‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Star Lisa Yamada Makes Blunt Confession About Luna’s Dark Turn
From Sweetheart to Psycho
When Lisa Yamada first joined The Bold and the Beautiful as Luna Nozawa, fans were charmed by her sweet, wide-eyed innocence. But in a shocking twist, Luna’s personality took a dark turn — transforming her from a kind intern at Forrester Creations into one of the show’s most unpredictable villains.
Now, Yamada is revealing how that drastic shift came to be. In an interview with Women’s World, the actress admitted she unintentionally set the wheels in motion for Luna’s sinister evolution.
A Christmas Conversation Gone Wild
According to Yamada, it all started during a chat with The Bold and the Beautiful executive producer and showrunner Bradley Bell at the show’s Christmas party in 2023.
“I told him I wanted Luna to channel her bad side,” she confessed. “I meant a badass — like Jacqueline MacInnes Wood’s Steffy. I guess he took that and ran with it, but I had no clue at the time.”
Shortly afterward, Luna’s storyline took a shocking turn. When two major characters, Tom and Hollis, were mysteriously killed off, fans were stunned to learn Luna was behind it. “We all had conspiracy theories,” Yamada said. “But Luna was definitely not one of them!”
Learning From the Best
While Yamada was ready for a shake-up, she wasn’t sure she could pull off playing a villain. Luckily, she had guidance from her seasoned co-star Don Diamont (Bill Spencer), who has made a career out of playing complicated bad guys.
“He’s my mentor,” Yamada said. “I used to just come into work, say sweet dialogue, and call it a day. Now, I’m always sobbing and screaming and swinging a gun around! Don saw my potential before even I did, and he championed me.”
Yamada’s turn as a villain earned her her first Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Emerging Talent category — a milestone that proves her risk paid off.
Evil Runs in the Family
Adding even more intrigue to Luna’s story, it was recently revealed that her character is the granddaughter of iconic soap villain Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown). Yamada said Brown offered some invaluable advice about embracing the role.
“She told me to have fun with it,” Yamada recalled. “She said being the villain gives you the most interesting storylines to play — and she’s absolutely right. Now that I’ve got lunatic Luna down, I totally get it.”
Awards, Ambition, and the Art of Playing Bad
As she heads into awards season, Yamada is still wrapping her head around Luna’s transformation — and the reaction from fans. “It’s crazy,” she laughed. “I went from people wanting to protect Luna to people wanting her locked up!”
The actress, now nominated for her first Daytime Emmy Award, said she’s grateful for the challenge. “It’s terrifying but exciting. Playing bad is way more fun than I imagined.”