Young Performer Nominee Interviews
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Photo credit: JPI
Sasha Calle (Lola, Y&R): How did you find out you were nominated? "I was on my phone when Twitter popped up. I saw two word, Daytime Emmys, just before I got the call from the show's publicist. He said, 'Congratulations!' and I said, 'I know!' "
Who did you share the news with first? "I called my mom and she was so excite when I told her. She was dancing around at work, screaming and dancing with everyone in her office."
What scenes did you submit? "My first scene with Eva LaRue when Celeste told Lola that she was dating Adrian. I really loved working with Eva. They couldn't have cast a better mom for me. I also submitted when Lola woke up from her coma. Kyle told her he was married to Summer and Lola told him, 'Go take care of her.' "
What are your feelings on the awards show being virtual? "Well, these are interesting times right now and sheltering in place has been really hard on some people, so I hope this will bring a spark of joy to some of them. For all of us who work on soaps, it's definitely weird because Emmy night is when we come together to celebrate. You would think that this year is a downer because it's happening this way, but we're here for everyone and I think that's special and cool. We're all going to watch from our couches just like everyone else and have a blast."
What will you wear? "I'll be in something nice. One of my friends told me, 'Sasha, I will wear a full gown and sit on my TV.' So I told her, 'That's a great idea. I"m going to have all my loved ones wear their fanciest outfits that night and take pictures to send me."
2 of 5
Photo credit: JPI
Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire, DAYS): This is your third nomination in a row. What does it mean to you? "It does not get any less humbling or exciting. The rush does not wear off in any way, especially this year, because they combined the male and female contenders into one category. So I did not have my hopes up and was not really expecting anything."
Will you prepare a speech? "I think I would be awful trying to wing it. For my own best interests, I think I should write something. If I were to win, I don't want to have any worry to be on my mind, because I would not be good about coming up with something on the spot."
Who will be with you on the big night? "I'm back home, so I'll probably be with my family and my boyfriend. I'm not sure how it's going to work. I'm super-curious. Do we dress up? It would be nice to be able to wear sweats on the bottom with a very fancy elaborate top. The pros of the stay-at-home order."
What do you think about the other actors in your category? "I'm honored to be in the same category with them. And I was so amazed that it was all women. I know how many talented young guys there are in the daytime community. I know the actresses from DAYS. I've also run into Eden [McCoy, Josslyn, GH] a few times, and she is the sweetest human in the world. I get so excited when I see my peers succeed. I know how hard we all work in daytime."
What would winning mean to you? "I haven't thought that far ahead. It would be the greatest honor and greatest form of validation as an actor that you can get. I would be so thankful to DAYS for trusting me with the material they gave me."
3 of 5
Photo credit: ABC
Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, GH): How did you find out? "I saw that I'd gotten some tweets, but I didn't want to look at it, so I called my mom and said, 'Will you look at it and tell me what it says?' So, she's the one who told me and we kind of celebrated together."
Will you be with your family on the big night? "I don't know! I mean, my apartment is a little bit cuter than my parents' house, TBH, so maybe I'll have my family standing in the kitchen or something [laughs]!"
What do you think about it being a virtual ceremony? "I'm just grateful that everyone is coming together and finding a way to make it work, which is what a lot of people are doing in quarantine. It seems like a cool idea! The backdrop is going to be very important — it's not about the dresses this year!"
Are you going to prepare a speech? "It's hard for me to collect my thoughts normally, and if I was emotionally overwhelmed, I would have to have something written down. There would be a lot of, 'Uh, hold on, uh, I know there was another person I wanted to thank....' "
What does getting your first nomination mean to you? "It's funny; I'm a perfectionist, in a way, which can be a little debilitating, and I'm kind of hard on myself when it comes to my work. My dad was like, 'See, now you can stop questioning whether you're good or not!' I was like, 'Well... I don't know about that.' I just feel so grateful. And, you know, hopefully this does help with my confidence. I'll have to see when I get back on set!"
4 of 5
Photo credit: ABC
Eden McCoy (Josslyn, GH): Congratulations! "Thank you! It was really exciting and shocking news to get — and especially during this time, anything exciting that happens is, like, 10 times more exciting than normal. It's kind of cool to be nominated during such a historic time. No one will ever forget these Emmys!"
How did you choose your reel? "I picked some scenes with Laura Wright, a few scenes with Ingo [Rademacher, Jax], a few mourning scenes [after Oscar died]. The last scene was a monologue from Oscar's funeral/celebration of life. Laura helped me with my reel and I owe everything to her. I probably sent her 10,000 emails — 'What about this? Is this order stronger?' — and she was so patient. I credit both of my nominations to her!"
Is it weird to be up against Katelyn? "Oh, no, not at all! I'm super-happy for Katey. She's such a light and such a positive energy to be around and she deserves this. I hope she gets it, honestly!"
Are you bummed that there isn't going to be an in-person ceremony? "Last year, I got to go as a nominee, so I don't feel sad that I'm not getting the whole red carpet experience. I actually really like the fact that I get to do something so cool and so exciting in my own home. I totally want to take advantage of the fact that I get to, like, be in my bedroom."
Will your parents be with you? "I'm sure they'll want to be there. So I'll invite them into my room for once [laughs]."
Where would you keep the Emmy if you won? "I'd put it on my nightstand and have it in sight at all times. "I would want to see it every second of the day."
5 of 5
Photo credit: JPI
Thia Megia (ex-Haley, DAYS): How did you react? "I waited for my heart to quit palpitating before sharing the news. My mom was the first person I told and after that, it was all a blur. I don't think I've ever spent so much time on my phone responding to all the congratulatory texts and calls I received that day. It was surreal. Especially hearing Eve say my name making the announcement on THE TALK — definitely surreal."
Who was the first person to congratulate you? "Lucas Adams [ex-Tripp]! He texted me, 'CONGRATULATIONS GIRL' and I couldn't believe it! I texted him back, 'NOOOOO WAYYY.' When I check the nominations, I told myself, 'Please let this be real life!' "
What does the nomination mean to you? "Words can't express how humbled I am by this recognition! Prior to DAYS, I had no formal training; my first TV audition and first screen test were both for the show. SO having my work recognized by NATAS had me floored. Literally. When Lucas texted me, I dropped to the floor, I was too happy to function."
How did you go about picking your reel? "Decision-making is not my forte. I pulled up every scene I had watched every single one with my boyfriend ad nauseam. After that, I had my friends and family choose their favorite clips and tailed up their votes before making a finalized decision.... Editing an Emmy reel was a lot more difficult that I expected! Shout-out to Irene Ancheta from PR for being so patient with me and my many edits!"
Will you prepare a speech? "I had a nightmare about giving a terrible speech. So to avoid it from coming true, I might. Just in case I miraculously end up winning."
Sasha Calle (Lola, Y&R): How did you find out you were nominated? "I was on my phone when Twitter popped up. I saw two word, Daytime Emmys, just before I got the call from the show's publicist. He said, 'Congratulations!' and I said, 'I know!' "
Who did you share the news with first? "I called my mom and she was so excite when I told her. She was dancing around at work, screaming and dancing with everyone in her office."
What scenes did you submit? "My first scene with Eva LaRue when Celeste told Lola that she was dating Adrian. I really loved working with Eva. They couldn't have cast a better mom for me. I also submitted when Lola woke up from her coma. Kyle told her he was married to Summer and Lola told him, 'Go take care of her.' "
What are your feelings on the awards show being virtual? "Well, these are interesting times right now and sheltering in place has been really hard on some people, so I hope this will bring a spark of joy to some of them. For all of us who work on soaps, it's definitely weird because Emmy night is when we come together to celebrate. You would think that this year is a downer because it's happening this way, but we're here for everyone and I think that's special and cool. We're all going to watch from our couches just like everyone else and have a blast."
What will you wear? "I'll be in something nice. One of my friends told me, 'Sasha, I will wear a full gown and sit on my TV.' So I told her, 'That's a great idea. I"m going to have all my loved ones wear their fanciest outfits that night and take pictures to send me."
Photo credit: JPI
Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire, DAYS): This is your third nomination in a row. What does it mean to you? "It does not get any less humbling or exciting. The rush does not wear off in any way, especially this year, because they combined the male and female contenders into one category. So I did not have my hopes up and was not really expecting anything."
Will you prepare a speech? "I think I would be awful trying to wing it. For my own best interests, I think I should write something. If I were to win, I don't want to have any worry to be on my mind, because I would not be good about coming up with something on the spot."
Who will be with you on the big night? "I'm back home, so I'll probably be with my family and my boyfriend. I'm not sure how it's going to work. I'm super-curious. Do we dress up? It would be nice to be able to wear sweats on the bottom with a very fancy elaborate top. The pros of the stay-at-home order."
What do you think about the other actors in your category? "I'm honored to be in the same category with them. And I was so amazed that it was all women. I know how many talented young guys there are in the daytime community. I know the actresses from DAYS. I've also run into Eden [McCoy, Josslyn, GH] a few times, and she is the sweetest human in the world. I get so excited when I see my peers succeed. I know how hard we all work in daytime."
What would winning mean to you? "I haven't thought that far ahead. It would be the greatest honor and greatest form of validation as an actor that you can get. I would be so thankful to DAYS for trusting me with the material they gave me."
Photo credit: JPI
Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, GH): How did you find out? "I saw that I'd gotten some tweets, but I didn't want to look at it, so I called my mom and said, 'Will you look at it and tell me what it says?' So, she's the one who told me and we kind of celebrated together."
Will you be with your family on the big night? "I don't know! I mean, my apartment is a little bit cuter than my parents' house, TBH, so maybe I'll have my family standing in the kitchen or something [laughs]!"
What do you think about it being a virtual ceremony? "I'm just grateful that everyone is coming together and finding a way to make it work, which is what a lot of people are doing in quarantine. It seems like a cool idea! The backdrop is going to be very important — it's not about the dresses this year!"
Are you going to prepare a speech? "It's hard for me to collect my thoughts normally, and if I was emotionally overwhelmed, I would have to have something written down. There would be a lot of, 'Uh, hold on, uh, I know there was another person I wanted to thank....' "
What does getting your first nomination mean to you? "It's funny; I'm a perfectionist, in a way, which can be a little debilitating, and I'm kind of hard on myself when it comes to my work. My dad was like, 'See, now you can stop questioning whether you're good or not!' I was like, 'Well... I don't know about that.' I just feel so grateful. And, you know, hopefully this does help with my confidence. I'll have to see when I get back on set!"
Photo credit: ABC
Eden McCoy (Josslyn, GH): Congratulations! "Thank you! It was really exciting and shocking news to get — and especially during this time, anything exciting that happens is, like, 10 times more exciting than normal. It's kind of cool to be nominated during such a historic time. No one will ever forget these Emmys!"
How did you choose your reel? "I picked some scenes with Laura Wright, a few scenes with Ingo [Rademacher, Jax], a few mourning scenes [after Oscar died]. The last scene was a monologue from Oscar's funeral/celebration of life. Laura helped me with my reel and I owe everything to her. I probably sent her 10,000 emails — 'What about this? Is this order stronger?' — and she was so patient. I credit both of my nominations to her!"
Is it weird to be up against Katelyn? "Oh, no, not at all! I'm super-happy for Katey. She's such a light and such a positive energy to be around and she deserves this. I hope she gets it, honestly!"
Are you bummed that there isn't going to be an in-person ceremony? "Last year, I got to go as a nominee, so I don't feel sad that I'm not getting the whole red carpet experience. I actually really like the fact that I get to do something so cool and so exciting in my own home. I totally want to take advantage of the fact that I get to, like, be in my bedroom."
Will your parents be with you? "I'm sure they'll want to be there. So I'll invite them into my room for once [laughs]."
Where would you keep the Emmy if you won? "I'd put it on my nightstand and have it in sight at all times. "I would want to see it every second of the day."
Photo credit: ABC
Thia Megia (ex-Haley, DAYS): How did you react? "I waited for my heart to quit palpitating before sharing the news. My mom was the first person I told and after that, it was all a blur. I don't think I've ever spent so much time on my phone responding to all the congratulatory texts and calls I received that day. It was surreal. Especially hearing Eve say my name making the announcement on THE TALK — definitely surreal."
Who was the first person to congratulate you? "Lucas Adams [ex-Tripp]! He texted me, 'CONGRATULATIONS GIRL' and I couldn't believe it! I texted him back, 'NOOOOO WAYYY.' When I check the nominations, I told myself, 'Please let this be real life!' "
What does the nomination mean to you? "Words can't express how humbled I am by this recognition! Prior to DAYS, I had no formal training; my first TV audition and first screen test were both for the show. SO having my work recognized by NATAS had me floored. Literally. When Lucas texted me, I dropped to the floor, I was too happy to function."
How did you go about picking your reel? "Decision-making is not my forte. I pulled up every scene I had watched every single one with my boyfriend ad nauseam. After that, I had my friends and family choose their favorite clips and tailed up their votes before making a finalized decision.... Editing an Emmy reel was a lot more difficult that I expected! Shout-out to Irene Ancheta from PR for being so patient with me and my many edits!"
Will you prepare a speech? "I had a nightmare about giving a terrible speech. So to avoid it from coming true, I might. Just in case I miraculously end up winning."
Photo credit: JPI
