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Interview

Meet DAYS's Abigail Klein

After being introduced on BEYOND SALEM: CHAPTER 2, Abigail Klein makes her debut on August 17 on the main NBC soap as Stephanie Johnson. “It’s been the best ride … a blast,” says Klein, who began filming in March, a couple of months before tackling the Peacock special. “We were shooting both of them simultaneously. That was fun because I’d already had a few episodes of DAYS under my belt before we did BEYOND SALEM, which was really cool.”

Klein, however, had to keep mum about her new full-time soap gig. “Because [we shoot] so many months ahead, I had to keep it under wraps,” she notes. “The only thing I ever shared [on social media] was being on BEYOND SALEM. I’m so stoked to finally be able to say, ‘Hey. I’m also on DAYS.’ ”

The road to all things Salem began in December of 2021. “I did a self-tape [audition],” recounts the actress. “There was a character name with fake sides. I sent it in and then I went on Christmas vacation and then it was New Year’s. I got a call from my agents in January saying I got a callback. I was like, ‘For what?’ They said, ‘For DAYS. They want you to go in and do a chemistry read.’ ”

DAYS sent Klein’s agents a new role with new sides, and she did an in-person audition for the show. “Then I waited in suspense for weeks,” recalls Klein, who eventually got a call from her team informing her she’d booked the gig, “but that it was for a completely different character than I had auditioned for. I was going to be playing Stephanie Johnson, the daughter of one of the main couples on the show.”

And there was a request. “They wanted me to dye my hair brunette,” says the natural blonde. “I was like, ‘Wait. Not only did I book a character I didn’t audition for, but then they asked for the hair change.’ I was like so stoked. I started reading up on Stephanie and was just so elated.”

Upon meeting her TV parents, Mary Beth Evans (Kayla) and Stephen Nichols (Steve), and seeing that they are both blondes, she was momentarily thrown. “But just looking at Shelley Hennig, who played Stephanie before, I was like, ‘Oh. I get it. They’re trying to keep that continuity.’ That’s cool by me.”

The golden-haired supercouple has been a source of inspiration for the newcomer. “They’re both legendary,” she notes. “They’re iconic, and they’re wonderful people. They just have hearts of gold. Stephen asked me if I wanted to grab coffee before I even started shooting, which was so sweet. Mary Beth couldn’t make it. That’s when Stephen filled me in on how everything works, when I should expect to get scripts, what the [work] days kind of looked like. It was very sweet to have that connection before I even got to set.”

Klein met Evans when she reported to the set and was as impressed with her as she was with Nichols. “She’s just so magnetic,” raves Klein. “I love being around her and Stephen. They both crack me up. Their banter and their energy really draws me in. They’re just amazing.”

Evans and Nichols have both been helping their new TV daughter acclimate to the daytime genre. “They’ve completely taken me under their wing,” shares the actress. “The coolest thing about them is that they love to run lines. I was surprised by that, since they’re such veterans. They could do this in their sleep, but they really take it so seriously. They pull me in and ask me to run lines with them, and I’m so overjoyed. Because there’s me, new, and I want to run lines with everybody.”

Aside from her instant bond with her TV parents, another thing that’s come easily to Klein has been her fit with Stephanie. “I really relate to her wanting her personal freedom and trying to express herself,” observes Klein. “Being back home, what does that look like now that she’s older, a professional and trying to find her way in love and work? She’s trying to do it on her own and be independent. I really love and admire that about her. I have always prided myself on being independent and wanting that for myself. That’s something I really like and can relate to.”

Klein did her own research on Stephanie before tackling the role. “I couldn’t find any

work,” she explains. “But I found these fan pages and Wiki pages. I probably read Soap Opera Digest articles about her, too. I looked at who Stephanie was. Other than that, I caught some episodes before I started working to learn who everybody is and all that.”

Lucky for Klein, she has a family member who’s been a devoted DAYS fan for decades that she can always turn to for information. “I had never watched the show before, but I have an aunt [Valarie Reuer], who’s been watching since 1967. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to come to you when I have questions about the history of what’s going on,’ because, no doubt, she would know,” says Klein, noting that her aunt is very excited to see her on the soap. “She has only seen BEYOND SALEM, because that’s all that’s out. She’s been so sweet. She was like, ‘You waking up in the hospital scene was really good.’ I know she’s going to be very specific and very detailed with her feedback, which is so sweet.”

So far, Klein’s entire DAYS experience has been delightful. “I love it,” she smiles. “I truly remember, even in the audition process, feeling like, ‘Wow. I love this place. It feels right.’ It really felt right the moment I walked through the door at my audition. Even now, every day that I go to set it’s just so collaborative, and everybody is so warm and welcoming.”

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