Some would say that Sharon is currently without a story, but I see it as more that she’s in a quiet transition because she was recently widowed and is finding her bearings. Your take? “I totally agree. Sharon has sort of taken a different path since losing Rey. She’s still running the coffeehouse — that’s a top priority for her — but she’s also taking care of her daughter and daughter-in-law during their adoption journey and she’s listening to Noah about his past with Audra and his current relationship with Allie. I guess you could say that for now, Sharon is everybody’s touchstone.”
Do you like that? “Yes, I do. I’ve always loved that Sharon is a natural caretaker, so I feel she’s in her element. And this is a good time for her to tend to other people’s needs — especially her family.”
Do you miss working with Jordi Vilasuso (ex-Rey)? “Oh, very much. I was really moved by the last scene with Sharon and Rey. I really love, love, love that scene. It was just before Rey leaves the coffeehouse and he’s in that [fatal] car accident. For it being the last time I was working with Jordi, it was a very sweet and beautiful scene. Both the actor and the character are such nice guys.”
Well, since you brought up “moving”, the scenes where Sharon helped Chelsea after her suicide attempt were also very impactful. “Thank you for saying that. It was great material to play as an actor. Sharon and Chelsea had a contentious relationship, and I thought it was beautifully written and made perfect sense that here was this broken person in front of Sharon and it was her instinct, especially as a psychologist, to help. Sharon had no problem forgetting their past in that moment in order to be the rock, along with Billy, that Chelsea needed.”
How do you like working with Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) in this context? “I love working with Missy and I appreciate what an amazing job she’s doing. I remember a little while back when this storyline was just starting and we had a scene in the coffeehouse where Chelsea gets angry and kind of shoved a chair. That’s when Sharon first began wondering if something was going on with Chelsea, and this was before her breakdown. I remember telling Missy on that day, ‘You know, that was a great scene.’ She has been doing such beautiful work ever since.”
Would you like to see more scenes between Sharon and Chelsea? “Yes, definitely. They broke down a barrier they had not broken down before and they’re in a position to be more like friends now. I think that because of what recently happened, it kind of levels the playing field a little bit for both of them. I believe that their relationship has changed for the better and it could go anywhere from here.”
