The aftermath of Rey’s tragic death should be a really interesting chapter in Sharon’s life. “Yeah, Sharon has never been a widow before, so it’s a challenging time to lose your husband or someone so close to you. The last time I played that was when Cassie died.”
That was in 2005, and although that was devastating for Sharon, she turned out to be the strong one compared to Nick. “She really did and I loved that. I think her resiliency then not only surprised the fans, but also surprised even herself. She’s otherwise a soft person and emotional in general, but when everything hits the fan, she’s on point.”
Unfortunately, this latest story comes at the expense of losing Jordi Vilasuso (ex-Rey). “Yes, I know [sighs], that’s what these storylines do. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often but we are very sad to lose Jordi. However, the loss or death of one character can spin out many storylines for years to come, just like what happened with Cassie’s death.”
What was your reaction when you heard Jordi would be leaving? “I was shocked and I just blanked out. I was just sort of standing there and had no words. I was just trying to be there for Jordi as he was telling me, because he was shocked himself and very sad. It’s always hard to hear when somebody’s leaving and it’s not easy to find the words. It comes with the territory.”
Do you like seeing Sharon lean on Nick through this trying time? “What I’ve taken from this, that I didn’t realize was happening at first, is that losing Rey and being there for Sharon seems to be grounding Nick, as well. To me, in Joshua’s [Morrow, Nick] performance, it comes across like his character is finding a priority. Maybe because he’s older and been through a lot, but finding enlightenment tends to happen to us when someone close to you dies.”
You’ve said before that you’ve liked all the storylines that have been thrown at Sharon through the years. Do you still feel that way? “Oh, yeah. Whether they’re my favorite ones or not-so-favorites, at the end of the day, they were all a challenge and I’m glad to be there to do it because it’s still an evolution for your character.”
Will Sharon be okay or will Rey’s death have more of a profound affect than she realizes? “Well, it’s hard to say because this is early in the game of her grieving process. You just don’t know. When someone goes through all the stages of grief and they’re finally done, they land somewhere but you don’t know where they’re going to land. It could be as a stronger person, or they could become weaker, and get hooked on drugs or alcohol. That’s a common thing that happens to people as they try to find their way out of their grief and in search for stable ground. Maybe Sharon will decide to change her life or career, be a big badass and just drive in a new direction. I just don’t know, but it’s exciting.”
