Courtesy/CBS

When Katherine Kelly Lang’s name was announced as one of the five finalists in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category for this year’s 40th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, the soap industry itself, and fans worldwide, went crazy with joy and excitement!  Finally, after submitting herself for many years into the competition, Katherine is being recognized for the first time for her work as Brooke Logan Forrester, and after 26 years with The Bold and the Beautiful!

Katherine’s touching performance, as she helps her friend and former foe Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery) die with as much dignity as she can, was a tear-jerker moment complete with brilliant writing performed beautifully by Lang.  As she wrapped up the contentious history of the two women, apologized to Stephanie for all the pain she caused her during her life, and then sang her to sleep as Stephanie took her final breathes, Katherine delivered and is now one of the frontrunners going into the June 16th Emmy broadcast to be televised on HLN!

On-Air On-Soaps spoke with Katherine to get her thoughts on being a Daytime Emmy nominee newbie, why she chose to put herself into the Supporting Actress category instead of Lead Actress category, as she has many times before.  Now in story, as fans now know, Brooke is pregnant with Bill Spencer’s (Don Diamont) baby!  And Brooke is once again put in a controversial situation.  This time falling in love with her sister’s husband and getting preggars!  But as Lang tells us, she wishes in the future for a change in the character of Brooke.  Will that happen?  Viewers will have to wait and see.  But for now, let’s celebrate Katherine’s first Daytime Emmy nod!

How are you truly feeling about getting your very first Daytime Emmy nomination after 26 years on B&B, and all the years of submitting your work?

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

KATHERINE:  It is kind of that feeling of “finally”!  But, when I say that to myself I don’t want to figure out how and why, and all that stuff.  I just want to enjoy the fact that I got a nomination, and I am excited!  I was actually very surprised when Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer, B&B) called me and told me!  He had called me at 5:50 am, because I was truly fast asleep at that point! (Laughs)

Just to confirm, you did submit the episode where Brooke says goodbye to Stephanie as she dies?  Heartbreaking scenes and a five-hankie filled episode!

KATHERINE:  I only submitted the final episode between me and Susan Flannery.  I decided not to put in two episodes, which we can do at B&B because we are half hour show, because then I would have felt it’s just too much.  So I just did the final scenes with Susan as Stephanie when we are out on the bench and she dies.  And you know, Susan submitted the same episode for her Outstanding Lead Actress reel!  So she got nominated for that episode, too, and she wasn’t even speaking that much in it!  But, that was an amazing moment.  You could feel everything she was going through, and how she broke hearts in that episode.

Was there any doubt you were going to go with that episode to try and garner your long-awaited first Daytime Emmy nomination?

Courtesy/CBS

KATHERINE: There was no question. That was the one.  I couldn’t even think of anything else.  And … I am not a great person at picking scenes for Emmys.  I always seem to pick stuff that is not dramatic, because when I watch really dramatic episodes that I have done, it feels “soapy.”  But that’s what we do, and that is our medium, but it just feels over the top when it’s out of context.  But that is what people apparently want to see.  I just don’t usually submit that.  I usually submit something really subtle.

But Stephanie’s death was a subtle performance, in a way from you, wouldn’t you say?

KATHERINE:  Yes. That one was an important one, because it was a death, and it was interestingly written.  It wasn’t just, “Oh, she dies.”  It was interesting involving Stephanie’s Irish heritage, and we sang the song, and Eric had hired the Irish dancers at Stephanie’s goodbye party.  It was so touching!  Then when Susan said, “Sing me a song, baby girl,” (to me as Brooke) it makes me cry.  Ah, that one line.  I was like, “Oh, my God!”

How many takes was the final Stephanie/Brooke scene done in?

KATHERINE:  I am pretty sure, it was one take.

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Does the nomination now feel anti-climatic after being virtually ignored by the academy for your stellar work year in and year out?  Are you at all excited?  No matter what went on before, I hope you will enjoy this Emmy ride.

KATHERINE: I don’t want to get too excited.  It’s the Emmys.  I still have to go with just the fact that I got nominated, and it feels really good.   It feels like if I don’t win I’m okay, because I feel that part of winning is at least getting acknowledged for a nomination.

Did you see the excitement on Twitter when your followers and colleagues saw you landed a nomination?

KATHERINE: Yes!  And I wanted to go back to sleep after Brad called with the news, but then of course, I couldn’t.  Twitter was going crazy!  So then, I had to get on and comment.   I went on a Twitter craze for two hours.  I love Twitter.  I get carried away on Twitter.  If people tweet me, I am there usually responding!

You have in the past had scheduling conflicts on Emmy night, where you have not been able to attend.  You are going to be there this time, aren’t you?

KATHERINE:  I am actually going to be in Europe Emmy week, but I guess I’ll have to come back early now.  I think I should! (Laughs)  So I am there.  I was just questioning what to do!  I am going to Monte Carlo for the TV Festival, and then visiting my step-dad who lives there, and then I am going to have my whole family with me.  We were planning on doing a whole family thing on Father’s Day, which is the Sunday of the Daytime Emmys!  But … I know it took me this long to get nominated that I have to go now!  I will have to change my flight to come back early.

Courtesy/CBS

Did your kids saying anything to you the day you landed your first ever, and much deserved, Daytime Emmy nomination?

KATHERINE: I had my stepdaughter, my son, and my daughter with me at the time. And I woke them up and said, “Guess what, you guys?” (Laughs) And they were like, “Yeah, well haven’t you been nominated before?” (Laughs) And I am like, “No!” (Laughs) They are so funny, but they were excited.  They all hugged me, and so it was fun.

Did you intentionally submit yourself in the Supporting Actress category this year, to see if by doing so, it might make it easier for you to finally be recognized?

KATHERINE:  I did that because my storyline last year was supporting.  I really felt that if I had any story that was front and center I wouldn’t have done that, because to me, that wouldn’t have been fair.  But, the whole last year I never had a major story.  I had a lot of material with Kim Matula (Hope) where I was “mom” for most of the year, where it was about her triangle, and the weddings.  And then most of the year also was about Stephanie dying.  Then, I was supporting her through that.  It was really her story, so because of that, I thought, “Well, I’m just going to put myself in ‘Supporting’ this year.”  I never really had the chance to submit myself in that category before, because my character has usually been more front and center.  So I thought, “Well, OK, I am going to try that.”

Did Susan Flannery call you upon learning the news of your nomination?  She has wanted this for you for so long!

Courtesy/CBS

KATHERINE:  Well, I called her!  She was very excited, and we went out to dinner to celebrate.

In the speech Brad made for you on set, acknowledging what a big moment this is for you, he said you are the “Biggest international soap star”, which is true!

KATHERINE:  That’s pretty big … and even bigger than really the Emmy nomination … but it’s all just wonderful!

How do you feel about your current story and being paired with Don Diamont?

KATHERINE:  I feel like I am on a different show, actually, which is good.  I want to start changing my character a bit.  They kept writing her as the victim.  There was some stuff this year where I was like, “Oh, please!”   But I am trying to work it in more where I can be a little more the leader, or feistier, not just so, “Sigh, woe is me,” or “Look this happened to me again!”  I just don’t think my character would do that to her sister!

Were you then upset that Brooke slept with her sister’s husband?

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

KATHERINE:  I was not for that story.  Nothing against Don, because I love him, and it’s great to be able to work with him, but… I just don’t think my character would do that to my sister, even though Katie gave the ring back to Bill and said, “That’s it!”  Five minutes later, Bill and Brooke were having sex.  I was not happy about that, but it pushes storyline and hopefully something will come out of it.  I just want to do something different for Brooke.”

Speaking of doing something different, is that difficult for you to be able to have the opportunity to do?  Do you need to consult with Brad Bell first if you want to alter how you play scenes as Brooke?

KATHERINE:  I think I have to try to show different things and different sides, even if the script says, “Brooke is crying and is so distraught.”   I’ll try and play against that, because it says that in almost every script everywhere!  So I’ll maybe show moments of that, or have some of that going on underneath.  But I’m going to play her a little stronger, maybe even angry at times.  Maybe she takes it out in a different way.  She doesn’t always have to cry, and be desperate, and distraught. I am trying to infuse the writing that way, and show them that is not the way you have to do it.   So, I am trying to do that myself on set.  They will see that it can be different.

And Brooke is always involved in some hot topic, hot water, or something scandalous.  What about when you recently appeared in lingerie again in the Brooke’s bedroom line debut?  How did you feel about that?

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

KATHERINE: I thought it was interesting for that moment.  I think something new would be interesting, too.  I don’t want to parade around in lingerie all the time.  For that one time it was OK.  I actually liked the red lingerie piece they had me in.  Just because Brooke is the spokes-model, there might be a better way to represent that than just have her in lingerie, and class it up a bit.   They could have the models who are super tall and skinny parade around in the bras and underwear.  I think Brooke will always be somehow involved in fashion, it may not always be lingerie hopefully, but we will see.

So, would you like to see Katherine Kelly Lang finally receive her first ever Daytime Emmy for her performance in the final scenes between Brooke and Stephanie? What do you think of Katherine’s comments on Brooke and how she was not originally in favor of the story where Brooke sleeps with her sister Katie’s man, Bill?  Let us know your thoughts!