The Unscripted Life: Christel Khalil on the Blessings and Burdens of Growing Up on Camera

The glittering, decades-long run of daytime dramas often demands a unique kind of commitment from its cast, but few have demonstrated that commitment quite like Christel Khalil. Having recently celebrated her remarkable 20th anniversary portraying the beloved character Lily Winters on The Young and the Restless (Y&R), Khalil’s journey is less a career and more a chronicle of her life, played out in front of millions of viewers. Her arrival on Y&R at the age of 14 was merely a new chapter for an actress who first stepped onto a professional set at just six years old.

The sheer longevity of a childhood career, however, is not without its mental tolls. Khalil began her professional journey early, appearing in commercials, movies, and primetime shows well before she became a fixture in Genoa City. As she matured, she was forced to confront a question that often plagues child stars: was the pursuit of acting her genuine desire, or was it a path laid out by her parents? In an industry where stories of excessive parental pressure are common, Khalil is one of the fortunate few who can say she was never forced. This critical distinction, she reflects, is what allowed her to sustain her career, ultimately stepping back into the full-time role after a brief hiatus in 2018, having truly appreciated the craft as an adult.

Her unconventional upbringing, marked by time spent on sets rather than in traditional classrooms, created a dichotomy in her development. On one hand, Khalil notes that constantly being “around adults” from a tender age fostered an early maturity, which she views as a genuine blessing. On the other, the trade-off was a sense of social displacement. Being homeschooled meant she was “sheltered and awkward,” a lingering consequence of missing out on the foundational, shared experiences of typical school life. This lack of a traditional peer environment remains one of the few elements of her early life she openly regrets.

Interestingly, this unique path is a shared experience with her longtime co-star and on-screen brother, Bryton James, who portrays Devon Hamilton. James began his career even earlier, starring in the primetime hit Family Matters at age three. He, too, was homeschooled, experiencing the same rapid maturation and social isolation. Their parallel trajectories came together in a truly unexpected discovery. James recalled that Khalil actually held a guest role on Family Matters in 1996; they shared a set classroom years before they were cast as siblings on Y&R, a moment he described as a “meant to be” instance of fate that cemented their professional bond.

Khalil’s story serves as a nuanced commentary on the complexities of child stardom. While she gained an appreciation for her craft and a rare level of professional grounding, her reflections reveal the quiet sacrifices made along the way—sacrifices that, while leading to enduring success, underscore the profound differences between an unscripted childhood and a life lived under the spotlight.