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Tamara Braun<\/a> will make her debut as Sienna Bacall on The Young and the Restless<\/a><\/em> on October 14, kicking off a new, mysterious storyline involving Noah Newman (Lucas Adams<\/a>) and more.<\/p>\n For Braun, who wrapped up her run as Days of Our Lives<\/a>\u2018<\/em> Ava Jerome this past April, the invitation to come to Genoa City was both unexpected and welcome. \u201cI got a call from Josh [Griffith, executive producer and head writer], and he was just like, \u2018Hey, I have this really cool role that I\u2019m really interested in having you play if you\u2019re available,\u2019\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n Though Braun is no stranger to daytime television, having appeared on All My Children<\/a><\/em> as Reese Williams (2008-2009), General Hospital<\/a><\/em> as Carly Spencer (2001-2005) and Kim Nero (2017-2019), and Days<\/em> as Ava on and off since 2008, Y&R<\/em> marks new territory for her. And her introduction to the show didn\u2019t go exactly as planned. \u201cI was so sick the week before with Covid,\u201d she explains. \u201cI so worried about getting better and being able to start because it\u2019s really not the way you want to start work at a new job, at a new place. I didn\u2019t want to hold up production, but unfortunately, I did miss my first day of work.\u201d<\/p>\n Thankfully, things turned around quickly. \u201cI\u2019m going to say, I have never had an experience of a first day as wonderful and attentive as it was on Y&R<\/em>,\u201d she relays. \u201cMatt [Kane, director of media and talent] chaperoned me the whole day, took me to wardrobe, took me to blocking, took me to hair and makeup, took me to my first scene, waited for me because I was still recovering, and he was just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Since then, things have only gotten better. \u201cI\u2019ve been there a month now and I\u2019m finally starting to feel like I understand the flow at Y&R<\/em>,\u201d Braun says. \u201cWhen you start a new job, it\u2019s like being brought to a family\u2019s house for the holidays. It\u2019s a family, you\u2019ve experienced that before, but all families are different. If it\u2019s a kind family at the holidays, everyone is lovely and welcoming, but it can take a moment to feel a part of the family and not just a guest. But after a few hours and a few drinks, you\u2019re taking your shoes off, putting your feet up, swapping recipes, and making plans for the next gathering. My shoes are off, and feet are up, and the recipes are being swapped!\u201d<\/p>\n Acclimating to the new set was also made easier by the many familiar faces she found on set. \u201cJill Farren Phelps, who\u2019s a producer, was the executive producer when I was hired on GH<\/em> as Carly (Spencer) back in 2001, and Owen Renfroe, who was the director of the day, was a familiar face from GH<\/em>,\u201d she lists. \u201cFritz (Brekeller) is a stage manager, but we worked together on All My Children<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was sweet, wonderful, Missy Claire Egan<\/a> (Chelsea Lawson, ex-Annie Novak, AMC<\/em>), so we got to say hi,\u201d Braun continues. \u201cI saw Melody [Thomas Scott<\/a>, Nikki Newman]. We have never worked together, but we know each other, and we are birthday twins (April 18), so it was so wonderful to see her.\u201d<\/p>\n