Daytime Emmy Spotlight: Outstanding Guest Performer Nominee Interviews

How did you get the good news? “I was home, sitting on my couch and getting ready for my son to come into town, and Frank [Valentini] called me. I said, ‘What’s up?’ He said, ‘Nobody told you yet? You’re nominated!’ I said, ‘Oh, wow!’ Then a bunch of calls came in from my friends, my managers and agent. Then I looked at the list of who else got nominated and started calling everybody. I was on the phone all day that day! I called Finola [Hughes], I called little Katey [MacMullen], who’s adorable, Steve [Burton], Maurice [Benard], James [Patrick Stuart]. Sometimes at work, you don’t get a chance to talk to each other because you’re in different scenes. So I actually got to talk to all of them, which was fun.” How did you feel when Frank told you? “I was grateful, I was humbled, I was honored. It’s nice! It’s always nice to be nominated.” You were nominated for Supporting Actress in 1983 as Jenny on ALL MY CHILDREN. Now you can say that all of your daytime roles have been Emmy-nominated! “That’s true! I’m lucky. I’m very lucky.” You won a prime-time Emmy in 1999 for NYPD. Where do you keep it, and where would you keep this one if your name were to be called? “It’s in the living room on a big dresser, and I’d probably put this one next to the first one!” Who would you be sure to thank if called to make an acceptance speech? “Frank Valentini. Everybody I work with! Everybody that shows up every day — hair and makeup, the crew. The ones that are there all day wearing masks. We get to take them off while we’re filming, but they have to wear them all day long.”

How did you find out you were nominated? “I had a text from my friend Stephen Nichols [Steve]. He had written me in the morning to congratulate me. Of course, I was thrilled to read it. It was honestly fitting and perfect because he was very encouraging that I submit myself and my work for an award, and I have to tell you, without his enthusiasm, I don’t know that I would have thought of doing it. He was the motivator and is such a good friend.” What did you submit? “Well, scenes from different shows throughout the year with Drake [Hogestyn], John Black, Deidre [Hall], Marlena, and my friend Wally [Kurth], who plays Justin. I dubbed the video ‘Guns and Ropes’. In almost every scene, someone is pulling a gun on me or I am pulling it on someone and I have rope.” Wally submitted those scenes, too. “It’s just great. I just think the world of Wally. I’ve known him and Stephen for decades, going way back, from when we were mullet-wearing youngsters. He’s just a wonderful guy. He called me after I read Stephen’s text. I was sitting there and I hadn’t told anyone in my family and the phone rings and it’s Wally. I picked it up and without saying hello, without saying anything, I said, ‘It’s the scene.’ And he laughed and said, ‘That’s it! You’re right.’ ” Any big plans for Emmy night? “Not yet. I better call Stephen for inspiration. I said to my wife, Deborah, ‘Think we can switch out the rugs in the house to red carpeting?’ And she said, ‘I think that’s a little much.’ I told another friend and he said, ‘Are you kidding me, man? Wall-to-wall!’ ”

What was nomination day like for you? “It was a whirlwind! I had gotten back from a trip to Hawaii with my family the night before and I knew they were making the announcement that morning so I set my alarm for 9, but of course I kept hitting snooze because I was exhausted; it was 6 a.m. Hawaii time. At about 9:20, I looked at my phone and it had blown up.” What was your reaction to the news? “I was not expecting it at all; I was like, ‘There’s no way in hell I’m going to get nominated!’ I’ve dreamed since I was a teenager of being on a soap opera, and to be nominated with daytime legends like Kim Delaney and Cady [McClain, Jennifer, DAYS] just made it all the more surreal to see my name on that list. Honestly, I feel like I’m still in shock. In the television industry, the Emmy is the ultimate honor and I’m so grateful.” Did you exchange congrats with anyone? “I FaceTimed with Katelyn [MacMullen] and we were so excited to share that moment together. Wally [Kurth] reached out to me and so did James Patrick Stuart, and I talked to Frank [Valentini] and [Casting Director] Mark Teschner. It just made me realize how incredible and supportive the whole daytime family is. This whole experience has been a testament to that. In fact, Jen Landon [ex-Gwen, AS THE WORLD TURNS, a three-time Daytime Emmy-winner] is a good friend of mine and she helped me with my reel.” If you won, where would you keep the Emmy? “I would put it in my office on the wall next to my guitars and my bass, because those are my treasured objects.”

Congratulations! This isn’t your first time at the rodeo. “Thank you. It’s funny. People will say, ‘Oh, she has so many. That’s crazy.’ But if you look at when I started and what year it is now, it’s not so many! There was a period in the early-2000s where I had three in a row and that was amazing, but so many elements had to come together — it’s the right timing in your life, it’s good storyline, you’re working with other great actors, the camera work is awesome, the production is great. It’s such a team sport, really, if you will. An emotional sport.” What was your reaction? “I was just really grateful because I treat my work really seriously. I work really hard. I care about it a lot and I want to bring my best, always, to every scene, every moment, every opportunity because sometimes they’re there and sometimes they’re not and you never want to take it for granted. And to be at this point in my career and in my life, I was just like, ‘Oh, that’s so nice.’ It’s so edifying, I guess is the word. A nice recognition from others of that level of effort that I put in, so I am just deeply appreciative. I’m still in the game, baby!” Did you ever think when you were hired to fill in as Jennifer that you could get an Emmy nomination? “All I knew was, ‘Oh, this is a good storyline.’ I don’t work for cash and prizes. Cash is important but you can’t really think about the prizes. You can’t really say, ‘Ah, I’m going to do this for an Emmy.’ I suppose if I was on a contract role and around all the time, I would be like, ‘Oh, this is a place where I can really flex, to see what I can do here.’ But definitely coming in as a pinch hitter, I was not thinking of winning an Emmy, no.”

Congratulations on your nomination! “Thank you. I’m really excited. I’ve never been here before.” How you find out and how did you react? “So I was getting my kid ready for school and I started getting all these text notifications. The first one was from a friend of mine and said, ‘Oh, my God. Congratulations on your Emmy nod.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ I completely forgot about it. I was blown away. All the rest of those messages were the same thing, and then I went on Deadline, like, ‘Is this true?’ It was very exciting.” What did you sumbit? “I submitted everything. Everything Dr. Raynor did was full of stress and heartache. I had scenes with Paul [Telfer, Xander] and Ari [Zucker, Nicole]. Those were the main ones. I got such a lovely text from Paul. Paul plays the most evil person in the world but he’s the most kind person ever.” What are your plans for Emmy night? “So I already have a dress. When I see dresses that I like, I buy them and I go, ‘I am going to wear this somewhere.’ I needed a couple of days to let the Emmy nomination land emotionally, to take it in, and then I went into, ‘What am I wearing? What is the hair going to be?’ So I have this dress from a designer that’s really great and it’s all ready and I’m really excited. I think we’re going to have a party. We’re sort of thawing from the pandemic, but not completely thawed, so I’m just trying to figure out what’s going to be most comfortable for us to have a watch party. I will be sitting here in my fabulous dress, with my hair done and my makeup done and maybe some lashes. We’ll see.”