There are a lot of daddy’s girls out there and little Delila Dattilo is one of them. When the 7-year old spotted her father — Bryan R. Dattilo (Lucas, DAYS) — on the cover of Digest, she told her mother, Elizabeth, “We have to buy this so I can show Dad!” Delila is not only her father’s No. 1 fan, she’s following in his famous footsteps. “My daughter was born to be an actress,” says Bryan. “She’s got a great smile, soulful eyes, pretty hair and a wonderful sense of humor. And she can memorize dialogue without missing a beat. When I started out in the business, it took me about three years to learn how to memorize lines. But she picks things up without a problem. She will watch a commercial, or a movie, or one of these videos where little girls play with dolls, and memorize all the parts.” Bryan wouldn’t mind seeing his daughter in Salem. “She’d be great on DAYS!” he enthuses. “She even does an English accent so she could play the daughter or niece of Gwen and Xander. And because my wife’s mom is full Ethiopian, Delila could play into the show’s diversity.” Bryan reports that his daughter now has an agent, and she’s already booked three national commercials, including one for Amazon, and also sings and entered her school talent show two years in a row. “Delila loves auditioning, and she’s okay if she doesn’t get a part,” he says. “We try to teach her that it’s just as much about the experience as it is about whether or not you get the job.”
Wally Kurth (Ned, GH) was thrilled to be given the opportunity to write and perform the lullaby that Ned sang to his unborn (and, unbeknownst to him, fake) grandchild — especially because it set the stage for a very special collaboration. “It started with Frank [Valentini, executive producer] calling me,” he reports. “He never calls me at home so I was like, ‘Oh, no! What did I do wrong [laughs]?’ He said, ‘There’s a scene coming up where you’re going to be singing to Brook Lynn’s [Amanda Setton] baby. Would you be interested in writing something for it?’ I was surprised because he’s never asked me to write anything before. I actually thought it would be a good challenge, and I needed a fire under me to get writing again, so I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it!’ I just started playing around the house, and telling [wife] Debra about it, and one day I looked at her and realized, ‘What a minute! She’s the one who loves lyrics!’ I said, ‘You’re going to help me with this, you’re going to write this with me, okay? It’s going to be fun!’ And she just lit up and said, ‘Okay!’ She actually came up with the very first line, ‘Hey, what’s your name?’ and I finished the verse and then over the next few days, I would write and she would say, ‘Yes, no, maybe,’ and it was an ongoing conversation and it just kind of came together. Sometimes collaborating with a partner can be tricky, but she’s got really great ideas and it was just really fun. It won’t be our last song, that’s for sure!”
Melissa Ordway (Abby, Y&R) is beyond thrilled that former soap husband Sean Carrigan is reprising the character of Dr. Ben “Stitch” Rayburn. “Oh, my God, it’s been so great to have him back,” enthuses the actress. “He came in and I was so excited to see him on set. Everything felt normal again. Seriously, it was like no time had ever passed for us. In the first couple of days, we were still laughing about the same stuff we used to laugh about when he left. The same inside jokes and we had so much fun catching up on everything.” Ordway reports that her co-star is the same but different. “Sean was always so awesome when he was here before, but I feel like he’s the better and more improved version, if that’s even possible,” she marvels. “Maybe it’s because I missed him so much. We’ve kept in touch through the years and he’s still one of the kindest people I know. He has such a big heart, he’s so earnest and hardworking, and he brings such a great energy to the show. I was telling someone just yesterday that there’s no one like his character on our show right now. I think he’s such a good fit, and I would love for him to stick around.”