Devon Hamilton and Hilary Curtis are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American CBS soap opera, The Young and the Restless. Devon Hamilton, portrayed by Bryton James is the biological grandson of the show's iconic matriarch, Katherine Chancellor, portrayed by Jeanne Cooper and the adopted son of Neil Winters and Drucilla Winters, played by Kristoff St. John and Victoria Rowell. Hilary Curtis, portrayed by Mishael Morgan was introduced in 2013 as a woman looking for revenge on Neil and the Winters family for Neil's part in her mother's death.
The couple quickly rose to popularity in the summer of 2014 as they began a forbidden affair soon after Hilary's wedding to Neil. The duo faces several obstacles including Hilary being intimidated by Devon's billion-dollar inheritance, Devon believing Hilary is interested in other men, their trepidation in hurting Neil, Hilary's disappearance on their honeymoon, her kidnapping and subsequent memory loss at Neil's hands and Hilary's consistent lying driving Devon away.
Devon and Hilary were first called super couples when they started their affair and they are commonly referred to by the portmanteau "Hevon" in magazines, on social media, and internet message boards. Viewers and critics have praised the undeniable chemistry between the characters which is credited as the reason for the duo's success—despite inconsistencies in the writing. The duo has been compared to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Devon and Hilary also won the Fan Favorite Award for "Most Romantic Duo" at the 42nd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015 and the plot earned Bryton James a Daytime Emmy Award nomination Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2016.
Development Creation While the producers had not actually taken notice, Mishael Morgan actually suggested Devon and Hilary be paired together feeling as if there was a connection. When Morgan predicted that their characters would end up together, James couldn't see it because Devon hated Hilary for going after his family. James finally saw the potential when a producer told how good they looked together. When Devon finally does confront Hilary about her actions, Morgan plays up that Hilary is "hurt" despite the truth of his accusations because she cares what he thinks. Having recently turned her life around, Devon manages to forgive Hilary for her past transgressions against his family. By the end of 2013, Devon and Hilary have bonded and according to Morgan, Hilary brings excitement to Devon's life. It would be the very first "love story" for the character of Devon. In a 2017 interview, Morgan revealed that she felt her existing friendship with Bryton translated well onscreen. "A couple [of] months before we started shooting anything related to 'Hevon' we would go out for lunch, and I think that that bleeds through."
Background While relatives sharing love interests is not unusual in soaps, for the Barber and Winters families, it had become a main staple in stories. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, brothers Neil and Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore) shared love interests several times. The two are best known for their quadrangle with sisters Olivia (Tonya Lee Williams) and Drucilla Barber (Victoria Rowell). Malcolm's one-night-stand with Dru during her marriage to Neil results in daughter Lily (Christel Khalil) – raised by Neil. Neil later has an affair with Malcolm's fiancée Alex Perez (Alexia Robinson). In 2011, Neil's affair with Malcolm's (then Darius McCrary) estranged fiancée Sofia Dupre (Julia Pace Mitchell) results in her pregnancy and her eventual divorce from Malcolm.
The plot device is utilized again with Devon and Neil when Devon has a one-night stand with Neil's former mistress Tyra (Eva Marcille). James defends Devon reminding viewers that Neil and Tyra's relationship was an extramarital affair while also taking into account Devon's age, romantic inexperience and immaturity at the time of his tryst with Tyra and that Devon did not make mistakes like that often, unlike Neil. James relished in the idea of Devon battling Neil for Hilary's affections as it put the father-son duo at odds for a change and because Devon could come at Neil as his equal.
Friendship and true love While James worried about potential backlash because of the affair, the actors agreed it helped that Devon and Hilary's attraction was well established for viewers prior to her involvement with Neil. After Hilary saves the young billionaire from identity theft at the hands of her former accomplice, Mason (Lamon Archey) and defends him against ruthless paparazzi, they end up spending Christmas and New Year's Eve together. Devon also defends Hilary against Lily's attacks. The friendship makes the attraction seem like a "natural thing" Morgan explained. Devon sees beyond Hilary's flaws and accepts her. Though the relationship seems like "old hat" for the Winters family, the actors and the writers insisted that Devon and Hilary shared undeniable true love. Devon is the kind of guy that Hilary will always be in love with Morgan explained; they have that "having sex on the kitchen floor love!" Hilary's feelings for Devon are a "different kind of love" because he provides the "excitement" and "adventure" that Hilary enjoys. James believed the couple has "true love" and though they're betraying Neil, "it's the classic story -- you can't help who you fall in love with." Devon doesn't intend to hurt Neil, but his connection to Hilary is so strong that it is worth the sacrifice. Morgan likened the dynamic to "Romeo and Juliet" and said, "[Devon is] the love of her life." James hoped the pairing would take on the original super couple formula of splitting up and always reuniting but still having undying fan support.
Storylines
Obstacles and triangle with Neil Devon and Hilary face several obstacles before becoming a couple. According to James, Devon initially has to work up the courage to tell Hilary how he feels and Morgan said they avoid owning their feelings "for whatever reason." Devon is very straightforward about his attraction and even asks her on a date twice, with Hilary ultimately saying they should remain friends. When Devon tries to confront Hilary again, he overhears her in bed with someone else—however, he doesn't know it's Neil. Besides the bad "timing," Devon's jealousy over Hilary's apparent attraction to her boss Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) sends him into the arms of Esmeralda (Briana Nicole Henry). While Esmeralda assumes Devon and Hilary are sleeping together, Hilary doesn't know Devon's fling with Esmeralda is a direct response to her kiss with Jack; but Hilary believes there is no future for them. While Devon's new billionaire status makes him seem like the obvious choice, the money scares the reformed Hilary away. It would look suspicious if Hilary chose to pursue Devon after putting him in the "friend zone".
The most significant obstacle for the couple is Hilary's brief romance and sudden marriage to Neil. Then head writer Jean Passanante described it as a "great big mess, with much story opportunity" because of Hilary's dynamic with each member of the Winters family. Upon discovering Neil and Hilary's affair, Devon is "kicking himself" for not pursuing Hilary hard enough. It would be impossible for Devon not to be affected by Hilary's relationship with Neil. Morgan was surprised because she thought the triangle would involve Mason instead. Furious at the sight of them together, Devon exposes the relationship to Lily and her husband Cane (Daniel Goddard), accuses Hilary of using Neil to work out her "daddy (and mommy) issues." Hilary and Neil's romance increases the tension between Devon and Hilary. Devon pines away as Neil and Hilary take several major steps in their relationship including moving in together and becoming engaged within a matter of weeks—which Devon is against. Lily later encourages the newly single Devon to seduce Hilary but he rejects the idea. Meanwhile, Cane urges Devon to confront his feelings before it's too late and Devon kisses Hilary the night before her wedding to Neil and gets rejected. Hilary is tortured by Devon's admission because she can't deny that she feels the same way but she thinks marrying Neil will do away with her feelings for Devon. However, Hilary reminisces about the kiss as she and Neil are pronounced man and wife on June 25, 2014. While Devon intends to stop the wedding knowing the attraction is mutual, he also wants spare Neil's feelings. When a drunken Devon crashes their wedding party, Hilary traps him in an elevator hoping to talk some sense into him and she is terrified by his sudden profession of love.
Unable to deny his feelings, Devon baits Hilary by announcing that he is leaving town hoping she will stop him—though he expects rejection. But when Hilary begs him to stay and they nearly sleep together, they agree that his leaving would be best. This time, it is Neil that convinces Devon to stay. Devon is "torn" between keeping quiet and coming clean—knowing Neil would be hurt by the lies. Devon refuses to tell Neil himself because he feels it is Hilary's place to speak with her husband. Devon gets Hilary to admit her feelings and they share a romantic night when they get stranded on the side of the road after his car breaks down; their bond grows even stronger. "They truly enjoy each other," James said. Meanwhile, Hilary has difficulty being intimate with Neil as Devon tries to move on by dating other women, making Hilary jealous. Devon gives Hilary an ultimatum promising to leave town for good unless she meets him at a bar outside of town. Shelly Altman said Devon and Hilary seem destined to be together. As Hilary confesses her love for Devon and they prepare to tell Neil, an accident leaves Neil blind.
The Affair and fallout Devon and Hilary finally gave in and began sleeping together on September 17, 2014. Throughout the affair, Devon and Hilary are riddled with guilt, even more so when Neil is blind. They both feel obligated to Neil, for their unique reasons. Hilary stays with Neil because he serves as a constant reminder of her past misdeeds—that reminder keeps her on the straight and narrow. Hilary sticks with Neil out of obligation because the recovering alcoholic fills the void of her late alcoholic mother and abandoning him would feel like abandoning Rose all over again. Also, Neil is the "stable" choice for Hilary who fears Devon might not live up to her expectations. Hilary feels guilty not only for rushing the relationship but also because he is so good to her—she doesn't want to hurt her hero. Once he is blind, Hilary can't abandon Neil when he needs her most. Devon is also afraid to hurt his hero because Neil saved Devon's life by giving him a home. Neil is the first man Devon has ever called father and he doesn't want to crush him.