Courtesy/PaleyCenter

On Wednesday, May 9, the Paley Center for Media hosted An Evening with Days of Our Lives with the series’ cast at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. Members of the series’ cast were present for an onstage conversation hosted and moderated by Alison Sweeney (Sami).

The group discussed the enduring appeal of one of the iconic brands of daytime television, their current storylines, the state of daytime, and working with each other in such a fast-paced medium.

Sweeney did an amazing job of asking interesting and entertaining questions, and giving those in attendance a real glimpse into the interworkings of the machine that is Days of our Lives and the intense work and fun that this collaborative and endearing cast has with each other. Lisa Rinna (Billie), Lauren Koslow (Kate), Chandler Massey (Will), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Kristian Alfonso (Hope), Galen Gering (Rafe), Arianne Zuker (Nicole), and Bryan Dattilo (Lucas) all took part in the evening celebrating the series, which earlier that day received a record 15 Daytime Emmy nominations including one for Outstanding Drama Series. But perhaps, the most celebrated this night was Chandler Massey, who garnered raves and praise from his cast mates and the audience for his well-deserved Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Younger Actor category for  his work in an episode from Will’s coming out storyline.

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

During the panel discussion, DAYS legendary star, Deidre Hall encapsulated beautifully what the art and the heart of the soap genre means to millions of viewers, when she said, “I have been doing a lot of traveling and have been talking to people that have been watching our show. And what I came to realize is; that although Daytime often can get a bad rap, we are there when you are nursing your first child. We are there when your parents move in with you because they can’t take care of themselves. We are there for you when you lose someone you love, and when you get old and nobody comes to the door anymore.  We are still there in your living room. And if you are celebrating the holidays alone, we are still your family. We are there when people cannot afford to go out and television is the only experience a family can have.  We are your extended family.  I see a big place for it in this country, and I do believe we will be around for a long time.”  Needless to say, after Hall’s word, there was thunderous applause inside the Paley Center.

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

On-Air On-Soaps also caught up with Kristian Alfonso, who had just re-upped her contract with DAYS.  Kristian shared with us her thoughts on resigning, if her longtime on-screen partner Peter Reckell (Bo), might leave the series as has been reported, and DAYS scoring well on Daytime Emmy nomination day.  Alfonso stated, “I’m excited to be continuing on as Hope.  They are excited.  So we will see what happens.  I did sign for another year.  I only ever sign for a year.   I would be very sad to see Peter Reckell leave the show.  I know his feelings about it, and he has been discussing it for awhile.  It is not my place to discuss it, but of course I would love to see him stay.  And tonight, I am so excited for DAYS getting 15 Daytime Emmy Nominations, so well-deserved for everyone in involved in the show!”

Now below check out our photo gallery from the arrivals and inside the panel discussion! And look for more interviews and coverage from an Evening with Days of our Lives in the days ahead.

To view the entire gallery, make sure to click on the NEXT GROUP icon located to the right of the + symbol on the photo galley, that way you won’t miss an image!  Or, you can just sit back and watch it as a slideshow!

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