Ray Wise opened up about his recent departure from “The Young and the Restless” as the villainous Ian Ward. Last week, Ian appeared to meet his demise from a bullet wound after taking the Newman family hostage. However, in a twist, Ian came back to life in the ambulance whisking away his “corpse.”
While the show has deliberately left the door open for Wise to return, he has wrapped up his most recent stint.
Wise thought the swan song crafted for him was exciting and really liked what happened. He practiced his dramatic eye-opening both slowly and quickly, deciding the quicker way was best, with a little burst of air coming out of his mouth. Wise was very happy that they kept the door open for Ian to make a return at some point, saying, “Well, you can’t keep a good villain down!” He hadn’t been on the show since 2016 and never worked before with Josh Griffith, the executive producer and head writer.
Wise was flattered to know he’d made such a strong impression. The dynamic on set was great, especially with both familiar and new cast members. Wise enjoyed working with Cait Fairbanks (Tessa), Camryn Grimes (Mariah), Eric Braeden (Victor), and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki).
He shared a lot of history with Braeden both on and off the screen.
wise on Ian’s departure and return
Wise approached scenes facing off against Victor, feeling Ian was on a level, if not above, Victor in terms of brain power.
Their scenes were very dramatic, especially the final showdown directed by Owen Renfroe, which included some impactful close-ups. During the final showdown scene, Wise had to keep everyone in line physically and through his voice to ensure it looked real. The writing allowed Ian to address each Newman individually, making for a fitting climax to Ian’s story arc.
Wise was sad to see this arc end and wanted to keep going. He was shocked when told it was the last episode but understood that after shooting Victor, Ian had to go somewhere. Wise is hopeful for a return, feeling there’s still so much for Ian to do.
Deep down, Wise believes Ian is capable of sincere emotions. As a con man, Ian can manipulate and convince people well, but glimpses of genuine feelings were seen in his interactions with Mariah and Jordan. The future may hold more surprises for Ian Ward in Genoa City, and Ray Wise seems ready for whatever might come next.