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Meet PASSIONS Newcomer Cathy Jeneén Doe (Simone)

Soap Opera Digest: Do you watch your scenes?
Cathy Jeneén Doe: Yes, through my fingers. I’m not used to watching myself yet.Digest: Have you been recognized yet as Simone?
Doe: It’s funny because more so when school was out because I had just started airing and I had really heavy scenes in the beginning, and then really heavy right before everyone went back to school. It was crazy everywhere I went.Digest: What was the first time you were recognized?
Doe: I was in Victoria’s Secret buying perfume and the saleswoman was following me around. And I thought, “Maybe she thinks I’m going to take something.” Then I turned around and I was like, “Can I help you?
” And she said, “Oh, my God, you are the new Simone.” Then she called all the other girls over, so everybody in there asking for bras or whatever was getting no help because every [saleswoman] in Victoria’s Secret watches PASSIONS. It was really great. That shows you how much I am not used to it because I had no idea these people were looking at me.Digest: Was it strange?
Doe: It was a really strange feeling, but it was really good. I’ve been with other friends of mine who have been recognized, but people who watch daytime are so fun. They ask you really cool questions. They’re not just like, “I love your work.” [Soap fans] come up and you do not know what they’re going to say. It’s really great because they’re really into it, and it gives you a lot of energy for your character when you see that people are really hanging on what’s going to happen.Digest: You just filmed an independent film, Buds For Life, with none other than Donn Swaby (ex-Chad) and Chrystee Pharris-Larkins (ex-Simone).
Doe: That came about so crazy. I booked it before I booked the part of Simone. I had auditioned [for PASSIONS], but didn’t hear about it. The woman who was producing the independent was a friend of Donn Swaby’s and she was saying, “There’s a guy who used to work on an NBC show and he wrote this.” Not ever did she say he was on PASSIONS while I was auditioning. So I came in and she said, “I think you’re great for this part.” Then she invited me to the table read, which I couldn’t go to because I had just booked PASSIONS and they wanted me to go to a photo shoot. So then she brought over to my house pictures of everybody that was in all the other roles [of the film] and I saw Chrystee’s name and her picture. I knew who Chrystee was, of course, but she didn’t really know who I was. Then she goes, “She used to work on PASSIONS and so did the writer.”Digest: How did you react?
Doe: I was freaking out. I know it’s kind of odd when you have to take over someone else’s role. It was all amicable and everything and everybody loves her, but I just didn’t know how [Chrystee] would react to me. So when I came in [to film the movie] the first day, they couldn’t tear us apart. First of all, they couldn’t tell us apart. We had such great conversations. She’s a wonderful person and she still calls me and says, “Do you have any questions? How’s it going?” She’s a really [positive] person. I really, really didn’t expect that. And she’s one of my greatest friends now. It was touch and go there in the beginning. I almost dropped out of the movie ’cause I didn’t want problems.Digest: Did you watch PASSIONS before you got the role?
Doe: About five years ago, my mom said, “You’ll love this new show that’s coming on because it’s got witches in it and demons. They go to hell.” I watched and thought it was really wacky at first. I was like, “This is odd that they’d let this show go everywhere.” But you really get into it ’cause it’s not the same thing that you see every day. Most [actors] don’t know if [their character is] going to be a good person or a bad person, but hey, you can be a witch or a dog one day [on this show]. I enjoy that aspect of it.Digest: How’d you get to PASSIONS?
Doe: I was in New York, and the thing that kept happening to me … The shows in New York are all very gritty and street. They’re like NYPD BLUE and THIRD WATCH. They’re about something blowing up or some cop show. So every time I would get called into a show, it was a teenage runaway, a prostitute, a drug dealer. They would say to me a lot of times, “You’re okay with the acting, but you just don’t look the part.” I would get that a lot. I’d get a lot of commercials. Then I got a part on ED as a snobby pageant contestant and my agent was like, “You so are L.A. You need to just at least go there for pilot season.” So I came out to L.A. and my very first audition was PASSIONS and I booked it.Digest: Have you set your dressing room up yet?
Doe: Yes! The day I got my key, I couldn’t stop jumping up and down. I was on-set and they were like, “What happened? Did you win the lottery?” I said, “I got my key!” I ran to my dressing room and it was already pretty much set up ’cause they have couches in there and stuff like that. I got a big refrigerator, microwave, important stuff [laughs], and then a thousand books. I went to IKEA and got a thousand blankets and furry slippers because I need to make it comfortable for myself. And I got 10 clocks because I never like to be late. I got my key on Friday; it was decorated on Saturday like I had been there for 12 years. I took pictures and sent them to my mom. I also took pictures of the little name plate on my parking space in the garage, which other people don’t think is a big deal, but I do. That is my parking space. If I want to sleep in a sleeping bag in this parking space, I can do it. Little things make me happy.

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