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INTERVIEW

Chrishell Stause On Her DAYS Visit

Chrishell Stause will reprise the role of Jordan this week when Ben gets a visit from the great beyond. “The show approached me, asking if I’d be up to do this and my answer to them is always, ‘Absolutely, yes,’ ” says the actress. “First of all, I love working with Rob [Scott Wilson, Ben] so much; it’s always such a pleasure. I really enjoy the people that work there and the story. I mean, how much more fun could you have? I’m playing Ben’s guilty conscience. As someone who grew up dreaming about being on a soap, this is a really full-fledged wish list of things that are so fun to do in soaps, so I just had a lot of fun with it and it was great to see everybody.”

Stause, who last filmed at the show in 2019, says her transition back into acting was smooth. “I think in the beginning, I have to spend a little more time memorizing,” she explains. “The words take a little longer to get into my head. Other than that, as far as when I’m actually on the set, for me, it’s my first love. It’s like riding a bike. I get so excited; it’s very creatively stimulating. I love it. I absolutely love it.”

The actress has kept busy since her last Salem stint, becoming a breakout star on the Netflix series SELLING SUNSET, and appearing on DANCING WITH THE STARS. “So many people [at DAYS] told me that they were voting for me and that’s kind of the extra mile you don’t necessarily expect from someone, but it’s so lovely to hear,” she smiles. “That really touched my heart that some of these people that I hadn’t seen in a while or talked to were telling me, ‘We were voting for you!’ So some of them were watching DANCING WITH THE STARS and others had a lot of SELLING SUNSET questions; they wanted dish. It’s just like a family there, so I told them all the behind-the-scenes scoop. It was a fun mini-reunion.”

Becoming a household name while the world was sheltering in place was a unique experience for Stause. “For me, it was a little bizarre because it happened in the middle of a pandemic, so I was aware that it was happening but I was also sitting in my house by myself, so it wasn’t the normal feeling where you’re going out and you’re interacting with people,” she reflects. “So it was a strange time for it to happen. I was doing DANCING WITH THE STARS and feeling all of this online interaction and this media blitz for everything, but nothing really changed in my personal life, so it was kind of a funny way to have it all happen because even though I knew so many things were different, it didn’t feel any different. Now that the world is opening back up again, it’s been nice to interact with people and put faces to people who are actually watching these shows.”

Stause, whose real- life marital split was documented in the series, was overwhelmed by the support she received from viewers — including GIRLS star Lena Dunham — during a trying time in her life. “I can’t even tell you what that means,” she relays. “When I was filming the show, it’s so stressful, I can’t even explain it to you, and there’s so much anxiety with what the perception will be because it’s really just a very vulnerable, raw place to be, so to have the supportive reactions that I got, it’s just something that I’m truly grateful for. At the point we were doing the show, it really was one of the worst times of my life, so to have been able to turn that dark place into a point of connection with people, keeping things real and being able to just kind of bring light to that time in my life…. I love that people connect with the show and I love that they shared their stories with me, whether it’s a loss of someone in a relationship or in life-and-death situations. I feel like [it’s been] therapeutic. I don’t have to hide it if I’m not feeling great. I can say that and I like that people appreciate it. Maybe it was the pandemic, but I think that people really appreciate not having to have that glossy veneer all the time. Things aren’t always great all the time and that’s okay.”

Stause is currently filming season 4 of SELLING SUNSET, and there’s a season 5 to come, as well. “It’s been interesting,” she notes of returning to production. “Luckily, the real estate market is the hottest it’s ever been right now, so I’m glad the cameras are back up and rolling because we’ve had a lot of exciting things happen that we missed. Right now, the market is insane and people are going to love to be able to watch and follow along.”

Because of her newfound fame, she’s been recognized more on house showings or while she’s out and about, but it’s the soap fans that remain close to her heart. “[The show has] kind of become a cultural phenomenon,” she points out. “It’s watercooler talk, so it’s definitely on a different level. As much as I get approached about SELLING SUNSET, I always love when someone approaches me and they’re like, ‘I’ve loved you since ALL MY CHILDREN or DAYS OF OUR LIVES,’ because soap fans are always supportive and true blue.”

And she would come back to DAYS if asked. “I say to my DAYS family, ‘You call me, I’m there,’ ” she declares. “I have so much fun and the sky’s the limit. On soaps, when you’re dead, you’re not really dead.”

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