Colleen Carlton is a fictional character from The Young and the
Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, last portrayed by
Tammin Sursok. The character was born during the March 5, 1992,
episode as the daughter of Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) and Traci Abbott
(Beth Maitland). After leaving the soap opera three years later, the
character returned as a teenager in 2001, portrayed by Lyndsy Fonseca,
who remained in the role until 2005. The following year, the role was
recast with Adrianne León, who portrayed the character for a year
until Sursok took over. Sursok exited the role in 2009, following the
death of the character. In 2010, an uncredited actress reprised the
role in a dream.The character was portrayed as a "sweet Daddy's girl"
who rebelled during her teen years. She was also notorious for her
romance with J.T. Hellstrom, a relationship considered a soap opera
supercouple. Viewers voted them onto top couple lists multiple times.
The character's onscreen death in 2009 met with both positive and
negative reviews from critics.The character was portrayed as a "sweet
Daddy's girl" who rebelled during her teen years. She was also
notorious for her romance with J.T. Hellstrom, a relationship
considered a soap opera supercouple. Viewers voted them onto top
couple lists multiple times. The character's onscreen death in 2009
met with both positive and negative reviews from critics.Colleen was
born onscreen in 1992 and, after being portrayed by a string of child
actors between then and 1995, the character left Genoa City for New
York City with her mother, Traci. Colleen was rapidly aged to fifteen
in 2001 when Lyndsy Fonseca assumed the role. In 2004, Fonseca was let
go, as Colleen returned to New York to live with her mother. The Young
and the Restless executive producer and head writer Jack Smith left
the door open for Fonseca to return. "That means a lot to me," Fonseca
said. "He's been really cool about that." Fonseca briefly reprised the
role from December 2004 to February 2005. in 2005, Melissa Claire Egan
screen tested for the role, and in January 2006, the role was recast
with Adrianne León. Previously, Leon was recognized for her role as
Brook Lynn Ashton on ABC's General Hospital. As her storyline on
General Hospital diminished, executive producer Jill Farren Phelps
told Leon to commence auditioning for other projects including other
soap operas, and was soon cast as Colleen. Fan response to this news
was negative, as viewers felt Leon would not fit in the role. Leon
wanted to help the viewers with the transition. "Since I was leaving
GH one day and airing the next as Colleen, it was a decision on my
part to blend in her look with Brook's," she said. General Hospital
also planned to write Brook out by scripting her new destination as
the Carlton Music Academy in Genoa City. That plan was not followed
through.Leon was released from her contract in June 2007 and the role
was recast with Australian actress and musician Tammin Sursok. In an
interview with Soap Opera Weekly, Leon said her firing shocked her.
"When I got the call, I asked when my last day was, and it had already
passed," she said. "There was already a replacement. The whole thing
was done and sealed." When she published the news on her Myspace page,
she received a "flood of fan support." Rumors went around that Leon
was fired because of her fluctuating weight. Leon said the extra
weight she gained was a result of medication and a storyline that was
never explored. She first gained weight from the steroids she was
taking for an allergic reaction to the wool she had to wear as part of
Colleen's winter wardrobe. She was later asked to keep the weight on
by Lynn Marie Latham, the Young and the Restless head writer. "Lynn
contacted me about doing a weight storyline with Colleen," Leon said.
"She wanted to put out the message that people come in all sizes- she
wanted to put some balance out there. I agreed that was the right
message and I loved that she asked me." So she kept the added weight
on for authenticity. Whether her firing had to do with the weight
gain, Leon said she did not know. Colleen Carlton Top Movies & Young Movies