notable success, listed as one of the genre's best supercouples by "The Huffington Post" and SoapNet, among other sources. Morrow's performance has been met with critical acclaim, having garnered him the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series nomination consecutively from 1996 to 2000.
Casting and creation.
Created and introduced by William J. Bell, the role of Nicholas Newman was born onscreen during the episode dated December 31, 1988. The character was portrayed by infant twins Marco and Stefan Flores in 1989, while child actor Griffin Ledner took over the following year, departing in January 1991. Child actor John Alden played the role of Nick from 1991 to 1994. On June 21, 1994, the producers of the series decided to rapidly age Nick to a teenager; ending speculation that another teenage child of Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) would be introduced to the soap opera. The character's return as a teenager was written as him returning from boarding school after a long duration. Since then, the role has been portrayed by actor Joshua Morrow. Morrow had previously auditioned for the role of "Dylan" on another CBS soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful", making it to the final two casting options, but lost the role to Dylan Neal. The network later requested him to read for the part of Nick, which he won. Morrow, who worked in a restaurant prior to debuting on "The Young and the Restless", considered his change in profession a "quantum leap in careers". He said that accepting the role was "a very easy decision" considering how popular the show was. "The Record" newspaper described the role as being "tailor-made" for Morrow.
In 2002, Morrow signed a new contract with the soap opera that would ensure his portrayal of the role for an additional five years. His contract was considered "record-breaking" at the time, as no soap opera contract had exceeded four years prior to this. Upon his contract's expiration in 2007, Morrow agreed to an additional five years with "The Young and the Restless". He stated he was "happy to know" where he was going to be for the next five years, as well as expressing gratitude towards the soap opera for accommodating his living conditions and schedule. Morrow has portrayed the role ever since.
Thad Luckinbill stepped into the role on July 16, 2018, when it was revealed Nicholas had been posing as J. T. Hellstrom (Luckinbill).
Development.
Characterization.
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"Nick is ready to assume this role in life which can only be achieved by when your father is out of your way. So, I guess those would be three of the top reasons Nick would want to 'stick it' to Victor".
Morrow, on Nick suing his father (2011)
Nick is described by the soap opera's official website as often thinking "with his heart instead of his head". When the teenaged version of Nick debuted on the series in 1994, he was characterized as a "frisky" 16-year-old "rich-kid", with Morrow being able to "kick back and relax in typical teenager attire—jeans, tees, etc". Morrow said "Nick's eager and fun-loving ... and that's fun to play". Nick also has an "eye for the ladies". In 1999, Morrow told soap magazine "Soap Opera Digest" that Nick has a "fiery personality", and "if you attack him, he's going to fight back". Morrow has insisted that he is not concerned about viewer backlash towards Nick, having stated: "My job is not to be palatable to the audience. I want to tell a convincing story. I have never been a man in love with two women. I can only imagine what that must be like." The actor felt that if he needed to "look like an ass and a bad guy" to keep people interested in his portrayal, "so be it". He told Tommy Garrett of "Canyon News": "I’d rather be playing an imperfect good guy than a boring one. There is a lot of me in Nick, there is not that big of a stretch for me on a daily basis". A controversial storyline occurred in 2011 when alongside his sisters Abby Newman (Marcy Rylan) and Victoria Abbott (Amelia Heinle), Nick sued his father. Morrow felt that Nick wants to teach Victor a lesson, hoping he will "appreciate his children more". He also stated Nick wants to get respect, as he isn't "this young and impressionable boy who looks at his father in this hero light anymore." By the following year, Morrow opined that Nick is now "more mature" with his decision-making, and that "He's got a very practical view of the world, and I like that he's kind of become a steady character on the show". He stated that although the part isn't as "splashy or flashy" as Adam Newman (Michael Muhney), Nick's onscreen brother, he "really" likes Nick because "he's a good dude" and a "very supportive" person.
Nick and Sharon.
Since 1994, Nick, whose love life according to Morrow is "messy and convoluted", has been romantically linked to his high-school sweetheart Sharon Collins (Sharon Case). As teenagers, they dream of eloping, and face major hurdles when Sharon's ex-boyfriend Matt Clark (Eddie Cibrian) exposes Sharon's teenaged motherhood (when she gave her baby, fathered by her former boyfriend in Madison, up for adoption). Nick, believing Sharon is a virgin, briefly breaks up with her but they reunite. With Matt behind them, they marry in February 1996 and have their first child—Noah (Robert Adamson)—in 1997, the year Sharon is reunited with her daughter Cassie (Camryn Grimes). Sharon's best friend Grace Turner (Jennifer Gareis) seduces Nick, triggering another breakup; Sharon and Nick reunite during a custody battle for Cassie. Of their highly anticipated reunion, former head writer Kay Alden noted that during the previous several months "there's been a lot of stop-and-go" and "mixed messages" between the couple, but their feelings were "definitely clear" again; Morrow felt that Nick loved Cassie as much as he loves Noah. However, in 2002, Sharon has an affair with Diego Guittierez (Greg Vaughan), causing additional martial struggles for the pair. In May 2005, 14-year-old Cassie is killed in a car accident. Nick becomes distant from Sharon, and cheats on her with Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford). The marriage ends the following year; Nick marries a pregnant Phyllis, who gives birth to their daughter, Summer Newman (Hunter King).
Despite his marriage to Phyllis, Nick remains in love with Sharon, causing the love triangle between Nick, Sharon and Phyllis to reemerge in 2009. Nick became unable to forget Sharon, who began unraveling in her own life after a recent divorce. Morrow said Sharon "seems kind of vulnerable and susceptible to people saying things about her. So, Nick feels he has to protect her." However, this came at the expense of his marriage to Phyllis which began falling apart. In January 2009, Nick and Sharon reunite at the Abbott cabin, an affair "much anticipated" by viewers. According to Case, Sharon wanted Nick "more than anyone" but only if he left Phyllis; Morrow told "TV Guide" that although the reunion was "messy", fans "wanted this for a long time", sure that they would become a solid couple again. After another one-night stand Sharon becomes pregnant, briefly lying that Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman)—Sharon's ex-husband—is the baby's father when Summer becomes ill and Phyllis needs Nick. Nick soon finds out, but their daughter Faith is kidnapped at birth by Nick's brother, Adam Newman (Michael Muhney), and given to Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson). Sharon, believing Faith has died, seduces a guilty Adam. Faith is eventually reunited with her parents, and Adam's crimes are revealed. Nick and Sharon are briefly engaged in November 2010, but they break up when she sleeps with Adam and their relationship becomes bitter. Although Case and Morrow believe the couple won't "ever be over" and "belong together", they are not currently together and may not reunite "anytime soon".
Cassie's death and affair with Phyllis.
In 2005, former "good-girl" Cassie becomes a rebellious teenager; Nick and Sharon have a difficult time dealing with her. Cassie has a crush on bad-boy Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei), who is dating Lily Winters (Christel Khalil). One night, against her parents' wishes she sneaks out to a party. In a ploy to impress a drunken Daniel she attempts to drive him home, despite being underage. The car crashes, leaving them with no memory of the accident. Daniel is thought to have been driving, and is blamed for the accident. A weakened Cassie escapes from the hospital to find Daniel and tell him she was driving; she is returned to the hospital. During the episode dated May 24, Cassie dies with Nick and Sharon at her side. Grimes said she did not think Cassie would die, but if it was "meant to happen, it's meant to happen". The actress found filming her last scenes with Case and Morrow "ridiculously hard". Daniel is cleared of all charges and Nick and Sharon begin Cassie's Foundation, a movement to prevent teenage drinking and driving. Following her death, the strong relationship between Nick and Sharon changes forever. Weighing in on the "groundbreaking" and "shocking" plot, Morrow stated, "As a person who watched Camryn grow up, I was devastated and it was not that difficult to use those feelings in the scenes we had to play. But as an actor, I have to commend our producer and writers at that time because it gave the show a huge new storyline that years later we are still playing out". He felt that losing a child gave Nick "an edge and a change" that affected him deeply. In 2012, during a court battle over Newman Enterprises (the family company), Nick tells a judge that Sharon's mental problems date to Cassie's death. Luke Kerr of Zap2it referred to this as playing the "Cassie card".
Nick uses an affair with workmate Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) to numb his emotions after Cassie's tragic death. Phyllis and Nick go their separate ways as he reunites with Sharon, although he marries Phyllis when she becomes pregnant with his child. Their daughter, Summer Newman, is born in December 2006. Their three-year marriage eventually succumbs to Nick's ongoing feelings for Sharon, which resulted in an affair and the birth of their daughter, Faith. Nick divorces Phyllis in 2010. They briefly reunite and remarry in 2012, although it ends because of Phyllis' adultery and lies. Morrow stated that "not many husbands would put