How has Gabi changed since you first started playing her? “Gabi has changed significantly from a girl to a woman. I’ve been working on the show for 11 years, 11 very formative years of my life. I’ve grown up at the same time that Gabi has grown up. Obviously, with growing up comes a different level of maturity. Starting a family was a big thing that matured Gabi. Gabi’s integrity and morals are still there. She’s very family-oriented. That’s never going to change. She definitely has this newfound desire for business. She’s developed and matured so much in her career and in what she wants in her life.”
How have you liked Gabi’s career turns over the years? “I love the way it’s developed. It started out as her being a model for Countess Wilhelmina and transitioned to her seeing the inside of the fashion industry. That is something that put a fire under her butt, illuminated her, and gave her this new energy. She thought, ‘Well, I can take a stab at this.’ With the newfound success of Gabi Chic, she saw that she could do so much more. She saw the power within herself and that she didn’t have to just settle for Gabi Chic. She could do bigger and greater things in the business world.”
What are Gabi’s strengths and weaknesses? “One of her strengths is how passionate she is, but that’s also one of her weaknesses. Her passion sometimes stops her from being logical and seeing what is right in front of her, and that can get her in a lot of trouble. The positive part of her passion is that it has gotten her into rooms that she never thought she’d be in, rooms where she has significant power. She’s seen herself become this boss babe.”
Who is Gabi’s best friend? “Her best friend is Jake. He’s obviously her lover, but they understand each other. At the end of the day, they’re very similar. They come from similar backgrounds. They come from nothing. They both get that [what they’ve achieved] can be taken away from them, and that’s why they both fight for what they want.”
Who is Gabi’s archenemy? “She’s had many of them. Right now, it’s Ava. She doesn’t agree with Ava being with her brother [Rafe] and the energy that she brings living in the same house with her. Ava just rubs her the wrong way. Gabi, at the end of the day, is judging Ava for her past. That’s not right in my eyes, but that’s where Gabi is living at the moment.”
What are your thoughts on Gabi’s missing daughter, Arianna, who’s living in another state with her dads? “It’s so hard for me to justify, honestly. There’s not enough for me to play with, because she isn’t mentioned in the scripts. So I have to make this backstory for her; that she’s living her best life in Arizona and calling her mom as much as she can and vice versa. That’s basically the way I justify it, because I have no say.”
What’s lacking in Gabi’s life? “I think she should have more of a connection with her daughter, whether she’s off to visit Arianna or Arianna comes to visit Gabi. That’s something that I’ve always loved and pushed for. I am a huge advocate for Gabi being with her daughter, because that has played so much throughout her life on TV.”
What do you most admire about Gabi? “I most admire her perseverance. Gabi is somebody who, when she gets a whiff of something that she is interested in, does not stop until she gets what she is looking for. It takes a very disciplined person to not stop.”
Is there anything you dislike and would love to change about her? “Gabi can get overly emotional very quickly and jump to conclusions very quickly. That can lead her down a bad path. Also her curiosity is something that has gotten her in trouble in the past, as well.”
Who is the love of Gabi’s life? “That’s a tough question. I would have to say it’s a tie. I can’t pick between these two people, which are played by the same person [Brandon Barash]. Stefan and Jake are two extremely significant people in Gabi’s life and love life, in her soul and being connected to another person. She feels an extreme connection to both these men.”
What life events most affected Gabi? “Definitely going to prison is one of them, especially the last time being subjected to numerous attacks. And, now, not being able to ever have another child. That door being permanently closed is something that is significantly traumatic to Gabi. She thinks about it a lot.”
If you could bring back one of Gabi’s family members, who would it be? “I get asked this question a lot, and I cannot change my answer. It’s A Martinez [ex-Eduardo]. I love when he’s on, and I believe that I’m a better actress when I’m around him. Maybe that’s a selfish part of my answer. A is somebody who brings a lot of energy to the scenes that he is in. He’s an enigmatic person. I love the way he is as a professional, and I love what he brings to the character of our dad. He’s somebody I always love having scenes with.”
Which one of Gabi’s exes would you bring back if you could? “We actually did a little version of bringing back Nick for the Christmas move [DAYS OF OUR LIVES: A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS]. That was so much fun, because we were able to forget or remove what happened with him, and start fresh for the movie. Blake [Berris] and I have always had amazing chemistry. Working with him makes me feel the same way as working with A. It makes me a better actor.”
If you could go back in time and change one decision Gabi has made, what would it be? “I’ve never been in the position where I’ve been abused by anybody; especially in the position where Gabi was being abused by Nick. She was being blackmailed, and, at the end of the day, he even tried to sexually abuse her. I feel like she was in such a scared situation that she couldn’t speak up. I wish she had the courage to say something about him. Then, maybe, it would not have ended in murder.”
What were the best and the worst times in Gabi’s life? “Some of the best times in Gabi’s life were the first couple of years with her baby and Arianna’s two dads. There were some really sweet moments where we would celebrate the holidays together or go to the lake. Those light moments within a dramatic soap opera were really beautiful. The worst time in her life was definitely prison, getting the crap beaten out of her, lying in the prison hospital dying, and thinking she would never see her child again.”
What would you pick as Gabi’s signature storyline from your time on the show? “A really significant storyline has been the evolution of Gabi Chic, what she’s been able to do starting as a model and then having her own storefront in the Horton Town Square. I think that’s huge, coming, basically, from just being a nobody. She was a model, got her own storefront and has developed into this executive. That evolution of Gabi’s business empire is pretty significant to the character.”
What comment or question do you get the most from fans? “ ‘Is there somebody that [you] have never worked with that [you] would want to work with? Who would it be?’ That’s what I always get asked. The last one I said was Martha Madison [Belle], because I love her and barely get any scenes with her. It would be fun to have some stuff with her.”
Me Vs. Her
What are the biggest personality differences between you and Gabi? “Gabi is definitely more uptight than I am. She’s a little angrier than I am in my real life. I’m a little bit more childlike and goofy in my day-to-day. Gabi’s more mature than I am.”
Who is more of a fashionista — you or Gabi? “Gabi, honestly. I have to get ready for work and have to get ready to be on camera [as Gabi]. So she’s always put together very well, versus when I’m at home, I pretty much 90 percent of the time wear sweatpants and a sports bra. The other 10 percent is when I step out the door.”
Who’s more Internet savvy? “It would be 50/50. I’m pretty Internet savvy, but Gabi knows the business side of the Internet. She’s pretty savvy with computers, puts out press releases and had her own website.”
Who has a better home? “Me, because currently Gabi resides in the Hernandez home. She has to share a house with her brother and Ava. I don’t have to do that. I just have to share it with my husband.”
Who’s a better cook? “Gabi has cooked from the beginning. She made churros for EJ. She’s made tamales and other things for the family. That’s definitely something we have in common, because I cook quite a lot.”
How is your relationship with Brandon Barash (Jake) different from Gabi’s with Jake? “Brandon and I are super-goofy. He’s constantly making jokes. He’s constantly doing voices and saying funny things. Honestly, it’s nonstop until right before they say, ‘Action.’ Once it becomes action and we are Gabi and Jake, it’s more serious. We don’t joke around unless the script calls for it. We do try to keep a little lightness between Gabi and Jake. I think that’s one of the reasons the fans enjoy us. The back-and-forth we have as Gabi and Jake, we also have as Camila and Brandon, but more in a goofy way.”
How is your relationship with Galen Gering (Rafe) different from Gabi’s with Rafe? “It is so similar. Galen sometimes calls me his little sister. When I first started on the show, he was showing me pictures of his real sister and saying, ‘You actually even look like her.’ We’ve always gotten along very well. The dynamic that we have is fantastic. I adore him on camera and off camera.”
