Q&A With Nancy St. Alban
Soap Opera Digest: What do you think of your storyline?
Nancy St. Alban: It’s great. It’s very exciting. I just think the material has really great [twists and turns] for Danny and Michelle. All of a sudden, I walk into work one day and I can justify my material really easily. I can believe everything that is happening. A lot of it is very challenging to me at this point because they’ve taken Michelle in this really strong direction, which I love. The confrontational things for Nancy in real life are hard, so for me to do it as Michelle has been hard. It’s been a real challenge to bring that part of me out. But it’s great.Digest: How are you pulling that side of you out?
St. Alban: I’ve been relying on my technique as an actor and I’ve been [pulling] from different areas in my life when I felt anger, but didn’t get a chance to express it. Now, I’m letting it out on the show [laughs].Digest: What do you like about this new Michelle?
St. Alban: There is an independence to Michelle that was never there, and that is more interesting to play. For Michelle to be able to push her family aside, that’s huge. That was her and Danny’s whole argument. It was always, “No you’ve got to fit into my life. This is who I am and you have to fit into that because I am the good girl.” This time, she let go of that – you know, I was going to say a bad word, but I won’t [laughs].Digest: Do you hang out with Paul [Anthony Stewart, Danny] at the studio?
St. Alban: Usually, yeah. We hang out together a lot outside of the studio, too. Recently we haven’t been able to because we’ve been working so much. It’s been kind of hard.Digest: How do you feel about the regime changes GL has had?
St. Alban: Which ones? Recently or since I’ve been on the show? In three-and-a-half years, GUIDING LIGHT has been through a lot of changes.Digest: Were those changes hard for you?
St. Alban: It was kind of easy in the beginning. I could roll with the punches because I didn’t know what to expect anyway. [Later] we definitely got a little anxious on what to expect and what’s going to happen but more [in relation to] being concerned about the show. We just want the show to be the best. So it’s just, “Oh, wow, is this going to be a good thing?” Usually, I look at the positive. I’m never like, “Oh, no!” I always think this [change] could be good. I would rather think of it that way. Lately, I think Ellen Wheeler [executive producer] is amazing. I was hoping they would give her the job a year-and-a-half ago, so I am just so excited. I think she is so talented and she knows exactly what needs to happen with the show. I think it’s great. I don’t know who chose the writer, our new writer [David Kreizman], but he sounds amazing and he knows the show really well, which is so important. I just think it’s all going to be good.Digest: Do you ever go to the executives and pitch your story ideas?
St. Alban: Never.Digest: Why?
St. Alban: I’m not going to say I never will. Maybe I will now that Ellen is here. But for me as an actor, I came from the school that I’m an actor. I get my script. I do my job. It’s none of my business [how decisions are made]. But Ellen is very open. Not to say that she would take our ideas, but I know if I was ever uncomfortable about something, I could talk to her and that’s always nice. So, maybe I would. So far, I don’t feel the need to.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.