Sharon Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted on June 27, 1994. Before Case took over in September 1994, the character was portrayed briefly by Monica Potter and then by Heidi Mark. When introduced, Sharon was a young girl from the poor side of town; her early storylines included being raped by Matt Clark and the revelation that she had given up a child for adoption. Nick and Sharon married, had a son named Noah, and later won custody of Cassie, the daughter she had as a teenager. Their marriage faced a number of problems, including infidelity on both sides. Following Cassie's death in an automobile accident, Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis Summers, resulting in a pregnancy which ended their 11-year marriage.
Despite her second marriage to Jack Abbott, Nick and Sharon had an affair and conceived another child: Faith. During the pregnancy, Sharon experienced kleptomania. Faith was kidnapped by Adam Newman, Nick's half-brother, who married Sharon after leading her to believe Faith had died. When Adam's crimes were revealed, Sharon remained in love with him; SoapNet considered the relationship "dark". Since 2009, former showrunner Maria Arena Bell and subsequent head writers that followed have significantly changed the character's direction, receiving negative backlash from critics and audiences. In 2012, Sharon controversially marries her former father-in-law Victor Newman twice, gains control of his company and burns down his ranch — a sequence of events which resulted in her being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sharon then altered DNA test results to make Nick believe his daughter Summer was fathered by Jack. Her subsequent storylines have included being reunited with her other daughter (and Cassie's twin) Mariah Copeland; marrying Nick's other half-brother Dylan McAvoy; experiencing a phantom pregnancy after miscarrying their child, which led her to keep a child that wasn't hers for months; and battling breast cancer before marrying Rey Rosales.
Sharon has been characterized as "insecure" and "a survivor" by Case, who recognized the character's history of "weird" behavior prior to her bipolar diagnosis. Despite her crimes and faults, Sharon is described as an "ever-suffering heroine" by Canyon News, and has been called soap opera's "hottest mess" by Daytime Confidential. The supercouple pairing of Nick and Sharon attracted a large fan following. Case has become popular with viewers and her performance has received praise from critics (particularly for overcoming heavily panned writing), while also earning her several award nominations, including winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1999.
Development Casting
Sharon Newman was created and introduced by William J. Bell, with the character making her first appearance June 27, 1994. Sharon Case, who plays Sharon to the present day, is the third actress to play the role. Previously, struggling actress Monica Potter originated the role, but was fired. She confessed years later, "I was fired because I was terrible". Heidi Mark then briefly took over the role on July 11, 1994; Potter and Mark together had a three–month stint.
Case, who had previously worked on the soap operas General Hospital and As the World Turns, was chosen as Mark's replacement after a casting search. She was selected from a group of six other possible recasts after a screen testing with co-star Joshua Morrow, and began airing on September 7, 1994. Initially, Case believed she would only be playing the role for a maximum of six months. Of her casting, she stated: "Not only is this my third soap, but I'm also the third actress to play the role of Sharon Collins. So, if three times is the charm, this should be it." The actress wanted to "breathe new life" into the role and make it her own. In 2003, Case was off-screen from February 17 to May 1, during contract negotiations. These were resolved that April, when she signed a new contract to remain on the show for another four years, until 2007. Case revealed that while she considered leaving the series, "I would not have been negotiating if I did not want to come back. I've always had a great story to play. I love the way they write Sharon. It was just a matter of hammering out the deal points."
Characterization Known for her long-term suffering, Sharon is first introduced as a "troubled teen" and "the girl from the wrong side of the tracks". In 1995, Case observed that despite being raped and caring for her disabled mother, Sharon would "not let herself be a victim". Nekeeta Borden of the website Daytime Confidential described the character as being a kindhearted "" during her early years on the show, noting that she wanted to start her own trends rather than follow other members of the Newman family. However, Case compared Sharon to a younger Jill Foster Abbott (Jess Walton), telling Soap Opera Weekly that Jill "was kind of like Sharon. She was nice...no one thought she was a gold digger—at first."
According to the actress, Sharon does "weird things" and panics when stressed, and her mistakes "eat away at her". Case recognized that Sharon has "always been kind of off" and "experienced these weird jags", which would eventually be addressed by the character's bipolar disorder diagnosis. Case also described Sharon as being insecure and feeling unworthy of being in a happy relationship, and would later criticize the writers for pairing Sharon with "too many men" because it "waters her down". The character often sees visions of her deceased daughter Cassie (Camryn Grimes), with Case stating that Sharon believes "she is connected to the spiritual world".
Having played many facets of Sharon over the years, Case said: "It’s almost like I’ve played 15 different characters in my career when I’ve only played one. There’s never a dull moment", calling the character an "optimist and a survivor". Case has stated that the character's main drive is searching for love, which to Sharon is "her survival". She described Sharon as having "so many different layers to her" and one of the more complex characters on The Young and the Restless. The actress further opined that Sharon was initially a damsel in distress and "wasn't very colorful", which is why the writers chose to have her do "bad things" over the years. Former head writer Charles Pratt, Jr. likened Sharon's story to The Perils of Pauline (1914).
Relationship with Nicholas Newman
Since her debut on the series, Sharon has had an on-again, off-again relationship with her high-school sweetheart, Nicholas "Nick" Newman (Joshua Morrow). As teenagers they dream of eloping, and face their first hurdle when Sharon's ex-boyfriend Matt Clark (Eddie Cibrian) exposes Sharon's teenage motherhood. Nick, who believed Sharon was 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 also reunited with her daughter Cassie (Camryn Grimes). Nick and Sharon split up when he is seduced by her best friend Grace Turner (Jennifer Gareis), but are later reunited during a custody battle for Cassie. Of their highly anticipated reunion, head writer Kay Alden noted that after months of "mixed messages", the couple's feelings were definitely clear again. After 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 when Phyllis becomes pregnant and later gives birth to their daughter, Summer Newman (Hunter King). Case said that Sharon saw Phyllis as a "poison" in their lives, noting: "Sharon is a religious person, and that was the devil’s work."
Although Sharon also moved on, marrying Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), Nick and Sharon remain in love. Phyllis grows resentful of Sharon's presence in her marriage, insulting her in an article in her magazine Restless Style. Nick and Sharon eventually reunite in a sexual affair at the Abbott cabin, an event much anticipated by viewers. According to Case, Sharon wanted Nick more than anyone at the time but only if he left Phyllis; Morrow noted that although the reunion was "messy", viewers wanted this for a long time. Another one-night stand with Nick results in Sharon becoming pregnant, and she later gives birth to their daughter, Faith. Nick and Sharon are briefly engaged, but break up again when she sleeps with his brother (and Faith's kidnapper) Adam, and their relationship becomes bitter.
Although Case and Morrow believe the couple belong together, they are apart for several years; during which they both believed a reunion wouldn't happen anytime soon. In late 2013, the couple begin to reconnect romantically despite Sharon having secretly switched the paternity test results of Nick's daughter Summer; Case stated in an interview that Sharon is in "constant turmoil" regarding her secret, and Morrow stated that he believed a reunion was a possibility given Nick's vulnerability. Given Sharon's secret, Soaps In Depth wrote that "the supercouple's fans may need a holiday miracle" to keep the couple's relationship from "exploding".
Cameron Kirsten
In February 2003, Case temporarily exited the show as a result of lengthy contract negotiations. Instead of having the character depart permanently (or be killed off), executive producer David Shaughnessy chose to have her leave town after issues with her marriage to Nick. While away, Sharon becomes suicidal; Case explained that Sharon's life had fallen apart and she left town to commit suicide, drinking herself into "a complete stupor". Travelling to Denver, she meets (and has an affair with) businessman Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby), who physically abuses her. In April, Case signed a new contract with the show. Executive producer and head writer at the time John F. Smith said that upon Sharon's return to Genoa City, she wants to keep where she was a secret. That December, Sharon is horrified when Cameron arrives in town for apparent business with Newman Enterprises. Smith stated that the story with Cameron and Sharon would be one that "builds quickly into a lot of drama". Explaining their relationship, Ashby revealed that Cameron and Sharon were "kindred spirits" and hooked up, but Cameron becomes abusive, with Ashby calling him "really disturbing". Cameron blackmails Sharon into meeting him at a motel. When she arrives they have a physical altercation in which Sharon throws a bottle at him to keep him from raping her, "killing" him (or so she believes). Australian magazine TV Soap noted that "sweet, demure" Sharon had become a murderer. After driving around with his body in her car trunk for days, she dumps it in an alley. Sharon's former friend, Grace, returns to town; she discovers Cameron alive, and nurses him back to health. Detective Weber (Sherman Augustus) is suspicious of Sharon's involvement in Cameron's disappearance. Sharon begins "hallucinating" with visions of Cameron's "ghost" (which is actually him, alive). Case noted that Sharon was getting into deeper trouble by making mistakes "trying to do the right thing".