Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R)
JPI
This is your 21st nomination. How do you feel?
“It’s wonderful news, no matter how you shake it, and it never gets old. This really makes my day because it’s people in your industry saying, ‘Yeah, you’re one of the good ones,’ and that’s a nice feeling.”
What do you think about the nominees in your category?
“I’m in good company. Vincent [Irizarry] is a great actor, I don’t know Billy [Flynn] personally but I’m impressed with his work, Kristoff [St. John] is terrific, and I’ve been watching Scott [Clifton] since he was on GENERAL HOSPITAL [as Dillon] and he’s a fine actor.”
What scenes did you submit?
“It was the day that Jack found out about Phyllis and Billy’s affair. That was exceedingly painful for me to watch. I thought, ‘Maybe if it rubs me that wrong, it’ll interest other people.’ This year, I was told that there were 10 submissions that they were watching to decide on the final nominees in my category, and my reel was last. So, people who were judging these things had probably been watching an hour and a half by the time they got to my 13 minutes, so this could’ve gone either way for me. They could’ve been bored out of their minds by the time they got to me, so I’m grateful for their patience.”
Will we be seeing you at the ceremony? “I will be there. I would never not show up if I was nominated. The Emmys have been too good to me. My favorite part about going to the Emmys is that I run into people I’ve known forever. It’s just always a delightful evening.”
Scott Clifton (Liam, B&B)
Gilles Toucas/Courtesy Of Bell-Phillip Television Inc
How did you hear the news?
“I was reading something on Twitter and suddenly there was a flood of @ mentions saying congratulations on my nomination.”
What did you submit?
“I wanted to tell the story of Liam’s amnesia and journey back to Steffy, starting in the cabin with Quinn telling Liam that he’s ‘Adam’, her husband. The next clip is Liam (now with a full grizzly man beard, I hasten to add) realizing he’s been lied to for months, then fast-forward to Liam (with a goatee — have I mentioned I do most of my acting with my facial hair?) violently confronting Quinn after learning about Steffy and Wyatt’s wedding band tattoos, and it all ends with Liam (in standard Liam scruff) confronting Bill — because Don [Diamont] is my good luck charm and any Emmy reel must have an appearance by Bill.”
What made you enter in Lead Actor?
“Honestly, it was Eva [Basler], our publicist, pushing me. I’m so grateful she did, because I was really hesitant about basically proclaiming to the world and my peers that I see myself as a ‘Lead Actor’. I pictured Academy voters saying, ‘Who does this punk think he is!?’ But Eva leveled with me: I’ve been in leading storylines for a few years now and, well, it’s a little chicken s–t to keep playing it safe in the Supporting Actor category.”
Are you ready to become a “triple threat” alongside Heather Tom?
“No! I have zero expectations of winning. I’m stunned my peers nominated me, and that’s going to keep me happy for a long time. Maybe someday I’ll earn that third category Emmy but for now, this is just awesome. Also, let’s not insult Heather by comparing her to me, eh?”
Billy Flynn (Chad, DAYS)
NBC
How does it feel to not only be nominated, but to have broken into the very difficult Lead Actor category?
“I feel very lucky. As political as it can be … People have friendships from throughout the years, and I didn’t. So it’s just nice … And the idea that you’re judged for your work, it’s awesome. I’m still kind of surprised by it, but I’ve had a lot of support here [at DAYS].”
What did you submit?
“I picked the two scenes that meant the most to me, overall. One was with [the late] Joe Mascolo [ex-Stefano], when he comes back [in a fantasy sequence] and I sit at his feet and ask him questions. He tells me to be my own man. That was really special to me. The other was the scene where I destroyed the DiMera den after Abigail passed away. It was a little bit of a theme about loss. Both are emotional.”
Will you be carrying a lucky charm?
“My great-grandfather’s watch. I usually wear that when I dress up. That’s kind of a lucky charm. Oddly enough, in that scene with Joe, he is who I was talking to. My great-grandfather was inspiring me. He and my great-grandmother were two incredibly important people to me. And then I lost my great-grandmother this year, before my wedding, so in picking those scenes, there was a lot of loss.”
Who else were you excited about receiving a nomination?
“I was thrilled for everybody, but John Aniston [Victor] and James Reynolds [Abe] getting nominated was just awesome. I was super-excited for them, as well as Kate Mansi [ex-Abigail] and Vincent Irizarry. I think it’s cool that Kate and I both got nominated, because we both put so much work into that storyline.”
Vincent Irizarry (Deimos, DAYS)
JPI
You’ve been nominated before and won. Does it ever get old?
“No [laughs]! Absolutely not. It never gets old. It has been an extraordinary character to play, especially in the way it was first conceived by [former Co-Head Writer] Josh Griffith; it was so multi-dimensional. I was so excited to be able to sink my teeth into it and I loved doing it at that time.”
How did you choose your submissions?
“There are certain shows that when you do them, they stand out for you and you kind of feel that they’re really strong. I basically looked at five shows that I thought were pretty strong contenders once we got to this stage.”
Is it bittersweet to get the nomination now that Deimos has been written out? “
Yeah, of course. It was tough to even finish playing the character because I geniunely loved playing him. There was a lot of potential there. It was sad to say good-bye to him.”
You have many former co-stars in your category. How does that feel?
“It’s great. I always feel privileged to be in the category with the people who are selected. Billy [Flynn] is an awesome actor. It doesn’t surprise me at all that he was selected. Peter Bergman is certainly another one and Kristoff is fantastic. The only one I haven’t worked with is Scott Clifton, but I certainly know his work. They’re all very talented.”
What are you looking forward to on Emmy night?
“I always enjoy the festivities and running into people I’ve worked with. We’re all still standing and celebrating a medium that has truly some of the hardest-working people this industry has to offer.”
Kristoff St. John (Neil, Y&R)
JPI
Who did you share your nomination news with?
“I just told my family. It’s not my style to call up friends and say, ‘Hey, hey, hey! I got nominated for an Emmy!’ It’s sort of like my birthday, where I go in to work and I’m not telling anybody what day it is, unless they ask, ‘Isn’t today your birthday?’ Then, I’m like, ‘Uh, yeah,’ even though inside I’m hoping someone wishes me happy birthday and thrilled when they do. But I did get some nice messages from friends.”
What scenes did you submit?
“Parts of the episodes with Neil’s mom, Lucinda, played by Nichelle Nichols. She was excellent. She came in and rocked the house.”
Why did you decide on those scenes?
“The story was like a page out of my life. What happened on that set was a direct blueprint of what happened to my mom and me. Neil’s mother, an alcoholic; Kristoff’s mother, the same. Neil’s mother, MIA since his early days; Kristoff’s mother, MIA since he was 4 years old. I saw my mother again when I was 24, but I never saw her again. I got in touch with her six months before she died, which happened in January 2012. I had six months of dialogue with her before she died in order to rectify what had been broken for so many years. For me, those scenes were very cathartic. What’s amazing is the writers didn’t know anything about that part of my life, so it really stunned me that they wrote something with so many parallels.”
Who are you bringing to the ceremony with you?
“I haven’t decided yet. It could be family or I might just come by myself.”
