Denise Richards is set to reprise her iconic role on The Bold and the Beautiful after a four-year hiatus from acting, during which she found success with adult content creation. The 55-year-old actress will return as Shauna Fulton, the former showgirl, in an episode airing on Thursday, May 28. Richards portrayed the character for nearly three years before leaving the long-running CBS soap opera in 2022.
Returning to a Familiar Role
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, who has been active on OnlyFans after being inspired by her 22-year-old daughter Sami Sheen's posts on the platform, opened up about returning to the role. "It's nice to be back," she told People. "It feels like I never left. It's such a great family environment, and I love my character. She likes to cause a little trouble."
Richards reflected on her experience returning to set after almost half a decade, noting that it felt natural. She acknowledged that it "can be very intimidating going into a set where people have worked together for so long," but emphasized that was not the case on The Bold and the Beautiful. "Everyone's just very embracing and very supportive," the Wild Things star said. "The actors I was working with made it so much easier to step back in."
Preview of the Episode
According to the outlet, a preview of the forthcoming episode shows Shauna making a grand entrance at Spencer Publications, reuniting with her former flame Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) and his son Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks). "The Spencer men are so handsome," Richards's character says as she greets the father-son duo. "Especially you, Bill. Congratulations, by the way, I heard about [your company] Logan. You are a real player in the fashion world now."
Shauna continues: "I mean, too bad things didn't work out with Eric Forrester. Katie must be on the hunt for a new designer. Remember, Bill, I ran some very high-end boutiques in Vegas, and it just so happens I'm available now. I can just imagine getting in on the ground floor of the newest game in town. Wouldn't that be something?"
Working with Co-Stars
In her recent interview, Richards gushed about the opportunity to work again with Brooks, who plays her character's ex-lover, Wyatt. "I loved that Darin was returning too," she said. "I like that with Wyatt and Shauna, our characters, we're light and fun, so we'll see where we go." She added that they often have no idea what will happen next, which makes receiving scripts every Friday exciting.
Richards recommended working in daytime television because of the fast-paced learning environment. "Every actor should do a soap at one point or another in their career, especially if they are starting out," she explained. "It is the best place to learn. It moves fast." She noted the overwhelming amount of dialogue and the goal of completing scenes in one or two takes, but emphasized the importance of not throwing off the schedule. "It's a very well-oiled machine," she said.
First Experience on the Show
Richards also reflected on playing Shauna for the first time in 2019, years after she turned down a part on the show. "I tested years ago when I first started acting for General Hospital and I didn't get it," she recalled. "I'd had friends on soap operas and always thought it was such a great experience no matter what level you are at in your career." She later accepted a role on The Bold and the Beautiful, feeling "terrified" but knowing she "had to do it."
She remembered her first day on set: "I had over 50 pages and all my scenes were back to back. I had a little bit of a panic moment of, 'How am I going to do this?'" She received a call from Rena Sofer, who advised her to "think of it as one scene at a time." Richards said, "And so I did, and somehow I was able to memorize all the pages."
Looking ahead, Richards expressed her passion for acting and working with diverse people. "I love being on set and working with all different people. I've always just had such a passion for it and glad I'm still working. This is just a whole new chapter for me in general."
