Arianne Zucker (Nicole) had an unexpected reaction when her DAYS co-star, Greg Vaughan (ex-Eric), told her he was leaving the show. “I started laughing,” she recalls. “I was like, first you leave, then I leave, then you leave ... these poor characters, never together. And I just thought it was hilarious, storyline-wise. I know when I took my break [in 2017], he was like, ‘Really?’ I would have loved to have seen more of the joy of Eric and Nicole, even though it’s a soap opera and that doesn’t last forever. But we finally give the fans what they want and ugh, here we are again. But I love Greg. We work really well together. I know how he operates. He’s like my work husband, so on a personal level, I’m going to miss working with him there. He gives me so much emotionally. It’s definitely bittersweet, but we still text. It’s not the same, but we’re in touch.” Vaughan exited the same week as Alison Sweeney (ex-Sami), who Zucker enjoyed reconnecting with. “It’s always a joy,” she says. “It’s fantastic and I think the fans just love ‘Sole’. It’s so easy working with Sweeney and it’s just like a well-oiled machine. I love it. I know that any time we have scenes, the fans are going to love it and it makes me happy. It’s a lot of fun.”
Dominic Zamprogna had a great day when he returned to the GH studio as Dante, especially when he learned that Executive Producer Frank Valentini would be directing his first scenes. “I was really relieved and happy about that because Frank’s a great director and we’re always on the same page as far as where we see a scene going. And when we’re not, we still are ’cause he’s the boss!” teases Zamprogna. “But he knows the show inside and out, and what’s going to work and what’s not, which gives you confidence as an actor. And being my first scenes back it just felt fitting to have him at the helm.” In general, he says, “Being back was extremely emotional. I was tearing up a bit at seeing my old friends. These are people you’re in the trenches with day in and day out, gone golfing with, had after-work drinks and dinner with, supported. Frank announced to the crew that I was back and thankfully they gave me a nice warm welcome!”
Y&R’s Beth Maitland (Traci) is happy when she sees that she’ll be sharing scenes with Christel Khalil (Lily). “I absolutely love working with Christel in every way,” raves Maitland. “We both have a similar sort of independent style of work- ing, where we come prepared but are open to see where a scene might go emotionally. Christel is a very open actor; very professional and prepared, but also many layers to her work and she’s so accessible. We have gotten much closer personally in the last year or so, and I think it has to do with changes in both of our lives. We’re both mothers. We’ve both recently made big moves. Women are like that. We find ways to relate and plug in to what we have in common. I see a joy in Christel that is really shining through. I’m proud of her as a person seeking her best life. She’s brave and vulnerable. I just love her. I’ve watched her grow into an amazing woman in the years we have worked together on and off.” Now that Traci has accepted Lily and Billy’s job offer, Maitland is looking forward to more screen time with her co- star. “I’m so excited about the possibility of them working together at ChancComm,” Maitland enthuses. “Like Traci says, ‘A big plus is getting to work with people I love every day.’ And add Jason Thompson [Billy] to that list and I’m in heaven.”
While it is never easy for actors working with animals, B&B’s Kiara Barnes (Zoe) has fond memories of her character’s feline friend. “Harry was great,” she enthuses. “Harry was so cute! The only thing that was hard to do with Harry was that Harry is a cat, so they’re just trying to live their life and I’m trying to deliver a monologue to a cat [laughs]. Harry wants to go play or wants something to eat like tuna, so he we had to do tricks where they would squeeze out some tuna on my hand and I would have to ... Oh, my gosh! Just thinking about it, because the smell was so pungent but I’d have to put my hand underneath this cat and deliver my monologue while he was licking up this tuna in my hand — and yet be there in the moment and give a performance, so it was interesting! I loved the cat but that was the part that was hard. But still, it was really fun, really sweet. Harry was a super-fluffy cat and so very cute.”