After recurring roles on the shows Hardball and Days of Our Lives, and a prolific career in commercials (including a notable spot as the "Fiesta" cigarette man in Mexico), Derwin was cast in his first contract role as Adrian Hunter on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Derwin was on the show from 1989 to 1990, and was featured in a high-profile storyline as a grifter and, ultimately, a murderer.