Soap Opera Digest: So you were there when they announced the nominees this year.
Renee Goldsberry: Yeah, I was on THE VIEW that day, but I had no idea. I was prenominated, so I hoped they would nominate me. But I really just thought to be nominated would be the biggest honor in the world, and oh, my God, when I was nominated it was great. That I was nominated on television was also great. It felt like winning. It was a really sweet experience.

Digest: Did you have an acceptance speech planned?
Goldsberry: I will say that to me, the nomination is kind of everything in terms of the affirmation of the work, and the win is really about the speech. But I don't think anybody who actually wins the Emmy is better than the other nominees. It's kind of not about that because judging acting is so subjective. The win would just be about getting up and thanking people. It's scary to plan a speech because you don't want it to be about winning — you want it to be about enjoying it. And I'm not superstitious, but I do think you kind of jinx it by preparing a speech thinking you're going to win.

Digest: Do you think ONE LIFE TO LIVE was overlooked with just one actor nomination?
Goldsberry: Hard to say. You want to be positive about all these things, but I don't think a nomination in any way defines what's good. Lord knows I definitely don't think I'm the best actor on the show and I was the only person with a nomination. It doesn't say that. It's just a celebration, and this year I was being celebrated. There are some people whose work I think is consistently stellar and I wish they were being celebrated as well because they definitely deserve it. I really was surprised by certain people not getting a nod. But I know that it doesn't mean anything more than how wonderful it feels to be celebrated, and I think we do a really good job celebrating our fellow cast members. We just have to work hard doing it on our own.

Digest: Some people were surprised that Bree Williamson (Jessica) didn't get nominated.
Goldsberry: Ya know, I just happened to see a scene with Bree Williamson today where Tess confronts her [abuser]. That girl is just reaching new levels every day on that show, and she's going to keep doing it whether or not she gets an Emmy nomination, which I can't see how it would be possible for her not to.

Digest: Next year might be the year she gets a nomination for her work in the Tess story.
Goldsberry: That's the one thing that's great about the show. All our people this year, next year, year after that, if they don't get nominated it's not going to be for lack of material or great, great acting. I'm not comparing our show to other shows because I'm definitely not objective, but I think I work with one of the best acting troupes ever.

Digest: How do you feel about how they've been writing your character lately in the stories with Todd and Cristian?
Goldsberry: They really have found a way to keep her interesting. On paper, you'd think, "Who cares about this Evangeline chick?" But she went to jail! My goodness, I mean, I think they do a good job at making her good — she's always going to bow gracefully at the end — but with Natalie and even with RJ, it's fun to see her being scrappy. She's good underneath it all, but she's got a fire to her, thank God, because not only would it not be fun to watch if she didn't, but it wouldn't be fun to play. Trevor [St. John, Todd] said something when we first started to play being on the lam together, and it's a great acting note and definitely true, that there's an enjoyment of being outside what's comfortable to you.

Digest: Todd had that one line to Evangeline, I remember, where he said something about her getting comfortable "on this side of the law."
Goldsberry: Oh, I loved that line. I think that's so cool. When I heard about [the scenes where Evangeline was harboring Todd], I started jumping up and down. As scary as it is to be outside the law, or whatever it is that you do, and as mad as she would be at him for putting her in that position, there's a thrill to it. So I tried to play it like there was a thrill to it for her, because as an actor there definitely was a thrill for me.