Felicia Forrester

Casting and conception

The character of Felicia Forrester first appeared on January 15, 1990, played by Colleen Dion-Scotti, who originated the role. Dion-Scotti stayed with the series until 1992 and made a brief return in 1997. In May 2004, she was brought back again as part of an effort to refresh the Forrester family. By September of that year, her status was reduced to recurring due to the difficulty of commuting from the East Coast to the West Coast, where the show is filmed.

She announced her departure the following month, with her last episode airing on December 4, 2004. In October 2005, Lesli Kay, a veteran of daytime television known for playing Molly Conlan on As the World Turns and Lois Cerullo on General Hospital, was cast as the new Felicia. Kay made her debut on November 30, 2005, sharing scenes with Taylor Hayes. In 2008, Kay crossed over to The Young and the Restless on what was described as a semi-permanent basis, but this stint was brief.

The following year, she made history by becoming the first actress to hold two roles on two different coasts, reprising her part as Molly on As the World Turns while continuing as Felicia. After As the World Turns ended, Kay remained with The Bold and the Beautiful. She returned for a single episode in August 2014, and in September 2016, she appeared again on September 22, 23, and 26.

Storylines

Felicia Forrester first came to Los Angeles in 1990 and quickly got involved with Jake Maclaine and Zach Hamilton, both of which turned out badly. She left town in 1992. She came back in 1997 for her parents' wedding, but that ceremony was canceled when everyone learned Eric had been having an affair with Lauren Fenmore. After that, Ridge was arrested for shooting Grant Chambers, and Felicia tried to clear his name and get him back together with his wife, Taylor Hayes.

She failed at both and left again. She returned in July 2004 after seven years abroad and started an affair with Nick Marone. Nick soon found out Felicia had colon cancer. She got tested, was given a clean bill of health, and then decided things with Nick weren't going to work, so she left for Paris.

A year later, Felicia came back with a baby boy named Dominick, believing Nick was the father. It turned out Dominick was the result of a one-night stand in Paris with Dante Damiano, which crushed Nick. Felicia's cancer came back, and she appeared to die in her mother's arms. But a faint heartbeat was found in the ambulance, and Stephanie had her secretly moved to a private clinic, where she eventually got a liver transplant.

Felicia fought to stay alive for her child. Meanwhile, thinking Felicia was dead, Dante and Bridget started raising Dominick, whom they called Dino, as a family. Stephanie eventually told everyone Felicia was alive. Bridget and Dante were thrilled but prepared to fight for custody of Dino.

Instead, Dino brought Dante and Felicia together, and Bridget gave up on Dante. Dante proposed to Felicia, even though he was still in love with Bridget. On their wedding day, Felicia caught Bridget staring at Dante, leading to a big fight. Bridget then admitted she loved Dante, and they got back together for a while.

They split again because Bridget didn't want kids right away, and Felicia and Dante reunited. Bridget later found out she was pregnant with Dante's child but had a miscarriage, with Felicia and Dante supporting her through it. Bridget stepped aside so Felicia and Dante could be together, which mended the sisters' relationship. But eventually, Felicia grew to resent Dante, who was living in Italy, and called him a loser.

Reception

Felicia Forrester was called a "feisty fashionista and cancer survivor" by Jillian Bowe in 2014. Lesli Kay earned a 2007 Daytime Emmy nomination for her portrayal. Luke Kerr of Daytime Confidential welcomed Felicia's 2011 comeback, hoping she would cause some mischief. Jamey Giddens described Kay as "ravishing" in 2009 and suggested Felicia might romance Whipple Jones.