Interviews
The Stacy Haiduk Interview – The Young and the Restless
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Who has been consistently captivating soap opera audiences with her mesmerizing performances of Patty Williams and Emily Peterson, and let’s not forget, when Patty was pretending to be a woman named Mary Jane Benson? Who kept us on the edge of our seats through most of 2009, and into 2010, not knowing whether we were going to scream in horror, or cry for her sad existence? Who got snubbed for an Outstanding Supporting Actress nomination for the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards? And finally, who is really the cat’s meow? Well, the answer is quite simply, actress Stacy Haiduk from The Young and the Restless.
Now, with Patty locked up and regressed to a little girl, and Emily falling apart at the seams trying to get her own life back, and Adam’s “murder” still not close to being solved, Stacy Haiduk is still turning out riveting performances. On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Stacy to talk about: Kitties, Emmy reels, competition, the heartbreak of playing Patty, working with her co-stars, Doug Davidson (Paul) and Peter Bergman (Jack), and how her actor husband, Bradford Tatum, was a calming and steady force during some of Stacy’s most traumatic on-set days.
And in the end, find out who does Stacy think is truly the better psychologist, Emily or the deranged Patty? Her answer may surprise you. It’s always great to speak with the emotionally raw and edgy Ms. Haiduk, and I hope you will enjoy her even more after reading her revealing comments below.
MICHAEL:
Ok, Stacy let’s get right to this. Your Emmy snub is probably one of the most talked about in the history of the Daytime Emmy nominations. Everyone was certain that you were a lock for your performance as Emily/Patty/Mary Jane this past year, and unfortunately it did not happen. How are you feeling at this moment? It has to be extremely, extremely disappointing for you.
STACY:
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It was shocking, and I was really disappointed. I was excited about it because I really wanted to be a part of this group this year. And you have to also know it is what it is. I always have to say that I still won in my own mind because of the people I got to work with, and it’s continuing, and that is a success right now. I know that is not the disappointing part of how I am feeling, but I try not to go into that part of it. It’s hard. You sit there and go, “Was my tape not good enough? Or, what happened?”
MICHAEL:
What reel did you decide to submit for Emmy contention?
STACY:
I submitted the remote with Eric Braeden as Victor, and Peter Bergman as Jack, and I had the gun Patty was getting upset with Jack for not seeing her as his wife and loving her, and feeling how could he do that? I thought it had enough emotional levels to show where I could go as an actress. It sucks that you can’t have two shows to show your work. One show is not easy to do to choose from. You have the build up in one, and the finale in the other, which is why I like the idea of two tapes. However, I thought this is enough to get me in. I am working with two leading actors, and I thought it would be a good enough tape to show people. You just kind of go, “OK. Or, maybe the wig scared them!” You know, the blonde wig! (Laughs)
MICHAEL:
This whole Emmy judging process is as much of a game as about the performance itself. Do you think it hurt you that perhaps the blue ribbon panel could not follow the story, as it is taken out of context? They do not know what happened before or after those scenes.
STACY:
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Right. No, they don’t see the arc, and don’t see what is going on. A lot of times you have your friends who have been working to be nominees for so long, and they finally get in, and it’s like, you know what? They deserve it. Maybe next year, it will work for me.
MICHAEL:
I think you have received more emails, letters, and have certainly become talked about more than anyone ever online, about someone not getting a nod. Somehow, the Emmy snub got you more publicity than someone who was nominated for Lead Actress!
STACY:
The publicity has been more than if I got a nomination. It’s crazy, isn’t it? You know what I love? It’s when I went on facebook and just read so many people’s thoughts, and how they love the character, and you can’t beat that. I have to go back to why I do this and the process of it all. Yes, it would have been fun to get all dressed up, and hope you can win one of the most beautiful awards. It’s one of my favorites, actually. But, I have had a really good time and it continues again. The fans see that, and that is really what this is about.
MICHAEL:
If you were to have been nominated, would Mr. Kitty have accompanied you to Vegas? Last year, you wore him as a shoulder bag to the red carpet.
STACY:
Yes. I would have come with Mr. Kitty, and we could put him on wheels. It would have been awesome.
MICHAEL:
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But, let’s talk about these recent amazing scenes that aired. Did you like how they resolved the end of the Patty/Emily final switcheroo?
STACY:
I finally ended up watching it. Usually, I don’t because I am very critical of myself. I finally watched it because somebody said to me, “Have you seen your scenes?” And I said, “No, I haven’t,” and so I did. And I was sad! I was sad the last time Patty went to an insane asylum. I like Patty, even though she is crazy and whacked-out. The wig was scary. (Laughs)
MICHAEL:
Patty regressed back into her little childhood self.
STACY:
Didn’t it just break your heart? Me, too. It did also when Mr. Kitty died. You have to understand, when they told me Mr. Kitty, in my script, gets chewed up by Zapato, I went like, “You’ve got to be joking with me?” I mean, I literally went through withdrawals because I had been working with that cat for so long. I know that sounds silly. But, I get heart to heart with my co-stars, and here it was again. I love working with Doug Davidson. He is such a joy, and Peter, also. And, when I got to look at him in the end, my hair looked like crap, and it was all going to one side, but there was this look. When you are in it, you don’t see what other people are seeing. So, when I was able to see it from the audience’s perspective, I went “Oh, my God! That poor thing, and what she went through.” All she wanted was that man to love her, and how desperate and sad she is at the same time. I got weepy.
MICHAEL:
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I said to Doug Davidson recently, that if you were to take your story with him, as a brother and sister, as an isolated story, you could see that as a motion picture. It is such a beautiful story.
STACY:
I think that is why they continued it. It taps into so many people’s relationships with family. I look at his eyes when we work, and there is that love… that brotherly and sisterly love…and we root for each other. So if one makes a mistake in the line, the other one of us tries to figure out what the person is going to say. It’s wonderful!
MICHAEL:
And now on-air, Emily is having all sorts of psychological problems! Is this now just an adjustment issue for her? I mean, she is so pissed off that Jack can’t tell the difference between her and Patty in bed, which I think is great!
STACY:
I know, it’s so crazy. Thank God. I am so glad they brought that up. I mean, how can you not? Even Patty says it in my Emmy tape; she says to Jack, “How could you not know I was your ex-wife? Are you that blind?” And then here, Emily says pretty much the same thing to him, “How could you not know that was not me? How could you do that?” Emily now has to take some time and figure this out. She gets screwed from every which way, from all the stuff that Patty did. She is trying to hold it together, and she is not one to just emote, while Patty is the most emotional and runs with it. Emily is stoic and trying to hold it together.
MICHAEL:
Do you think Emily is even a good psychiatrist? Or, is Patty a better one? (Laughs)
STACY:
I think Patty was. “Go to your Happy Place!” (Laughs) The woman playing opposite me, who was one of Emily’s patients says to Patty, “What do you mean? Go to my Happy Place? As Stacy, “I went, yeah; go to your Happy Place. What else do you want to do?” That is what a therapist would say, except, maybe, “I understand.” (Laughs)
MICHAEL:
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Will we see Patty again, perhaps more and more? Is the doppelganger story really over?
STACY:
Maybe. All I can say is that I love Patty, and doppelganger may not be over. We shall see.
MICHAEL:
You must have gone home to your family completely exhausted some days, after the emotional toll it takes on an actress to play very complex dual roles that border on insanity or the edge of insanity.
STACY:
When I was going through all the stuff with Patty and Emily at the end, and the whole knife thing, that was the first time Peter and I were going to get off work early. I am referring to the scene where Patty stabs the portrait of Emily. She goes to town. We were jamming through the scenes, and the last part where I open the dang cutter I cut my hand! So, I had to go get stitches. So, Peter and I are at the doctor’s office. Even the stage manager said, “And, you didn’t stop the scene? You kept going with it?” And I go, “I can’t stop.” But now the stitches are out and healing and I am fine. But, that was the first time I had to call my husband and say, “I just want you to know, I won’t be home by ten today. I am going to the hospital to get stitches.” And, he is like, “What?” I said, “Well, they had this box cutter, and you know me with props.” I have this thing where I go with it. And even before they gave me the prop on set, they said to me, “Are you going to be OK with this?” You see, I have a tendency to go overboard, like when I was stabbing the little picture with the baby scissors in the hospital scene. That time, I ended up stabbing the baby scissors into my hands. The prop guys were like, “Um, Stace. You’ve got to know…” I am going to be so conscious of it, but it’s hard when your adrenaline is going. I get done with the scenes, and then I go, “Oh, God.”
MICHAEL:
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What did your husband, actor Bradford Tatum, think of all this? Was he a big support to you during the emotionally draining material?
STACY:
He has been a big support. I come home, and yeah, we don’t have long, long evenings because of the emotional dynamics of these two characters, Emily and Patty, and because when I come home I have to work on my script for the next day. I mean, I would literally call home and say, “Honey, I need cuddly. I need you to be tender with me because I am so fragile.” But I love going to these places, and sometimes it’s really difficult, but it’s a good challenge, and I am sure you do this, too, Michael. You like to see how far you can push yourself.
MICHAEL:
Yes, I do push myself. But you are super competitive, right?
STACY:
Your body and your mind want to work well, and so yeah, I am competitive. And my husband laughs at me about it. But, I think that’s what keeps me going, and doing what I do.
MICHAEL:
Will you be on-air as Emily for a while? Many fans are concerned of where the Y&R writing team will go next with all of this. Could that spell the end for Stacy Haiduk on Y&R?
STACY:
Courtesy/Luis Martinez
No, you are not losing me as Emily. I think it touches people. It’s this beautiful balance of creating something from the writer’s point of view, the actor’s point of view, and it’s all-creative, and that is what is so amazing. I think people feel that from the outside, too. It’s not just watching something and going, “Yeah, that was a great performance”. These are daily performances and I think people love to watch Emily or Patty and what she will do next. It’s very complex.
MICHAEL:
OK, so if I was producing a Stacy Haiduk tribute reel of the best moments of your performance last year on Y&R, and I had three and half minutes to feature you, tell me what would be on that? What would you choose?
STACY:
You have to start out with Mr. Kitty, and having that performance with a dead stuffed cat was pretty fabulous. I really like that kind of material. I would go in to this January with shows where Patty goes back to the switcheroo, when she puts Emily into the nut house and then looks in the mirror and dyes her hair. And still one of my other favorite scenes is the remote with Kitty Kitty. It was with Paul and Patty. She is turning herself in and she has to give up Kitty Kitty. I know they are silly scenes, but they get to me sometimes.
MICHAEL:
What about the great Patty and Adam scenes? There were so many great ones towards the end before his “murder”. And, we still never know if Patty has something more to reveal about what went on the night Adam was “killed”.
STACY:
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Everything’s a possibility, and you just never know. I like working with Michael Muhney (Adam). We have a good time. Michael and I click with each other, because we were both new to the show. I was thrilled to have scenes with him in the potting shed, and those were fun. I even liked when I go to Adam in the hospital and Patty is pretending to be Emily and she pinches him in the hospital and says, “You know, I just want to see if you are faking it or not.” I love those scenes. I love the way Michael plays right off of me. I have a soft spot for Michael because of that.
MICHAEL:
As we end this little chat, tell me what can I relate back to the many, many fans and admirers of your work, day in and day out. Are you really doing OK? We all want to give you a giant hug! So, since I am here with you now, here is a hug representing everyone’s embrace of your outstanding performance this past year.
STACY:
I am doing great. I got through my disappointment. I am here to support The Young and the Restless. I am thrilled that the actors I work with on a daily basis both got nominated. (Laughs). No, really I am. So, maybe we will see what happens next year with that, but right now when I work, I am happy.
Interviews
Y&R’s Michelle Stafford Talks on Her Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Nomination, Allison Lanier, and ‘Pacific Palisades’ with Finola Hughes
It has been 20-years since daytime dynamo, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) of The Young and the Restless, has captured the Daytime Emmy for her continued outstanding performances. She previously won Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1997 and Outstanding Lead Actress in 2004, and along the way has amassed 12 nominations for her work.
Now, Stafford finds herself in a crowded field of women going for gold at the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmys to be handed out on Friday, June 7th on CBS. Nominated along with Michelle in this year’s Lead Actress race are: Finola Hughes (Anna, GH), Annika Noelle (Hope, B&B), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke, B&B), Cynthia Watros (Nina, GH) and Tamara Braun (Ava, DAYS).
Michael Fairman TV chatted with Michelle about her nominated scenes, her on-screen daughter, Allison Lanier being recognized for the first time in her career for her work as Summer, and her enduring friendship with Finola Hughes; which dates all the way back to when they were co-stars on the 1997 primetime soap opera, Pacific Palisades.
Photo: JPI
Michelle participated in the Michael Fairman Channel’s 10th annual Daytime Emmy Nomination Special last Friday, where she chatted with us and the fans live to celebrate her nomination along with several other actors. Here’s what Michelle shared on these key topics below.
Photo: JPI
What scenes did you submit, and what about those scenes did you think showcased you as an actress for the Lead Actress competition?
MICHELLE: I went from the beginning of Phyllis’ spin out, to her pleading to be exonerated. The thing that I liked is it showed what I do love about the character of Phyllis, and that is that she is dark. She can be very dark and really fierce, but then very broken. I liked that it showed all of that. I had some scenes with Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren) and Christian LeBlanc (Michael) that I started with that weren’t really meant to be as intense as they were, but they ended up being very intense. Basically, Phyllis is talking to her friends and no one believes her about this woman, Diane (Susan Walters). No one believes her and she has no friends and no one wants to know her. She’s become the villain, and it showed her just complete frustration. Then, there is this scene. It was so funny because Phyllis is like in Diane’s face going, “You’re afraid of me.” And then, I got up in her face and Phyllis goes, “and you should be afraid of me.” I’m watching it going, “Bitch, I’m afraid of you!” And then, at the end of my reel, she is just so broken talking to the judge.
Photo: JPI
Your on-screen daughter, Allison Lanier, scored her first Daytime Emmy nomination and in the highly-competitive Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama series category. What are your thoughts on Allison?
MICHELLE: Allison worked so hard last year. She works hard all the time. She’s so great. I’m so happy for her because she’s just a very focused, hardworking actress. I think, she really has a great look and she’s just fantastic. I feel just so rich in that Hunter King played my daughter for so many years, and now I have Allison. You know, Allison came into the story when my character was really jacked up and very adversarial and fighting with Summer all the time. I think it was a little daunting for Allison, but she got it. This is daytime, and you have to get on the express train. It’s moving. You either jump on or you don’t get on. Not every actor can do it. It’s a special technique and I think that’s what we all love about it, because that’s the challenge to actually put out something somewhat decent. I never want to say good, because I don’t know if it’s good but somewhat decent, in the limited time we have. I saw what Allison submitted which was fantastic. It’s really impressive. I always say anyone who could be good in daytime is phenomenal out there.
Photo Fox
You and Finola Hughes are nominated together, and are good friends dating all the way back to when you were both on Pacific Palisades together. You had played the character of Joanna, and Finola was the character of Kate. What do you recall about your time on the show?
MICHELLE: The characters we played were best friends on Pacific Palisaides, and I created a great friendship with Finola. Looking back at my time on that show, I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I should have. Of course, I was younger and I thought, “This is my first show. I’ll get many more.” You don’t appreciate things like you do when you’re older. Not that I didn’t appreciate it. I mean, I knew I was really fortunate. I knew I was lucky. I grew up in this business. I knew how lucky I was, but it was just a very different kind of character for me to play. I think it was a little challenging because I had gone from playing Phyllis, to playing like this wholesome Midwestern girl off the farm. So, that was a bit challenging for me, but I had a good time.
So, what do you think of the scenes submitted by Michelle for this year’s Emmy competition? Will you be rooting for her to win her first Emmy in over 20 years? What do you remember about Finola and Michelle in ‘Pacific Palisades’? And, what do you think about the on-screen dynamic between on-screen mother and daughter as played by Michelle and Allison Lanier? Weigh-in via the comment section. And in case you missed it, you can catch the ’10th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special’ below featuring live conversations with 10 of this year’s acting nominees.
General Hospital
GH’s Finola Hughes Chats on Her Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Nomination, New Directions for Characters in Port Charles, and Anna’s Love Life
In four out of the last five years, General Hospital favorite, Finola Hughes (Anna Devane), has almost become a perennial nominee having once again scored a Daytime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress for the upcoming 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Hard to believe, but Hughes won her one and only Daytime Emmy back in 1991, and has amassed a total of 11 Emmy nominations during her enduring daytime drama career. As those who have watched GH know, throughout any calendar year, you can find numerous stellar performances by Finola that could be tops on any Emmy reel.
Michael Fairman TV chatted with Finola during the 10th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special to get her reaction to landing in the field of six fantastic women vying for gold, what scenes went on her now Emmy-nominated reel, what she thinks of how GH is shaking things up under new head writers, Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte, and the future of Anna’s love life. Here’s what she shared below.
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What scenes did you wind up submitting that landed you in the running for the Daytime Emmy in this year’s Lead Actress category?
FINOLA: The whole Charlotte (Scarlett Fernandez) shooting and the accident and that whole thing. Then, talking about that with Sonny (Maurice Benard), and then a bit of the breakup with Valentin (James Patrick Stuart), and then finding out that Valentin had lied.
Who helped you put the reel together?
FINOLA: One of our producers at GH, Michelle Henry. We have these amazing producers. They’re sort of the unsung heroes. They’re in the booth all day when we’re shooting. They do this wonderful thing where they earmark something, if they think that it’s been a good performance. So, they just have this sort of little list (that helps come Emmy time). So, that’s how that worked with Michelle.
Photo: ABC
Now you’ve had a string of recent Daytime Emmy nominations. Do you think GH is writing more for your strengths in the last several years?
FINOLA: Yes, and I think it’s become stronger recently. I think writers really take the lead sometimes from an actress or an actor who’s going through something or moving through something in their life. Maybe, that’s they were just seeing, you know, different layers and colors and so they started to write to that. I’m not sure. It certainly felt like I’ve had some things (material) that resonated with me.
What I have loved about Anna is that she is very complex. She often wrestles with herself over her past as a double agent, or certain guilt that she carries around. It’s interesting when the lines are blurred for her and things get messy.
FINOLA: I do well with complex and I like messy.
So, what do you think about the nominees in the Lead Actress category with you?
FINOLA: They are great. I don’t know Annika Noelle (Hope, B&B) very well, but I hear she did wonderful work and she sent me a lovely message. Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke, B&B) I obviously reached out to, Tamara Braun (Ava, DAYS) reached out to me, and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, Y&R) and I just got on the phone last night and congratulated each other on our nominations, and of course, Cynthia (Watros) is here with me at GH.
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You do like do like the fashion of it all for Emmy night, correct?
FINOLA: God, I I live for it. I’m as shallow as that. I might play some complex on television, but I’m that shallow in real life.
So, do you go by the trends of what to pick out to wear for a red carpet, or you just kind of go off what you think looks good on you?
FINOLA: I do like the trends. I really like the fact that the sleeve is having a big moment right now since the film Poor Things. It sent it into the stratosphere.
It’s been 33 years since you won your last Emmy. Do you think you’re a better actress now than when you were even 10 years ago?
FINOLA: I have no idea. It feels like a game of golf always for me, because get on set, like today, I was doing some work this morning and I just doubt myself. I’m like, “Did I really bring it?” I do think I’m harder on myself now than I was when I was younger, because I really didn’t know what I was doing at all. It’s a very hard question to answer. I feel like it’s different, but I’m constantly in battle with myself as to whether something works or not.
Photo: ABC
What are your thoughts then on being Emmy-nominated, at times, for more than three decades?
FINOLA: At this point in my life, I just find the whole thing encouraging and extraordinarily sort of affirming, and sweet and lovely. It’s extraordinary to even be acknowledged. That’s the truth.
Currently, on-air, Anna is taking a harder line with Sonny. There’s been a shift.
FINOLA: Yes. That’s been really interesting. I was talking about this with Steve Burton (Jason), and we actually were working together today. We found like this level between the two of us when it comes to Sonny. It was just really like another whole level as to what I’m doing. I think what’s happened is people’s roles in Port Charles are becoming delineated, you know, where there’s less gray. It’s like we’re sort of moving into areas, right? All of us. That’s kind of great because then you’ve got the hospital, you’ve got the police station, you’ve got the mob, you’ve got the Quartermaines you’ve got Curtis’ nightclub, and so there’s these different areas. Then, your character becomes very specific. I had those scenes with Genie Francis (Laura) that aired the other day, and it makes sense that we are sort of waking up because unfortunately Sonny’s going through something which we don’t know about, but he’s not behaving well. So, therefore we are like, “If he would do that, then we need to wake up to that Sonny has always been like that.” But, it’s not true. Sonny hasn’t always been like that. We still deal in the gray, because we are searching for the gray in ourselves, which is interesting. And then we have to make a decision, such as, “Where do you stand? Who are you actually?” I think posing those questions to the actual characters is kind of interesting.
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Now, who’s going to be the man in Anna’s life?
FINOLA: Well, I want to do some more stuff with James. Obviously, James and I text all the time about how we’re not working together. We all know what Valentin’s up to. However, Anna doesn’t quite know.
I was originally thinking they might put John “Jagger” Cates (Adam Harrington) in a romance with Anna?
FINOLA: Oh, I know. I love Adam. He’s so wonderful, and so is Charles Mesure (Brennan). Obviously, Laura Wright (Carly) has been working with the two of them as well. They’re both looking like they are in love with Carly, so what can I do? I’ll just take the leftovers. However, I’m hoping that I get to play Valentin. The thing that’s interesting is that he’s a Cassadine. His father has now passed on, so he’s now at the front of the wagon of the Cassadines. It’s in his blood. So, I don’t know what they’ll do.
Photo: ABC
What was our family’s reaction when you told you are an Emmy nominee?
FINOLA: We had just taped three days of a very big event on the show. I was really tired yesterday and I was sort of laying down pretending to take a nap, as I never can nap in the middle of a day. Then, Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital) called me to say that, Cynthia Watros and myself, had been nominated for Lead Actress. So, I actually got up and I walked outside and my three kids were sort of wandering around doing kid teenage stuff. I sort of told each of them individually. I was like, “I got nominated.” They actually said, “Congratulations!” So, I think it actually resonated through the haze of online extravaganzas that teens are looking at it.
Make sure to check out the 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special from this past Friday night below, where several of this year’s Daytime Emmy nominees stopped by the Michael Fairman Channel to share their reactions and more on going for gold come June 7th.
Now let us know, are you happy Finola was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series? Who do you hope Anna winds up with romantically down the line on GH under new head writers, Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
Who says you can’t go home again? In the case of Another World favorite, Stephen Schnetzer (ex-Cass Winthrop), he has proven that it is true, and you can go back to your soap roots and where it all started for you.
Last week on April 11th, Schnetzer, along with several other key returns were on set at Days of our Lives taping all-new episodes of the Peacock streaming soap opera, centering on the funeral of Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes), and as part of the iconic soap opera’s 15,000th episode.
Stephen is reprising his first daytime role as Steve Olson, the brother of Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes). The last time Schnetzer appeared on a DAYS set was during his one and only run on the show from 1978 to 1980. Clearly, viewers will be in for some very emotional scenes when Steve returns to Salem to be there for his sister, Julie in her time of need. In real-life, Susan has been going through her own grief, having just lost Bill back on January 12th at the age of 98.
Photo: NBC
Michael Fairman TV caught up with Stephen during the 15K episode celebration ceremony, and during a break from taping the gut-wrenching funeral scenes, to get his thoughts on being part of these highly-anticipated moments that will air later this year in December. Here’s what he shared with us below.
What has this been like for you to work with Susan Seaforth Hayes after all of these years?
STEPHEN: She’s a dream and she’s so bright. We ran lines yesterday and we ended up just visiting for about 45 minutes and just catching up and telling tales about each other’s career. She even dropped off the autobiography that she and Bill did. And being back here at DAYS, every time I turn a corner, there’s another familiar face. When I was on the show 40 more years ago, a bunch of the guys, played softball on a team together. This is really a trip down memory lane as I knew it would be.
Photo: JPI
Taping Doug’s funeral must be a hard day for Susan. Are you checking in with her to help hold her up through this?
STEPHEN: I am and I’m checking in with Amy Shaughnessy (Susan’s assistant), and she’s holding her up more than anybody. We’re there for each other.
There will obviously be some major hankie-inducing moments when Steve comes back to Salem to console his sister.
STEPHEN: Oh, wait till you see it in December. It’s going to be great.
Were you surprised you got this call to come back to the show decades later?
STEPHEN: It was out of the blue! I was completely surprised. They should have called me decades ago! That’s what surprised me. When Another World went down, I thought I’d land somewhere else and it never happened. That was more of a surprise.
Photo: JPI
Cass is such an identifiable character for you. As well, you and Linda Dano (ex-Felicia Gallant) are so synonymous together as best friends Cass and Felicia from Another World. When fans heard you were reprising your role as Steve Olson on DAYS, they are now hoping there will be more of you on the show to come.
STEPHEN: Steven Olson is a real “Cassian “character. I cut my teeth on Steve Olson and that’s how Cass was introduced. He was kind of a roguish charmer. And then when the character stuck for Another World, they rehabilitated me, and turned me into one of the shows heroes. And that’s what would’ve happened if I stayed as Steve Olson probably. So, Steve is the ‘pre-Cass’, Cass.
Photo: JPI
As the story goes, you originally decided to leave Days of our Lives?
STEPHEN: I was never on contract. I was doing a day and a half a week and I got a Broadway play directed by Franco Zeffirelli starring Joan Plowright and Frank Finlay. I was able to it as I didn’t have to break a contract or anything. I cut loose and went back to New York for that.
How well did you get to know Bill Hayes during your first time around on DAYS?
STEPHEN: My first episode was with Bill and Susan, as her long lost brother coming into Salem. They were so good to me. They were so kind. I had been doing eight years of classical repertory theater, never been in front of a camera. I tell everybody, it took me longer than any other actor I’ve ever seen to get comfortable in front of a camera. And they were very supportive at that time in my career. Coming back to honor Bill now in 2024, and to be see Susan, I am just so happy to be here.
Looking forward to seeing the scenes between Stephen and Susan Seaforth Hayes come December and Doug’s funeral and surrounding episodes? Do you hope that DAYS might bring the character of Steve Olson back for a longer stay? Comment below.
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Thanks for another great interview MF! I got to see a side of SH that we never get a glimpse of. She really seems like a nice, down to earth, funny and all around cool person. I’m STEAMING about her Emmy snub too! Ridiculous!.
Brava for so, so many brilliant performances this past year, Stacy. You have become the one to watch on The Young and the Restless and I’m horrified that you didn’t get the Emmy nom. Shame to the academy for this outrageous snub!!!! You are a brilliant, beautiful actress!
Well, the Emmy pople blew it again. Stacy has been mesmerizing. To pull of dual roles is so demanding and exhausting, it’s a wonder the actress doesn’t go bonkers. I hope she gets the satisfaction next year at least. I don’t know how she can even top this role. An actor dies for such a role! Kudos to Stacy for convincing us she was mentally ill and then believing she was this pschiatrist who treated ill patients. I have been enthralled when she is on the screen and couldn’t take my eyes off her. So, congratulations, Stacy, for your great performances
Love, LOVE, LOVE her.
She certainly did deserve the Emmy nomination and the Emmy. Patty/Emily/Mary Jo has been one of the few reasons to stick with Y&R with all the silliness going on there.
I hope Emily and Patty are around for a while and we get to see more from Stacy.
Thanks for the great interview! It’s really interesting to hear the actor’s thoughts on the characters and the scenes and some of the behind the scenes chemistry.
Love her! Glad to hear she will be sticking around Y&R. She definitely should have been nominated. I think a lot of these award shows are more about politics than who actually deserves the award.
love her !!!!!!!!!!!!!! glad she coming back