In an interview with Us Weekly, the 77-year-old actress -- who has starred as Esther Valentine on the CBS soap opera for over four decades -- opened up about why she has kept her part-time job as a flight attendant despite her successful career as an actress.

"It's really interesting because one day I get to be on the set, the next day I get to be here doing this Hollywood Christmas parade, and then I get to serve coffee at 35,000 feet," Linder said. "You don't forget who you are that way. It keeps you grounded."

Linder -- who first joined The Young and the Restless in 1982 -- reflected on the long-running soap's recent milestone.

"We just aired our 13,000th episode, and I was so honored to be part of that," she said. "It's over 42 years and counting for me. I'm just absolutely thrilled."

And while working as a flight attendant for United Airlines, Linder revealed that passengers sometimes recognize her, and recalled a story of a time she was approached by a fan.

"I was standing at the gate ready to get on a plane, and this woman looked at me and she said, 'Kate Linder? No, you're not," Linder shared. "And I said, 'I was when I woke up. So something's wrong. I don't know what’s wrong.' She couldn't believe that I was going to be working that flight. And she ended up being on that flight."