Just one more thing to congratulate you on, huh? “Thank you! I’m counting my blessings this year, for sure. This month is my 15-year anniversary of being on soaps; I started ALL MY CHILDREN [as Annie] 15 years ago. I just feel like I’m pinching myself this year because we already got such a blessing, obviously, getting pregnant and being pregnant after a real struggle to get there. I just want to capture this moment in time and keep it in a bottle. It just all feels too good to be true.” How did you celebrate the news? “Usually, I celebrate with a really nice bottle of wine, but this year, I celebrated with a bottle of sparkling water, since I can’t drink. My husband took me to a really nice dinner, and I was getting so much support from friends and family and co-workers, you feel like it’s your birthday on steroids!” How pregnant are you going to be on Emmy night? “I’ll be, like, 30 weeks pregnant, and actually, my baby shower is the next day, so it’ll be a special weekend no matter what happens. My mom will be in town, my aunt, my cousin, some of my best friends from college. I will miss the camaraderie and the excitement of being in the theater and doing the red carpet, but again, I can’t complain. This is all such a gift! I’ll be at home with my husband and my family in slippers, which is a really great thing for a seven-months-pregnant person! My first Emmys in maternity leggings [laughs].”
Where were you when you got the news of your nomination? “I was spending a few days with [fiancé] Richard in Lake Arrowhead and just got off a lovely pontoon ride on Lake Arrowhead thinking, ‘It doesn’t get much better than this,’ and then it did.” This is your 11th nomination. What does the recognition of your work mean to you? “That after 34 years on daytime, I still appeal to someone, LOL.” 2020 was not a great year for Alexis, which gave you a lot to play. What did you submit? “No scenery-chewers this year, just your average drunk, obstinate, don’t-have-any-more-F’s-to-give Alexis.” How does it feel to be nominated alongside Finola Hughes and Genie Francis? “It assured me that the judges recognized skill and actresses that know how to do what they do. It made my nod more meaningful.” Anything you’ll miss about the in-person ceremony? “I plead the Fifth.” Who would you be sure to thank if you won? “The judges who volunteered to sit through and grade all of our tapes. They deserve awards.” Anyone whose name you were especially happy to see on the nominee list/any omission take you by surprise? “Everyone, and I’d be the biggest idiot in the world if I answered the second part of that question, but nice try!”
Congratulations! “Thank you. I was happily surprised. I’ve only been nominated in Lead Actress once before in my entire career, and that was when I was eight months pregnant with my daughter and I couldn’t travel; I didn’t get to attend the event and I didn’t win. So, I was surprised. I thought I would never be nominated in Lead!” You’ve won before in Supporting; did you debate what category to submit in this time? “I won for a six-week visit, and I think it was appropriate to put me in Supporting. But now that I’m year-round and I have a contract and I had a story that was pretty much front-burner, I felt it was appropriate to put myself in the Lead category. [Laura/Cyrus] was a pretty special story, so I decided to go for it.” How do you feel about the ceremony being virtual? “I’m actually relieved that it’s going to be lower-key. I’ve had a lot of big deals in life and I’m grateful I had them, but now, I like things to be simpler and a little easier. I’m glad I’m not going to be wearing a ball gown! I think it will be just me and my husband [Jonathan Frakes] watching at home.” What would winning this award mean to you? “It would be a dream come true. It really would because, you know, so many years of work and never getting it — it would just be a dream come true, I’m not going to lie. I would just really feel great. I just turned 59 and I’m getting to a point where, you know, I may not have such great stories anymore or I may not work much anymore, and so to get to this point and be able to grasp that prize at the very end is sort of like, ‘Oh, my God, it makes it all worth it! I had to wait a long time but it was worth the wait.’ It would just feel so good to have that feeling of accomplishment, to put that on the shelf and go, ‘Yeah, I did it [laughs]!’ ”
How did you find out you were nominated? “My lovely friend Sly texted me, ‘Congratulations.’ I was like, ‘Why?’ I think she then sent me a rolling eyes emoji. I had to sit down. I still believe I act in a vacuum and no one outside of Port Charles sees it. I’m in a vast bubble of denial and intend to stay there. It is humbling and constantly shocking to get any recognition for the work we all love doing.” Who were the first actors to congratulate you? “First text was from Michael E. [Knight, Martin], then Nancy [Grahn]. Kim Delaney [Jackie] called me early the next day, we had a lovely conversation, then I saw the rest of the noms and had to call her back and say, ‘Nice try! Congratulations to you, too!’ Then Thorsten [Kaye, Ridge, B&B] texted some odd Celtic words of wisdom. I try to block him [laughs]. You know what’s really nice about nominations? Actors tell each other how they really feel about one another and their work. It’s sweet. It’s a very cool, unexpected bonus to the Emmys.” How do you feel about being nominated alongside Genie and Nancy? “Let’s not mince words. I’ve been watching Nancy for years, fell in love with her when I was on ALL MY CHILDREN and Alexis had a love affair with Sonny. Genie is the stuff of legend. When I started on GH her photo was everywhere with Tony [Geary, ex-Luke] and I didn’t meet her until many years later. So suffice to say, I don’t take this honor lightly.”
How did you get the news? “I literally just got in the door — we were out at soccer — when the phone rang. It was Eva [Basler, vice president, Communications at Bell-Phillip Television] saying, ‘Congratulations!’ ” What did you submit? “Steffy’s opioid addiction. Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] wrote an incredible story that helped a lot of people, and I was so honored to play it. People were reaching out to me on social media every day, and it brought me to tears. It really was a story that needed to be told.” What did you learn from when you last took home the gold? “First, get better shoes because when I hit the red carpet two years ago, my heel broke. I’d also just had [son] Rise, and here I am again with a [new] baby. So, picking the right dress will be a challenge because obviously I’m still breastfeeding so #momlife [laughs]. Back then, I had a newborn and went from saying, ‘Goo goo gaga,’ to a baby to speaking to a huge audience of people who were watching, thinking that my boobs were going to explode and I had a broken heel — so right now, I am just so happy to be able to enjoy this moment.”
Photo credit: Gilles Toucas/Courtesy Of Bell-Phillip Television Inc