Contract Hits

The Di Is Cast
Soap Opera Digest: So, how have you adjusted to your new life as a soap star?
Kelli Giddish: I’m adjusting really well. The people at ALL MY CHILDREN are amazingly nice. You expect, you know… I moved to New York two years ago and I expected to be working, and I expected it to be like what it is: You get up, you go to work, you go home, you get up, you go to work. It is a big change, but it’s one I was expecting. The makeup and hair and everything, that was a little overwhelming. Truthfully, looking at myself with all that makeup on and hair up to the ceiling, I was like, “Who am I?” That took some getting used to.

Digest: Do you miss what you were doing before, bartending?
Giddish: [Laughs uproariously] Um, no. It was a great feeling to quit.

Digest: You get to work with some of the more esteemed folks at ALL MY CHILDREN. Let me run you through some names. David Canary (Adam/Stuart)?
Giddish: David Canary is so, so, so nice. I was so thrilled the day I got to do a scene with him as Stuart; it was amazing. He’s just truly kind, and a great actor.

Digest: Vincent Irizarry (David)?
Giddish: He’s great. Great! I worked with him for a while at first, so I was asking him all kinds of questions. “Vis-à-vis? What does that mean?” He was so helpful. He’s been doing daytime for, what, 20 years? He knows a lot, and because I was working with him so much, I learned a lot. He’s got a great handle on the technical aspects, stuff I needed to know.

Digest: Michael E. Knight (Tad)?
Giddish: Awesome. Wonderful. I haven’t worked with him enough, but that’s hopefully going to change.

Digest: In terms of your character, you have a weird sort of thing to pull off.
Giddish: Playing Jacob Young’s [JR] mother [laughs]?

Digest: That’s part of it! You are just a few years out of college, after all.
Giddish: But Dixie was timeless, right?

Digest: Exactly. Have you familiarized yourself with Cady McClain’s (ex-Dixie) work?
Giddish: Not really. I’ve seen her picture, but mostly I just get information from the script. It tells a lot about what kind of lady Dixie was. I’m not really trying to impersonate [Cady]. I haven’t looked at tapes or anything like that. I don’t think it’s necessary.

Digest: Who did you test with?
Giddish: Michael Knight. I was nervous! All the other girls were from L.A. or older than me. But Michael was so kind and so giving of his time and energy. I just went in there prepared and did my work and knew that the rest was out of my hands.

Digest: Where were you when you found out you’d gotten the job?
Giddish: I was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, eating breakfast with my man. My agent called and said, “Hi, Dinah [the original name for Di]!” Then my boyfriend’s former roommate brought over a six-pack of Budweiser and we went for a helicopter ride around Manhattan. It was amazing! The Gates were up in Central park and everything.The Sweetest Thing
Digest: You grew up in Kentucky and spent a year in L.A. before landing this job. How long have you been in New York?
Chrishell Stause: I’ve only been in New York for about a month. I’d never been here before, so I was super-excited the first time I came, which was to do the screen test. But I got the job, so now I get to be a New Yorker! I’m still living in a hotel; they all know me by name there because I always lock myself out [laughs]. They’re like, “Chrishell, again?”

Digest: How did you react to getting the part?
Stause: Nothing that came out of my mouth was audible when I found out I got the part; all I could do was squeal! I was in my house and nobody was there. The first two people I called didn’t answer. Finally, I got my sister on the phone and we were freaking out. I was ecstatic, obviously.

Digest: What do you remember of your first day?
Stause: Oh, my gosh, I was so excited, so thrilled to be there, and I have been ever since. But that first day, it was so overwhelming to be introduced to like, 500 different people. I was like, “I should be writing all this down! I’m never going to remember all this!” My first scene was with Jacob and my wardrobe was this big. [She holds two fingers closely together]. It was a little nervewracking to be thrown into this crazy situation with a guy I don’t know on top of all the excitement. But I was having fun the whole time. I never was, you know, intimidated.

Digest: Was Jacob a good person to be broken in by?
Stause: He really was. The greatest. He went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. I had done my screen test with him, so I had met him before. And because he’d been so great with me at my test, I was really excited to see him again. I told him, “Thank you for getting me the job!” He told me things on the side, like, “Don’t be nervous.” He laid the ground-work for me, explaining who people were and how things worked.

Digest: Rumor has it that Amanda will pose a big problem for Jamie and Babe. How has it been to work with Justin Bruening (Jamie) and Alexa Havins (Babe)?
Stause: Have you heard the story of how they got engaged? Oh, my gosh! I just heard it the other day and I was like, “That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard.” Like Jacob — and I know this sounds cheesy and isn’t, you know, interesting to hear in an interview, but it’s the truth — they really went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Seriously, they’re so great, like with helping me run lines before scenes. They’re so cute together that I feel bad about what I have to do as Amanda. But you know, that’s what I’m supposed to be: The character you love to hate.

Digest: Who are your dressing room neighbors?
Stause: I’m right across from Jacob and right next to Justin, and of course, Alexa’s always in Justin’s dressing room, so it really is the four of us all the time.

Digest: Have you decorated your room yet?
Stause: I did! I painted it a really, really bright electric blue. I was so excited I could paint it! Everywhere I’ve ever lived, I’ve been a renter, so I’ve always had to live with white walls. When I found out that we could paint, I was like, “I’m goin’ bright!”I Am Sam
Digest: Were you surprised when you were offered a contract, given that this role was slated to be short-term?
Bobby Steggert: I really was. When I auditioned, it was only supposed to be for about three or four episodes. Then Judy [Blye Wilson], our casting director, said, “There’s talk of you staying on for a little bit longer, but because Eva [La Rue, Maria] is leaving, don’t expect to be around much longer than June.” So it was a big surprise! I couldn’t be happier. It’s such a laid-back, positive environment and everyone is there for the right reasons, which I think is rare, especially in film and TV. The actors are hard-working and responsible. I’m having a lot of fun.

Digest: But I take it from your comment that you didn’t expect to land in television?
Steggert: No, not at all. It kind of happened and I’m just taking the ride and enjoying it and hoping that it works out! But I trained only in theater, although I’ve worked a little bit in film. That taught me how to be comfortable on a set, which was a huge benefit for this job.

Digest: Name an AMC star you’d like to interact with more.
Steggert: I’ll say Michael Knight. I think he’s great. He’s fantastic, in fact — very funny and very real.

Digest: Do you enjoy working with your on-screen mom, Eva?
Steggert: How could I not? Eva is fantastic. She is an extremely kind and generous person and she was so incredibly welcoming to me in the beginning. Sam’s pretty mean to Maria, but it’s hard to be mean to someone who is so kind and also so beautiful!

Digest: What is it like to land a steady acting gig like this?
Steggert: It’s both scary and amazing, because you know that you’re not going to have to wait tables to pay for rent, and any actor is really appreciative of that, but it also is weird to know where you’re going to be for the next several years. That limits you a bit, just in terms of practical things like, what if I wanted to go on vacation for a long time or something? But those things are minimal compared to the security of the job.

Digest: Who are your dressing room neighbors?
Steggert: I don’t have any because I don’t have a permanent dressing room yet! I’m using Jeff Branson’s [Jonathan] room right now; he painted it a very nice blue and has a nice coffee table. It’s all about the furniture, you know? But I guess I have to wait for some people to leave Pine Valley before I get my own address.

Digest: Have you done the rounds, moved from dressing room to dressing room?
Steggert: Oh, yeah. In the beginning, I was in a new person’s dressing room every day.

Digest: Any favorites?
Steggert: Aiden Turner [Aidan] has the best dressing room of the whole bunch. He has nice pictures up on the wall, a nice, black leather couch. It looks like it was professionally decorated. Do you think it’s him, that he has an interior decorating talent? Because it’s really amazing in there. When I finally get a room, I’m going to him for tips.