The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be held on Friday, June 7, with the ceremony airing live on CBS starting at 8 p.m. ET. Soap Opera Digest chatted with the nominees to get the scoop on how they found out, what episodes they submitted, and more as we count down to daytime’s biggest night!
Lisa OConnor/AFF-USA.com / MEGA
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Linsey Godfrey (Sarah, Days of our Lives)
What are your thoughts on being nominated again?
“It’s been a while. I haven’t submitted in a few years, but I got a little peer pressured. Tamara Braun [Ava; also nominated this year] gave me a phone call. She usually does give me phone calls, and I usually say, ‘No, I don’t want to do it. I don’t feel like it.’ This year she called, and she was like, ‘You have to.’ And Paul [Telfer, Xander] had also been like, ‘You have to this year.’”
So you succumbed to the pressure?
“I respect both of those people a lot. I really respect Tamara, and I really respect Paul, obviously. But there’s something about another woman coming to you and telling you something in those words, where it’s like, All right, I should pay attention. It also felt respectful, too because [Paul and I] had asked for extra time to film the scenes [I submitted]. It was a huge moment in a journey that our characters had gone on for a very long time, and we wanted to do it justice. We wanted to do good work and not just show up and say the words.”
What were those scenes, specifically?
“I went with one episode, because of the experience of filming it and what it felt like. It’s the episode where Xander confronts Sarah about lying about the baby and the paternity of their child. He’s like, ‘Why would you do that?’ And it’s her basically saying, ‘Here’s why I did it. I’m not saying I’m right, but here’s why.’ I just loved that. Neither of them were right. Both of them were terribly wrong. Sarah just explained, ‘This is why I did this really bad thing. It’s bad, and I understand it, but here’s why. It’s because you’re bad.’ I think the reason I loved [the episode] is that I’ve been very protective about Sarah’s relationship with Xander. I think that Sarah and Xander have something so special. So, of course, it was going to [be] scenes between them and it was going to be something hugely emotional. I loved the way those scenes felt when Paul and I performed them. We were very careful about how the scenes were going to go. We wanted them to be in control. We didn’t want them losing it and screaming at each other, because, at the end of the day, they’re just mad that they can’t be together.”
How did you find out about your nomination?
“I literally checked at 9 a.m. I think I found out on Deadline. They were announcing it on the website. I was like, ‘Let’s look.’ Then I immediately got a text from Andrea [McKinnon, DAYS publicist].
Did you get any messages from anyone that stood out or were particularly sweet or funny?
“I got a lot of really lovely messages. I don’t think anything was really funny. What was funny was that the lead actor and lead actress nominations got announced the night before. So it was me yelling at Tamara like, ‘Oh my God! I’m so excited for you.’ Then, 12 hours later, she was like, ‘Oh my God! I’m so excited for you.’”
Did you do anything to celebrate?
“I have done literally nothing. I found out on Friday, and then I have just been at my house. I think we’re all going to go out, all the nominees from DAYS. I think we’re going to go do something this week.”
What does this nomination mean to you?
“It was interesting to make the true decision to be like, ‘All right, I’m going to submit. I’m going to be a part of the process again. I’m going to put myself out in the world again and do this.’ So that was really exciting. And then to have it pay off and get nominated… That was it. That’s all I need. That’s all I wanted. I’ve done everything I came here to do. Winning is neither here nor there. We’re judging art, which is kind of insane because it’s subjective. What makes you feel something could make me feel nothing. So I’ve already done the thing I wanted to do.”
You’re in the same category as Emily O’Brien (ex-Gwen, now Theresa), who was also nominated as supporting actress. What are your thoughts about that?
Will you be bringing anyone to the ceremony with you?
“Yes, I am. I’ve got myself a pretty cute date. Her name is Kimberly Matula [ex-Hope, Bold and Beautiful]. We were FaceTiming last night, and I was like, ‘Hey, do you want to go to the Daytime Emmys with me?’ And she was like, ‘Oh my God. Yes.’ We’ll be really annoying and super embarrassing, and we will have a blast.”
Are you somebody who would write down some notes and prepare a speech or just wing it?
“I don’t presume to think that I’m taking home a trophy. So I’m probably just going to go there, smile, and cheer super loud for everybody.”
Is there anything that you might bring with you to the ceremony for luck, like a charm or a crystal or a personal family memento?
“No, because the winning part is neither here nor there for me like I said. But maybe I’d bring something that would make me feel more at peace or more calm inside. I’ll probably let my daughter [Aleda] pick something out. She’s really into crystals and things like that. So maybe I’ll let her pick a certain type of stone that I’ll wear on my hand or in my ear or something like that, that’s good for peace and calm.”
