Eden Riegel, the actress who played Bianca Montgomery on the popular soap opera All My Children, has opened up about her experience playing the first lesbian character in daytime television.

Riegel, 44, spoke to Remind Magazine about her role as Bianca, who came out as a lesbian to her mother Erica Kane (played by Susan Lucci) in a groundbreaking episode in 2000.

Riegel revealed that she didn't know the exact storyline when she was cast as Bianca, only knew that the character would have "a lot of angst." She only found out about the character's coming out storyline after she signed on for the role.

The storyline was the brainchild of All My Children creator Agnes Nixon, who had become the show's head writer again in 1999 to listen to network executives about the storyline's direction. Riegel remembered that Nixon refused to listen to notes" and that the storyline was a "passion project" for her.

Riegel's older sister, Tatiana, an Oscar-nominated film editor, is gay. When Riegel was told about the storyline, she didn't see what the big deal was, but she could tell how serious the producers were taking it.

Riegel realized the gravity of the plotline and approached it with a similar level of investment and humanity, understanding that she was being put into the minds of people who possibly had never met another gay person in their life.

After chatting with her older sister, Riegel realized Bianca was "just like every other character I've ever played. She just needed to relate to her as a human being and tell her story.

Riegel's portrayal of Bianca led to several milestones, including daytime's first lesbian kiss in 2003, and the first lesbian wedding in 2009.

Riegel won a 2005 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Bianca. She left AMC in 2010, and ABC canceled the series a year later.

Read more about Jane Sibbett's reflection on her groundbreaking role as Carol Willick.