DAYS’s James Reynolds is enjoying life as a Daytime Emmy winner
“It has been pretty remarkable!” marvels James Reynolds of his life since winning the Daytime Emmy for Lead Actor on April 29. “Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t call. It’s one of those moments in life that meets expectations and keeps on giving.”
Hearing his name that night, Reynolds says, was “Otherworldly! It really was interesting. I remember I had spoken to Eric Martsolf [Brady] and he was saying he doesn’t remember anything from when his name was called [as Supporting Actor in 2015]; he doesn’t remember his speech. I now understand that because when the envelope was opened and they said, ‘The winner is…’ I heard my first name — that’s all I heard. There was a moment where I was just kind of floating in space. I had no thoughts, and I’m a person who is in my head a lot, and I had nothing at that moment.”
The actor was aware, however, of the excited reaction from the crowd when he took the stage. “That was pretty astounding. I was actually overwhelmed by that, to be truthful, and very touched by that, because I knew the support I was getting from all my fellow DAYS people; everybody on the show has been nothing but supportive for months. But to get the reaction from the entire audience that I got, that’s a bit of surprise. I’m kind of a quiet actor so I don’t see a lot of people, so to have that kind of support from the daytime community was pretty extraordinary.”
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Shock And Awe: “It’s one of those moments in life that meets
expectations and keeps on giving,” notes Reynolds of his Emmy win.
He’s been doing some traveling with his new pal, Reynolds reports. “I’m engaged on what I’m calling my ‘Stanley Cup Tour’, ” he chuckles. “I feel like I need to share this moment with people that have been important in my life in one way or another. I went to my cardiologist because about eight or nine years ago, I had pretty serious heart surgery. I had a valve replaced — it was genetically defective, which I didn’t know. I had gone through life and ran thousands of miles, was in the Marine Corps and played sports and didn’t know that, and went to his office for a checkup and was told I had to go to the hospital right away or I wouldn’t be around in two weeks. I wouldn’t have had this moment, so I thought, ‘Let me take this to the doctor’s office and tell him thank you.’ I play in a poker game with some old friends every month. They’re demanding that I bring who I’m calling my golden girlfriend with me, so I’m doing that. And some of the committees of the South Pasadena Arts Council are having a nice, little get-together and they asked me to bring it with me, as well. I’m going to my hometown in June. The city council declared ‘James Reynolds Day’ on June 23, and I’m going to go back to Oskaloosa [KS] and celebrate that.”
The distinction of being the first African-American actor to win the award since Darnell Williams [ex-Jesse, ALL MY CHILDREN] isn’t something Reynolds takes lightly. “It means a great deal,” he says. “I’m hopeful now that others will follow, and we won’t be waiting multiple years before the next one and the one after that and the one after that. I think it’s so important that I won this as Abe Carver, who himself is the longest-running black character in the history of television. It really is something that I feel honored and very proud to have done.”
He’s also proud of the story between JJ, Theo and the Carver and Horton clans that helped him to victory. “Ron [Carlivati, head writer] so wisely told it in the context of family, and I don’t just mean just the Carver family, the Carver family and the Horton family. These are people that the audience has known for years. With Abe and Jennifer, these are people that the audience has grown up with. When you’re dealing with a very serious subject like this one, with a young, unarmed black man being shot, what are the answers? They dealt with it in a way in which you saw the effect that it has on human beings, and to succeed at that task as I think Ron did, was extraordinary. I hope that story leads us into more stories that encapsulate what is happening to the greater society, and we can reflect that in a human way. I think it helps people access their own attitudes and feelings.”
The tale gave him a lot of meaty material to play with on-screen kids Sal Stowers (Lani) and Kyler Pettis (ex-Theo). “It’s good to see more and more explored with the Carver family,” says the actor. “There are a lot of Carvers out there! When I came on, I know for a fact Abe came from a large family. There were, I think, three brothers and two sisters, but we really haven’t seen the sisters or his parents. But to share those scenes with Sal and Kyler, they really reached inside themselves and brought out a great deal. It was wonderful for me.”
Reynolds thinks the world of the two. “Kyler was great to work with,” he raves. “He’s a good guy. He’s a very talented actor. Kyler was very sweet in his response to my getting the Emmy. We periodically exchange text messages. And you know, Theo is in South Africa recovering! I’m hoping that he recovers and makes his way back to Salem because I think Theo is a tremendous character that the audience just loves.” As for Sal, “Sal’s my girl. I’ve been very, very lucky over the course of my career to work with talented people that are also good people. Sal is one of those people that is so dedicated to her art and her craft. In some ways, she reminds me of Ari [Zucker, ex-Nicole] because they both have this dedication to learn and get better. At the same time, she’s just so pleasant to be with and gracious and I enjoy every moment I can spend with Sal.”
In real life, Reynolds enjoys spending time with his grown son, Jed. “We’re extremely close,” reports the actor. “In fact, I’m just ordering tickets for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas because we’re huge basketball fans. He’s the first person that called after the Emmys, and I debated actually asking if he wanted to come that night, but what if I didn’t win? He was just sitting home watching it and screaming and jumping up and down and shouting. We went to dinner the next night with his best friend Patrick, who we call our second son. The truth of the matter is, I feel very blessed that I have a son that is that wonderful and that decent. Like I said in my speech, he’s the most decent man I know.”
Reynolds and wife Lissa will celebrate 33 years of marriage this year, which comes as a surprise to the actor, in a way. “I thought that I was a little flakier than I have proven to be, but it seems like I make long-term commitments without trying to!” he jokes. “I had no idea that all of these things that I have done, I’d be involved in for so long. People always say, ‘What’s your secret to being married so long?’ I don’t know if there are any secrets. I think the biggest one is this capacity to be able to just know what’s valuable in your life so you don’t compromise that value. If there are things that are difficult, you tend to move through it together or you just move through it. If there is a secret, that would be the closest thing, I would say.”
Celebrate Good Times: Reynolds’s son, Jed (r.), and his pal Patrick joined the actor and wife Lissa after his Emmy win.
As he marks his 37th year with the soap with an Emmy on his shelf, Reynolds reflects, “I’m truly honored to have been on the show for this long. There are people, Ken Corday [executive producer] being at the top of that list, who have shown a great deal of faith and trust, and like I said in my speech, courage. I’ve been there through several eras. I think there might be seven of us or so, all of us who have left at some time that also have been asked to come back and have become part of the fabric of this show. I am so honored that I’m one of those. I’m a great advocate of DAYS OF OUR LIVES and a great cheerleader for the show and I feel this is something very special.”
JUST THE FACTS
Birthday: August 10
Hails From: Oskaloosa, KA
The Marrying Kind: Reynolds wed Lissa Layng on December 21, 1985.
My Boy: Reynolds has a son, Jed, from his first marriage.
Puppy Love: “Chester is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and he is a great dog! One of the sweetest dogs you’ll ever meet.”
At The Movies: “The last good movies I saw are Black Panther and The Post.”
Shape Of Things: “I love playing basketball. I work out at home pretty much every day I can, which ends up being about five days a week, I guess, and sometimes seven. I walk probably a couple of miles a day with the dog and then do the treadmill for another hour. Someone comes in and does yoga with us a couple of times a week, which is great. I’m pretty active.”
GENERATIONS Gap: Reynolds briefly left DAYS in 1990 to play Henry Marshall in the NBC series GENERATIONS. “It was groundbreaking and I was so happy to be part of that. The show has an extraordinarily large number of fans that are out there and people ask and talk about it. I think that show had tremendous potential and I’m always very sorry that it wasn’t given more time.”
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Staying Power: “I’m truly honored to have been on the show for this long,” says Reynolds, here in a 1983 shot with (from l.) Deidre Hall (Marlena), Philece Sampler (ex-Renée) and Leann Hunley (Anna).
HIS GAL VAL
Reynolds is thrilled to have Vanessa Williams (Valerie) as a scene partner. “I like the fact that they’re involved with each other and there’s no rush to some kind of matrimonial conclusion,” he notes. “These two can get to know each other and the audience gets to see a couple that’s growing and their affection for each other. I think Vanessa is such a joy. She is one of the most energetic people … My wife is extraordinarily energetic so I understand that kind of personality, and Vanessa is very similar in that way. She just brings so much energy to DAYS and is fun to work with. She’s there in every single scene and everything that we do. It’s pretty easy to see how that relationship between Abe and Valerie grows. It’s also built on history and that’s a nice thing to have.”
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