The More, The Merrier Page 2
Eileen Davidson (Ashley, 1982-88; 1999-present)
Past Soap Roles: Kelly, SANTA BARBARA, 1991-93; Kristen/Susan et al DAYS, 1993-98
Davidson has taken on three very different soap roles. While she’s perfected playing the sweet, smart and sometimes icy Ashley, she was the fourth (and last) Kelly on SB — a role originated by movie star Robin Wright Penn. She then showed off her comedic and creative side by taking on five (!) different characters on DAYS: nice gal-turned-schemer Kristen, homely Susan, nun Mary Moira and Kristen look-alike Penelope (Susan’s sisters), and Susan’s brother, Thomas.
“Gosh, why did I decide to do that? I don’t know,” she chuckles of her decision to join SB in the 8/31/04 Digest. “I welcomed the challenge of being on a different daytime show.”
As for her DAYS experience, “It was really special because of all those characters involved,” she recalled. “It was pretty intense for quite a while. You don’t know what you’re getting into, and it was one of those things that kept growing and growing. But once you start it, you have to finish it [laughs].”
Amelia Heinle (Victoria, 2005-present)
Past Soap Roles: Mia, AMC, 2001-04; Steffi, LOVING/THE CITY, 1993-96
As LOVING/THE CITY’s Steffi, Heinle had an eventful life on and off the screen. While her character dealt with bulimia, the actress hooked up with and had a child with her co-star and now-ex-husband, Michael Weatherly(ex-Cooper).
Her run on AMC wasn’t as eventful. As Liza’s (Marcy Walker) sister and one of the “Fusion girls,” Mia never got much story.
“We were crazy [on AMC],” she reported in the 9/19/06 Digest. “We had some good laughs…. [But] it’s not what I hoped it would be. My role just didn’t go anywhere. The show suffered from a lot of writer and producer changes, and now I have the experience to know that’s not always a good thing.”
“When I started on LOVING, I wasn’t really nervous because I went in completely blind, so it took away the fear,” she also explained. “But when I came to [Y&R] to be Victoria, I was so stressed and upset because I knew too much about that role.” 
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, 1994-1997; 2000-present)
Past Soap Roles: Joanna, PACIFIC PALISADES, 1997; Frankie, TRIBES, 1990
Fans of Fox’s TRIBES may remember her as Frankie on the teen-oriented soap. Phyllis fans were in for a shock, however, when Stafford took on the part of mild-mannered Midwestern wife Joanna, on Aaron Spelling’s short-lived prime-time drama, on which Finola Hughes (Anna, GH) played her best pal, Kate, and Natalia Cigliuti (ex-Anita, AMC) starred as her “sister,” Rachel, who turned out to be her daughter.
“I love this character,” she praised of PACIFIC PALISADE’s Joanna in the 5/6/97 issue. “She is a strong woman, and it’s really cool that she doesn’t have to get things with sex…. [But] it’s hard to play the heroine because it could be very victim-y and boring.” She added, “It is so humorous to me, because it is so different [from playing Phyllis].”
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