By Karu F. Daniels, BlackVoices.com


Today, CBS's long-running, award winning soap opera 'The Young and the Restless' will take on a bold and beautiful approach to its casting when Eva Marcille and Jamia Simone Nash join the cast.

Marcille, formerly known as Eva Pigford, is the winner of the third season of Tyra Banks' wildly popular modeling competition, 'America's Next Top Model.'

The former Cover Girl cosmetics spokesperson has been keeping active since winning the crown on the show; she's appeared in the films 'I Think I Love My Wife,' 'Crossover,' and 'Premium'; made cameo appearances on the TV series 'Kevin Hill,' 'Everybody Hates Chris,' 'Smallville' and Tyler Perry's 'House of Payne'; and hosted her very own reality talent competition ('My Model Looks Better Than Your Model').

The Los Angeles native's next project is a sci-fi action flick titled 'Super Capers,' which is currently in post production.

On 'Y&R,' the bronze beauty will play Tyra Hamilton -- the aunt of Devon Hamilton Winters -- who is a single mother to daughter Ana (played by Nash).

Devon, played by Daytime Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award winning actor Bryton McClure, is reunited with them at Lily's 21st birthday party. (See Clip Below)

Nash, who turns 12 years old this summer, has been making a name for herself for close to a decade – since she started out as the precocious tyke who wowed national audiences on television shows such as 'Good Morning America' and 'Showtime at the Apollo' singing Alicia Keys' signature song, 'Falling.'

A protégé of former Motown Records exec turned TV industry power player Suzanne de Passe, the Virginia Beach native performed on the '80th Annual Academy Awards' earlier this year – her feature film debut 'August Rush' was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song."

Nash also portrayed a young version of 'American Idol' winner Fantasia Barrino in the ratings winning Lifetime Network biopic, 'Life Is Not A Fairytale.'