reconciles with his sexual orientation. To prepare for the storyline, Divins consulted with his gay friends and asked them how to ensure the character was "being represented correctly and honestly". Oprah Winfrey's discussion of the down-low on her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show also helped Divins better understand the character. Divins was unaware of the developments in Chad's sexuality until he was given the script four days prior to the filming of the episodes. He said he was surprised by the reveal that Chad's affair was with a man, but thought the soap opera's "storytelling style lends itself to dramatic changes". Divins praised the show for its inclusion of a black, gay character on daytime television regardless of any negative feedback from fans who preferred Chad and Whitney as a couple, and said that he wasn't afraid to take on the role, given the increased visibility of LGBT issues on television and in everyday society at the time of the storyline's broadcast. Chad's character and storyline were not to every cast member's taste; Tracey Ross, who played Eve Russell, later said she "was never crazy about" the incest plot, though Phillip Jeanmarie, who played Vincent Clarkson, commented that he was glad to have been part of the taboo-breaking story. Storylines Chad Harris-Crane first appears in the episode airing on September 23, 1999, in which, after discovering he was adopted, he moves from Los Angeles to Harmony to find his real parents. Chad married Latoya Harris while he was working as a music producer in Los Angeles. Latoya refused to accompany Chad to Harmony as she did not want to leave her friends and family. While in Harmony, Chad encounters two people with information on his past – Orville Perkins and Crystal Harris. Orville, a senile old man, erroneously believes Chad is Eve's long-lost son with Crane Industries CEO Julian Crane and claims to have evidence proving this connection. In a desperate attempt to keep her past hidden, Eve burns down Orville's house and any evidence inside and places him in a retirement home. Chad later meets jazz singer Crystal Harris, who was Eve's confidante during her relationship with Julian and subsequent pregnancy. Crystal also offers information about Chad's birth and parents, but is killed by a French drug cartel's assassin Antoine, who mistakes her for socialite Sheridan Crane, before she can deliver it to him. During this time, Chad