How has Kayla changed since you first started playing her? “I will tell you, just seeing old videos, that my voice has changed. It was so airy back then: ‘Oh, Steve.’ I can hardly handle it when I see those clips. Obviously, Kayla has aged and matured, as have I. She was a single mother for a long time and went to medical school. Having gone through that, she has taken on more responsibility. She did a lot of things and grew as a person. She became stronger and knows more what she wants, but she still likes to have fun and enjoy her life. For her and Steve, she would be as she was [in the beginning]. Their [relationship] has gone on forever. She has been loyal like a Labrador and stuck with him through thick and thin, until things got unbearable. Then she fights like she did when Stefano/Steve sent her divorce papers.”
Who has been Kayla’s role model? “Her mother was truly her role model. She adored her. Caroline was so strong and sassy. When we did the Alzheimer’s story with Peggy McCay [ex-Caroline] a long time ago, I could barely get through it because I loved her so much as a person. I bought into it and believed she was my mother.”
Steve’s nickname for Kayla has long been Sweetness. Did Stephen Nichols run it by you initially, and do you like it? “No, he did not run it by me. Stephen just started writing it. It’s funny, because in the scripts now sometimes it will say, ‘Listen, Kay.’ He always scratches it out and writes, Sweetness. Bo called me Kay. Steve never called me Kay. Steve either called me Kayla or Sweetness. We’re all so idealistic about our characters and protect them at all costs. It’s always been very sweet. I thought it was very charming. It’s a very special term for them.”
How have you liked Kayla’s career turns from nurse to doctor to chief of staff? “When we [she and Nichols] came back in 2006 and met with [Executive Producer] Ken Corday, he had this big story arc about Steve’s past and what he’d been up to. I said, like a school kid with my hand up, ‘What about me? What did I do?’ He said, ‘You were at home raising Stephanie and Joey.’ I was like, ‘No. Kayla had to go to medical school and became a doctor.’ I wanted her to strive for the top. Ken was like, ‘Okay. Fine.’ And it’s worked out. It [encompasses] all the elements that she is — a strong woman, who wants to help people, is nurturing and organized. It’s been the perfect path for her. Listening to my husband [Dr. Michael Schwartz] talking to patients on the phone, I always hear his demeanor. It’s kind of embedded in me to have that doctor thing.”
What are Kayla’s strengths and weaknesses? “Her strengths are that she’s a well-educated woman who achieved her goals and sets high standards for other people. She’s a loving mother to her family and a good wife. She wants to do the right thing and feels like she has to be the responsible one. Sometimes being all that gets in the way of her fun. It inhibits a little bit of fun. But I think she and Steve try to get out, have fun and keep their romance alive.”
Who is Kayla’s best friend? “The women that were her best friends are Jennifer, Hope and Marlena. That’s the group she has been the most close with. Two of them aren’t there now, so that leaves one. They’ve played up that Marlena and Kayla are friends. They have similar careers. They’re both passionate about their men and want to do the right thing. Hope and Jennifer were more sisterly friends.”
Who is the love of Kayla’s life? “Well, Steve. I can remember the very first day I met Stephen, when I came in to read for the part. It was up in [former Executive Producer] Al Rabin’s office. He had the patch on, the fake scar, and the leather jacket. I was kind of like, ‘What?’ But we had a connection from the beginning. Then we started working together.”
Does Kayla have an archenemy? “She’s had many issues with Kate. It’s funny. There will be things going on where they are archenemies, then they’re friends. I never quite get that part. Kayla’s a very forgiving person. I’m just going with that.”
What life events most affected Kayla? “When Steve died in the ’90s, because Stephen was leaving the show, which was tragic. Then they killed him off. I remember climbing onto the hospital bed with him. It was so upsetting. That was life-altering for Kayla. Also the plane crash when her father [Shawn] died. Bo dying was huge. I always felt that Kayla and Bo were very close. I loved almost every scene I ever did with Peter [Reckell].”
How did you feel about Kayla’s rebound relationship with Shane? “Patsy [Pease, ex-Kimberly] had left, and they just kind of paired Charlie [Shaughnessy, ex-Shane] and me up. I thought, ‘How could I have gone from the love of my life with Steve to just hooking up with Shane?’ It was a real problem for me and one of the reasons I ended up not being on the show. I was so idealistic that I wanted them to write true to the character. I felt I had to stand up for Kayla.”
What do you most admire about Kayla? “Probably that she’s smart and organized. I’m smart, but I’m not book smart. If she went to medical school, she’s probably pretty smart. I’m not orderly, and I don’t have strong opinions like she probably does. I’m way more gushy and in the middle. She’s more black-and-white, and I’m in the gray.”
What’s lacking in Kayla’s life? “I wish they would bring our kids back. I don’t think Shelley [Hennig, ex-Stephanie] would come back, although I adore her so much. And James [Lastovic, ex-Joey]. Stephen and I love playing parents. I’ve so loved when I’ve had scenes with Abigail and JJ. I’ve really loved the relationships Kayla has had with the younger generation of people. I do live that life [off-screen] for sure.”
Is there anything you would love to change about her? “I’ve really enjoyed the times that we’ve done funny things and wish there was more of that. I remember when [Steve and Kayla] were trapped in the chemical room and were a little high from that. I recently did a little drunk scene with EJ. I wish there was more comedy.”
If you could go back in time and change one decision Kayla has made, what would it be? “Moving out of her beautiful house and into a condo when Steve was gone. That house was beautiful. I loved it. That was her big mistake. I don’t know why she did that. Maybe she didn’t want the maintenance any more … or was saving her money for her retirement.”
What would you pick as Kayla’s signature storyline from your time on the show? “For sure Emily and Gideon. That whole story was a beautiful time. We went on location to South Carolina. The whole reading the diary and getting the chance to redo their love story … I loved that whole thing. It was so much fun.”
What comment or question do you get the most from fans? “Is Steve a good kisser [laughs]?’ ‘Does the patch affect his eyesight?’ It’s not so much about me, and more about my relationship with Stephen. There are so many people that I’ve met that have named their child Kayla. It’s such a compliment. My husband has had some patients where he’s said, ‘You have to come in and meet these moms. They named their daughters after you.’ That’s been very sweet.”
Me Vs. Her
What are the biggest personality differences between you and Kayla? “She’s more formally educated, more organized, more black-and-white. I’m not. I’m like a fish. I’m a Pisces. I swim in different directions. Everything in my life is kind of gray. I don’t have super-heavy opinions, generally, about most things. There’s a couple of things, but I’m generally very easygoing. I wake up really happy. Kayla has far more pressure and a life-and-death job.”
Who has a better wardrobe? “She does, I suppose. She has a lot of dresses, a lot of fit-and-flare dresses. Right now I have on jeans that are torn on the bottom. I’m more casual than she is.”
Who has a better home? “Me now, for sure. She’s living in a condo. Her former house was spectacular. You don’t see Kayla’s garden. She doesn’t even have a garden. She has a balcony. I, personally, am a big gardener. I like a lot of flowers and a lot of roses. Maybe Kayla doesn’t have time to be a gardener.”
Who’s a better mother? “In some ways they’ve kind of melded. I’ve brought who I am to Kayla. That’s what’s been really nice about being on daytime TV for this long. The character and I have grown and matured together, hand in hand. My kids are little older, and I have grandkids. I’m so devoted to my kids and their kids. I made a commitment as a young woman thinking, ‘I am going to be a mom and grandma to the day I die. I’m not going to peter out. I’m not going to lose interest.’ Kayla doesn’t have any kids [on the canvas] or grandkids.”
Who’s a better homemaker? “Me for sure. I cook more in my life than Kayla does. I like to remodel and do things like that. I have weeks off all the time. So I do stuff, goof around and play.”
What character/actor from Kayla’s past would you like to see back on the show? “Her kids for sure would be No. 1. Stephen and I bring a lot to playing loving, nurturing parents. Charles Shaughnessy is also one of my favorite people in the world. When he comes and plays on the show I’m just ecstatic. I love him. He’s adorable. I love when Patsy comes to town as Kimberly, too.”
How is your relationship with Stephen Nichols different from Kayla’s with Steve? “Stephen and I are really good friends, really old friends. But it’s platonic friends, so it’s a different element. I don’t have a twinkle in my eye when I’m talking to him normally. I like to say that Kayla and Steve are friends, and we bring a lot [to that friendship]. When we’re having conversations as the characters, sometimes we’re laughing or finding things. We’ve been together such a long time that we find the humor more in our conversations, and we try to bring that forward.”
How is your relationship with your children different from Kayla’s with her kids? “I had such a connection with Shelley and James. It’s an extension of what have with my own children. I talk to my kids every other day. I just try to be there for them. I don’t try to give too many opinions. We’re all very friendly and close. I think Kayla is that, but she just doesn’t see her children that often. How often does she even say, ‘Oh, I called them’? She’s probably not as involved in her kids’ lives as I am with mine.”
