Why are fans confused about Dead Outlaw star Andrew Durand’s connection to The Young and the Restless? Explained

Dead Outlaw actor Andrew Durand is again making the headlines. In the age of look-alikes and fast-moving trends, even the most observant fans can get their wires crossed. Such is the case with Broadway actor Andrew Durand, currently making headlines for his gripping lead role in the musical Dead Outlaw.

While Durand basks in the spotlight of his Tony-nominated performance, a curious case of mistaken identity has swept across sections of the internet—fans are mixing him up with veteran The Young and the Restless actor Greg Rikaart.

The confusion stems largely from their similar facial features and on-screen presence. Rikaart, who acts on the network's hit soap on a regular basis as Kevin Fisher, has a recognizable face that some fans mistakenly equate with Durand, particularly as Durand's visibility increases in response to rave notices on his performance as Elmer McCurdy in Dead Outlaw.

While searches for Andrew Durand skyrocketed, some mistakenly connected him with The Young and the Restless as Rikaart using an alternative stage.

---

Andrew Durand: The new star of Dead Outlaw

Andrew Durand's turn in Dead Outlaw has riveted audiences alike on Broadway. He stars as Elmer McCurdy, a petty offender whose body embarked on a strange 65-year afterlife as a carnival feature before he was decently buried in 1976. Directed by David Cromer and written by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses, the play combines dark comedy and Americana with eerie imagery and bare emotional exposure.

During the second act, he lies still for extended periods as McCurdy's embalmed body, at one point being still on stage for almost 40 minutes, as per People. It's a physically challenging performance that has gotten him a nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical at the 2024 Tony Awards.

Fans also pointed out Durand's uncanny resemblance to actor Matthew Gray Gubler, and as reported by People, the two sat down together backstage at the Longacre Theatre and laughed off the long years of online similarities. But it is Durand's mistaken identity with Rikaart that has confounded fans the most.

---

Greg Rikaart: The Young and the Restless fan favorite

Greg Rikaart has portrayed Kevin Fisher on The Young and the Restless since 2003, although not full-time. He departed the show in 2017, came back briefly in a later part of the year, and then returned in a more sustained basis in 2019. His portrayal of the complicated character won him a Daytime Emmy Award in 2005 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Kevin Fisher is the computer-savvy, troubled-but-redemptive son of Gloria Abbott, with a plot trajectory involving internet crimes, romance melodrama, and family redemptive moments. Rikaart's work—emotional, realistic, and textured—has been on the soap for more than twenty years, and his face is very recognizable to daytime television viewers.

It's not hard to see how cable casuals, catching Durand in interviews or Dead Outlaw clips from social media, might think they're looking at Rikaart out of makeup. Both actors have sharp angles to their jawlines, expressive eyes, and the same lean physique, creating a sort of visual overlap.

---

Clearing the confusion

Though Andrew Durand and Greg Rikaart might look somewhat alike, they are two separate performers with different career histories. Durand is solidly based in theater, having been seen in The Band's Visit, War Horse, and now Dead Outlaw. Rikaart's career is rooted in television, with shows like Dawson's Creek, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, and more.

There is no link with Durand and The Young and the Restless. Ultimately, the confusion speaks to the nature of hasty assumptions in the era of rapid scrolling and visual recognition.

---