Chloe Lane started out an ugly duckling. Remember the “Ghoul Girl” taunts she received in high school? But she emerged into a beautiful swan. Through it all, her portrayer, Nadia Bjorlin, has amassed some very special memories. Read on as she picks Chloe’s top five moments through the years on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.
HELLO, GORGEOUS
“My very first Last Blast Dance will always stand out. It was the first time I wore anything different from big, black clothing. That was certainly special and nerve-racking, too. I’d gotten so comfortable wearing my…almost nun garb. I wore the same shoes every day. I wore the same big oversized pants and baggy sweaters. I got comfortable in that role. I really started feeling Chloe and that awkwardness. That’s the funny thing as actors — we really take on what we’re doing and what we’re playing. It affects the way we walk and talk. When I had to put on that tight red dress for the dance, it actually made me nervous. Oh, my God! It was really Chloe’s coming out party. I thought, ‘Am I going to feel comfortable on national television wearing very sexy clothes?’ I remember taking off that hooded cape at the dance and shaking my hair down. It was funny because the cape weighed so much, and they wanted me to remove it in a very particular way. I almost lost my balance when I took it off. I felt like I was going to fall over. It was so awkward, and I felt anything but sexy.”
BALD AND BEAUTIFUL
“The crazy episode where Belle had a weird dream about her, Shawn, Philip and Chloe on the beach was funny. It was this weird alternate-universe reality thing. That was a location shoot. We went to Malibu; it was shot on Zuma Beach. I was bald. Farah Fath (Mimi) was a mermaid. We were all seriously overacting and laughing our heads off. I remember it was freezing outside, like 50 degrees, and we were miserable. I had to wear a gold lamé bikini. (Costume designer) Richard Bloore actually made that bikini for me. The whole thing was really funny, a big spoof, a major parody.”
TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS
“The ‘Broe’ (Brady and Chloe) vs. ‘Phloe’ (Philip and Chloe) thing was big. There’s not one particular moment, but I certainly felt flattered and honored through those times when people really felt passionate about which couple they wanted together. The Phloe and Broe fans really tried to outdo each other sending things to the studio. That was a kick. The Phloe fans sent bales of hay, because Chloe and Philip almost made love on the hay in the Kiriakis stables. They sent champagne glasses and these little stress balls that said, ‘Philip and Chloe forever.’ There was this big war. It was great. Broe fans sent fun things, too. They all tried to one-up each other.”
CHLOE’S BIGGEST BATTLE
“One of the pivotal things for me as Chloe was the cancer storyline. It hit very close to home, because my father died of leukemia. It was a hard storyline for me, but it also was kind of healing, in a sense. It was nice to work with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They made me their ambassador for one year. It felt good to get personally involved. I loved that the show wanted to do something like that. It was morally and socially responsible, and educated people on what they could do to help. That time is when a lot of my fan mail meant the most to me. I got a lot of mail from kids and teenagers saying, ‘I’m going through chemo right now,’ or ‘I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer, and seeing you on TV every day fighting it makes it so much easier.’ Stuff like that is what makes this job worthwhile. I never realized the impact television could have on people. That was special. The scenes I had were wonderful, too. To this day I can remember the scene where Chloe’s hair fell out. It really affected me. I loved the bonding between Chloe and her parents. Patrika Darbo (Nancy) and Kevin Spirtas (Craig) were amazing to work with. So were Kyle Lowder (ex-Brady) and Jay Johnson (Philip).”
MOUNTAIN HIGH
“Kyle and I went to Sun Valley, Idaho, on location. That was pretty memorable. It was beautiful there. We rode on a horse and carriage. It’s always fun to be on location. That stands out in your mind, because it’s not the ordinary. Kyle and I had to hike up some mountains, which was a pain. It was hard to breathe, actually, because of the altitude. And there was some snow. It was cold, but sunny at the same time. In the storyline, Brady and Chloe’s plane had to make an emergency landing there. It turned out to be a very special couple of days for them. They ended up staying at some lodge. It’s really where Chloe and Brady truly fell in love, sort of where they sealed the deal.”
