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THE ILENE KRISTEN INTERVIEW – ONE LIFE TO LIVE

October 19, 2008

kristen-Main.jpgMICHAEL:

You have just finished performing in our benefit, “Soaps In The City”, and I know you have been involved so much in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

ILENE:

I probably have been involved for the last three years, at least. Last time, we had the east coast event at the club ”Prohibition” in New York. It’s for a great cause.

MICHAEL:

Have you personally been affected, or touched by people in your life, or in show business that have died of HIV/AIDS?

ILENE:

I lost many, many people… and there was a friend mine that was the stage manager from “Grease”, and then we lost another stage manager. Then, my wonderful Christopher Adler died, and this was early on. Then I lost more than 20 people that I knew, some which were really close to me. I lost my manager, and that was a tough one, because I don’t think he knew he had AIDS. Then he got pneumonia and he died. This was in 1994, and that was extremely difficult. It was a real shock because there was no time to prepare for that.

MICHAEL:

Do you feel that here in the US, AIDS awareness has been sidestepped as an issue, where globally it’s a pandemic?

ILENE:

Honestly, I don’t think we can ever do enough. But, I think it’s changed considerably from the 80s, for sure. I have a lot of friends living with AIDS, but not dying of AIDS. One of my very closest friends is HIV-positive and he is doing well. Of course, he is on the cocktail, and if people can’t afford the cocktail and the medications, that’s a problem. It’s changed a lot over the last 20 years, so people aren’t dying immediately. In fact, I haven’t heard of anybody dying that I have been friendly with. So, that’s a great thing!

kristen-mazur.jpgMICHAEL:

We all know you from your portrayal of Roxy Balsom on “One Life to Live”, and
the amazing, Delia, on “Ryan’s Hope”. But now, you seem to be taking the musical aspect of you talents to new heights?

ILENE:

I have always sung with one rock band or the other. I have always kept it on the down- low to some degree. If people had bands, they would want me to sing with them; so I would. Then, I started songwriting a lot in the 90’s. I had written
a lot in the 70’s and then I was doing a lot of other people’s songs. Then in the 90’s I started doing my own stuff. I started writing with a great writer out in LA…
Kenny Mazur. One day he said, “You know, you really ought to start writing, because you have so many adventures and you need to get them out, and start getting your life out.” There was a song I wrote called, “No Matter What”, which was about my life, and he said, “You are on a soap, Ilene, and you need to spice this up a bit!”

MICHAEL:

Why were you so low on the radar with your great singing ability?

ILENE:

It’s a very big problem, and it’s kept me from doing a lot because I grew up listening to the best music you could listen to. My criteria have always been very high. I listen to Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald, just the great people. The way I sing, is like a Julie London- type singer, kind of smoky. I feel if I am not as good as those people, I don’t count. And then after seeing KD Lang last night, I never want to open up my mouth again. But because I am a very good actress, I am going to pretend that I am full on KD Lang. I am the feminine KD Lang. She is all boy. ilene-soaps.jpgIt’s fantastic! I think
she is so comfortable in her skin, and she came out with no shoes on and looking like a man, but she was beautiful… and the voice was the best instrument that I ever heard! You want to be up there with the really good people to call yourself a singer, and I don’t call myself a singer. I call myself, a “Thinger”. I have a “thing” and I think it’s good.

MICHAEL:

The songs you performed for us at “Soaps In The City”, please tell us about them?


ILENE:

This one jazz song I wrote is a combination of “Fever” and “Moondance”. Then I wrote a song called, “Rise to the Occasion”, and my first job was with the great, Johnny Pacheco. I was a dancer at nine, dancing with two Cuban guys, and that is how I started in show business. So, this song is a kind of Latin boogaloo, which was popular in the 60’s. It was written as an assignment, between Lenny Kravitz’s, “Lady” and Cyndi Lauper’s, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. Then when that did not happen, I changed into a different groove. I performed a song called “Flesh and Blood”, that was written for a friend of mine who was dying; the wonderful and beautiful, Nancy Addison (Ex- Jillian Coleridge, “Ryan’s Hope”). I remained close with her, and was with her every day until she died. Nancy was a wonderful friend and she died from a form of cancer. The doctors did not know the origin of it, and it was very difficult, and it took about two and half years. I started writing the song about the thought of losing someone, but knowing they will always be there with you…. and then 9/11 happened! This song came out of that, and then it really wrote itself. I knew Nancy would be dying, and I knew I would sing this song at her funeral, which was what happened. It’s a song I did not sing at my father’s memorial, but I recited the words. I have done it at other friend’s funerals. The list just goes on. I am proud of it.

MICHAEL:

Your stupendous and stunning portrayal of Roxy on “OLTL”, is so completely different than any character or actress on daytime. The scene that aired last week where Roxy pushed Adriana up against the hospital glass letting her know that she was causing her son, Rex, to basically die. That was because Adriana would not allow Gigi in Rex’s hospital room, and that was heart wrenching. Did you know those scenes were dynamite?

ILENE:

I knew things were real for me. The thing that is so difficult about that is, once they put up the hospital set, they will do three shows a day at the hospital set. You are so overwhelmed. You are so scared that you are going to be sacrificed, and you have to get to another scene. I felt like there was a little scene I had with the troll days, and I was not sure I was totally on my game. But then, the stuff where I put Adriana against the glass, I felt that I was on my game. With age, you are able to pull so much stuff out of your life and access it for your character. Before, when I was playing Delia on “Ryan’s Hope”, I had to do crying scenes all the time. I would have to go in back of this set, and do all this sense memory stuff. Now, I don’t have to go to that place or substitute much anymore, because of my life experience as Ilene.

JP1.jpgMICHAEL:

How is working with John Paul Lavoisier (Rex)? We need more mother/son scenes between them.

ILENE:

Oh, it’s great! The audience wants more, and its short changing both Rex and Roxy, but they may get it. We got extraordinary reaction as to who is Rex’s father? That is yet untold, and they better tell it!

MICHAEL:

Will it be Mitch Laurence?

ILENE:

It would be great if it was Mitch, if they
tell a real story. They were about to do something when the writers’ strike happened, and then they felt it was not an important enough story to do, so they bypassed it. We waited till head writer, Ron Carlivati came back to the show. Once Ron came back, it didn’t go anywhere, but we are hoping that it does. You know, stories have to be approved by ABC Daytime and SOAPnet President, Brian Frons. So hopefully, he will see fit to give us a story. I know he likes me, but he has to like me enough to let me tell a story. The one thing I know I am capable of, is telling a good story…. even the stuff I had with Miles…. where did it go?

MICHAEL:

What about working with Erika Slezak (Viki)?

ILENE:

She is wonderful to work with. With Erika, this is nothing that she enforced, but she has her scenes early in the morning. So, if you have scenes with Erika, you better be on your game. First of all, she is so professional and wonderful to work with, and so generous. But, she knows all of your lines as well, and that’s a spectacular thing to do. Every once in awhile, I am on my game like that, but she is always on her game. Erika has been very, very, good to me.

MICHAEL:

I love that Roxy stumbles around drunk all the time. Do you think that will ever change?

ILENE:
Until she resolves certainly some of her issues, I think she should have a bit of a substance problem. I think when she goes to work, she really tries to do that hairdo. I know a lot of people like Roxy, who have more than slight substance problems, whether they are on Quaaludes or something else. I think Roxy was pretty coherent with the recent hospital stuff with Rex, though.

MICHAEL:

In your performances, do you like towing the fine line between comedy and drama?

ILENE:

Oh, yes! I like towing the line, because I feel that people need the humor, and it’s hard to play comedy on a soap. I think I have managed to do that extremely well, and better than most, and it’s my background. When I came on the show I came on right after 9/11. I felt that people needed a break, and also needed to be highly entertained. I felt people needed cushioning, especially in New York; it was like a scorched landscape. What happened was I got the job on September 10 and I only called a couple people to let them know, and then 9/11 happened. At first I thought, what is acting? What does that mean to people, after we have gone through something like this? Does anyone even care anymore? Is watching television, except for watching the news, important? And then a couple of days before I had to go to work, I got very inspired. I felt that somebody had to entertain the troops, and I really felt it was my job to do that.

Melissa-Ilene.jpgMICHAEL:

Now tell me about working with the fabulous Melissa Archer (Natalie)?

ILENE:

I really like working with Melissa. She has had a lot of responsibility at “OLTL”. You know, once they see that you can do three shows in a row that is probably 18 scenes, they will do that and work you a lot. They will get away with doing that, and it is very difficult. One day Andrea Evans (Tina) had 100 or so pages. The Game Show episode with Rex, of “Whose Shane’s Daddy?”, we had a lot to do that day. Then the director said to us, “Not to put any stress on you, but this is going to be my Emmy submission!” Then it was like, you got to
be on!

MICHAEL:

I think you have a few good shows to submit for Supporting Actress Emmy competition for next year. Would you go for it?

ILENE:

I think I would. I did have scenes last year had I gotten nominated. My second year on the show I got nominated and it was a bit tricky. First of all, you have to have shows, which not only are you good in,… but the person you are working with is good, too. There is nothing worse than your doing a good performance, and the other person not delivering. I tend not to like to submit hospital scenes. I said to ’JP’, when it was the scene when I was in the hospital with Charlie and he comes in and says, “I don’t want to know you! Both of you!” I said to ‘JP’, “I don’t care what other people say, but these are the scenes you are going to submit!” In the past he has not submitted the right scenes. He has not done the right choices. I helped Renee Goldsberry (Ex- Evangeline) with her choices, and I was very proud that I could help her with that, and she had good stuff.

MICHAEL:

Now to “Ryan’s Hope”, and your iconic role of Delia Reid Ryan Coleridge. Ah, the list of married names goes on and on. Why do you think that worked so well?

ILENE:

The answer is, because of the show’s creators and head writers, Claire Labine and Paul Mayer. They wrote something from their heart. They had the bible on that show written extraordinarily well from day one, and what they had written for these characters always stayed in my mind. I knew what they wrote in those three paragraphs for Delia… I could get it. At the time, what was hard for me was that I was a very happy person playing a very unhappy person and that was difficult. I had just come from doing “Grease” and making people laugh, and once you have made 1200 people in a room laugh, you want to do that all the time.

MICHAEL:

So, after “Grease” you went to “Ryan’s Hope”?

kristen-Main2.jpgILENE:

I had done “Grease” for two years. I quit “Grease” in 1974 and got “Ryan’s Hope” in 1975. All of a sudden, I am playing this semi-tragic character who is crying all the time, going, “Love me. Please love me!” That was not second nature to me… being that screwed up. So, it was hard for me and difficult. Also, what was difficult, was you got these long scenes, which made it extremely potent for the audience, and addictive for the audience. You’ve got to travel with these characters when they made certain transitions. What disturbed me about the recent scenes with Adriana on “OLTL” in the hospital, was that the initial scenes with her were so short. I said to her, “Listen pipsqueak…” and the scene was over.

MICHAEL:

The soap climate now is faster, quicker scenes, than in the classic soaps presentations of yesteryear. It seems to fans that they think perhaps the perception is the actors can’t handle that much dialog.

ILENE:

I don’t think that’s what they are doing. When MTV came in, and I do not know what they are doing now, people got faddy or trendy. Now in daytime, they are trying to tell as many stories as possible, where Claire Labine just tried to tell two really good ones. I actually think the half-hour soap format is better. It gets you to concentrate and to be mesmerized by these people’s lives. People were addicted to the emotion of it, and not so much to flashy story. You know, I don’t know why we try to do car crashes or train crashes on soaps. Why do we do that, when “Lost” does it so much better? Why are we trying to compete in an area that we shouldn’t compete in, when people just want to be touched by a story? I think there was real value to the way “Ryan’s Hope” was done and was shot.

MICHAEL:

Can you tell me, off the top of your head, some Delia moments that you just loved?

ILENE:

The hysterically blind scenes when I am on a cruise with Pat. He realizes I am lying and throws the hairbrush at me and I catch it. The stuff with Roger and Sheila in the cooking lessons were fabulous, and every time Maeve would say, “Where you going Delia?” And she would go, “Oh, I’ve got cooking classes”, and the audience would go nuts.

MICHAEL:

Speaking of Maeve Ryan, tell me how was working with the incredible Helen Gallagher?

kristen-ron.jpgILENE:

Oh my God, fantastic! She is a pure gift. Both of us were hoofers! The wonderful thing about the cast was it really didn’t matter what you paid us, we would show up, because we did not make a lot of money on “Ryan’s Hope”. It was like
hoofer pay. Helen did have in her contract, that nobody could get more than her. Malcolm Groome (Ex-Pat) Kate Mulgrew (Ex-Mary), and Ron Hale (Ex- Roger) these were great, great people.

MICHAEL:

Now to “OLTL” favorite Roxy moments?

ILENE:

First of all, working with Jim DePaiva (Ex- Max) was a pleasure. Our wedding scenes in Las Vegas, where he wakes up the next morning, and does not realize he married me, was during the live week. Everything shot during the live week was priceless, but it scared me.

MICHAEL:

But you perform sketch comedy, as you did here in Los Angeles this weekend at the ACME Theatre and other venues. Why are you scared, if you can do such impromptu performances on the spot? I know why, but probably most people looking in from the outside, would not figure it to be the case.

ILENE:

I am scared of everything. I did “Grease’ for two years and the adrenaline would be out of control. It’s all scary to me, but I guess it’s good to be scared, because you can come up with interesting work, but your stomach is upset all the time. I have been in this business so long, and I am still scared. It keeps you coming up with new creative things for yourself.

ilene-nightclub.jpgMICHAEL:

Do you ad-lib a lot as Roxy? Some of those jabs she gives to the other citizens of Llanview seem like it.

ILENE:

I am a great ad-libber, especially in the role of Roxy. If it’s a group scene and they need a Roxie line, they go, “Please come up with one!”

MICHAEL:

You are in a new film called “The Manhattanites”?

ILENE:

Yes. We had a screening for it in New York and Aidan Turner (Aidan, “AMC”) is terrific in it. David Fumero (Christian, “OLTL”) is also in it, and Forbes March (Ex-Nash, “OLTL”) plays my competition and steals my boyfriend away from me. Jill Larson (Opal, “AMC”) was going to do my part, but it worked out better because she ended up playing a homeless woman in the movie, because she wanted to try something different.

MICHAEL:

What is the premise of the movie?

ILENE:

It’s all these people’s different stories and how they intersect. They are in somewhat of a community, and that gets the ball rolling. I play a real professional type. I play a lawyer. It was not a comedic character, and not a villain. I am kind of one of the leads in it.

couch-ilene.jpgMICHAEL:

In closing what would you
say is at the core of Roxy Balsom, if you were going to explain her to someone who does not know her very well?

ILENE:

Party! Party! I think she has fun, even in times of tragedy, and she will always find a way to rock.

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Interviews

Y&R’s Allison Lanier Lands Her First Daytime Emmy Nomination and Shares “Being a Recast Can Be Daunting”

April 25, 2024

When the nominees were revealed for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards, a fresh face was in the running for the first time as The Young and the Restless Allison Lanier (Summer Newman) scored her very first Emmy nod.

Lanier took over the highly-coveted role of Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Phyllis’ (Michelle Stafford) daughter from two-time Daytime Emmy-winner Hunter King, who won gold for this role in the now defunct Younger Actress in a Daytime Drama Series category.

During the Michael Fairman Channel’s 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special on Friday night, April 19th, Allison was one of the nominated guests, who shared her reaction to the news that she was a first-time Emmy nominee earlier in the day.

Photo: JPI

When speaking of how challenging it can be to be a recast on a soap, and in particular on the top-rated drama, The Young and the Restless, Lanier filled us in how she dealt with it.

Photo: JPI

Allison related, “I’m decent at compartmentalizing, but yes, it was daunting. Being a recast is daunting. Going on a show, especially, one where we work the way that we do, that’s just daunting in and of itself. I do think that when you’re sort of having to follow in somebody’s footsteps, they’re (the audience) automatically going to compare you to somebody else. That’s daunting. But I do think that I was able to hold that was happening for me, but also I have to ignore that and I do have to make it my own thing, because we’re different people. We’re bringing different things to the character and that was really the only way forward for me.”

Photo: JPI

When speaking of the nominees along with her in the Supporting Actress category, of course, she is close with Y&R co-stat and fellow nominees, Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra): “I’m not as familiar with everybody from the other shows quite yet, but I can’t wait to get to know them and to see what they’re putting out there and watch their episodes and their scenes. However, I am so glad that Courtney Hope is nominated in this category. Her storyline was so heartbreaking and the way that her and Mark Grossman (Adam Newman) played that, it just like shot me straight in the heart.”

Photo: JPI

As far as what scenes were on her nominated-reel, Allison shared she first had a reel of 30-minutes in length, just to see how all the scenes played out she was considering, before whittling it down: “So, what ended up on my reel was Summer confronting Diane (Susan Walters) directly after the gala after Phyllis “died.”  It’s this kind of heartbreaking moment of anger mixed with pain and grief. I included the scene where Kyle (Michael Mealor) informed Summer that it is time for a divorce in her hotel suite. There was also one scene with Daniel (Michael Graziadei) after Summer knew Phyllis was alive, and I also had another scene with Michelle Stafford when Summer found out that her mother was alive.”

Photo: JPI

To check out the full interview with Allison, watch the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special below featuring ten of this year’s nominees chatting live.

Now let us know, do you think Allison has made the part of Summer her own? Happy to see her nominated? Comment below.

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Days Of Our Lives

Wally Kurth Talks on His DAYS Daytime Emmy Nomination, His Emotional Scenes, and Remembering John Aniston

April 24, 2024

During our 2023 year-end honors at Michael Fairman TV, we named Wally Kurth as our pick for Best Overall Performance by an Actor for his double-turn as both Ned Quartermaine on General Hospital and as Justin Kiriakis on Days of our Lives. So, it was absolutely no surprise to us that Wally landed a Daytime Emmy nomination for his riveting work as a grieving Justin in the Supporting Actor category for the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

On DAYS, Justin had been put through the emotional wringer, of first, losing his beloved Uncle Vic, played by the late John Aniston, and then finding out that Victor was the supposed biological father to Justin’s son, Alex (Rob Scott Wilson). If you didn’t reach for the hankies during some of Kurth’s work in these scenes, we don’t know what will make you do so.

Michael Fairman TV caught up with Wally to get his reaction to his fourth Daytime Emmy nomination in the last six years. Kurth was nominated in the Supporting category in 2018, 2020 and now 2024 and Lead Actor in 2021.

In addition, Wally shares what scenes were on his nominated reel, how John Aniston impacted his work, how he has changed as an actor over the years with a new outlook, and being the only actor out there with two long-running roles on two long-running soaps, and much more. Here’s what Wally had to share below.

Congratulations on your well-deserved nomination. You decided to submit yourself this year for Emmy contention in both Lead Actor for GH and Supporting Actor at DAYS, correct?

WALLY: I did. I thought the DAYS reel was a little more dramatic, much more emotional. I had thought with the way the judging goes that it might be a little bit more, winnable, if you will. I enjoyed and was proud of my work at General Hospital, so it’s all good. I’m thrilled. It’s always nice to be nominated.

Photo: JPI

What scenes did you ultimately choose for your Supporting Actor reel?

WALLY: I started chronologically, as always, trying to tell a little bit of a story. I actually started with a scene where Justin has to tell Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) that Victor’s (the late John Aniston) plane went down and it was not found. Then, the scene with Bonnie (Judi Evans) where I sort of have to let it all out, and grieve the loss of this man who was practically Justin’s father, but it was his Uncle Vic. We have a little scene talking about Victor, and then there is a short snippet at the funeral where Justin eulogizes Victor. Next, we jump to scene where Justin discovers the letter where Angelica admits that indeed Victor is Alex’s father (Rob Scott Wilson). So then, Justin has to tell Alex, and then I also sort of grieve the fact that I’m no longer his father. Justin basically lost his son. It was very dramatic and very emotional. I was guessing the judges would be like, “Hey! Enough with the crying! Stop, you big baby!” But, they didn’t. They must have thought that it was convincing enough that it felt really truthful at how Justin was upset about these two unfortunate realizations.

Photo: JPI

You bring up a really good point. I talk to actors all the time about crying on Emmy reels. Sometimes, many feel it might put voters off. But obviously, this time it worked well for you!

WALLY:  What I liked about the crying scenes was that, like in real life, you’re not crying all the time when something bad is happening, right? I think crying happens and it takes you off guard. It happens without you realizing it. These were all moments when Justin was alone, really. Bonnie comes in the room where Justin is just kind of like dealing with it. And then her coming in, opens up Justin and she is there to hold him. I think that often happens in real life. I thought that was correct for the writers to do that, you know, that Justin would break down when he was alone.

Photo: JPI

Did you feel the pressure of wanting to get these scenes when Victor died and at his memorial, just right due to the enormity to it, and to do justice for John Aniston?

WALLY: I allowed myself to use my heartbreak over John Aniston. I loved him. I just sort of allowed his presence for me in the scenes. It was sweet. It was good for me. I’m just thinking about it now and I feel teary-eyed. John was such a sweet man. He led by example, and he really did teach me how to be a professional actor, and he was a mentor. He never told me anything specific, but he was just John, and in the scenes, this was the time for me tell him how I feel.

Photo: JPI

Then, you had the heartbreaking scenes with Rob Scott Wilson where Justin tells Alex he is not his father!

WALLY:  I thought that was just really challenging material. As I get older, I just trust the material, and don’t get ahead of myself. I trust myself with the emotion. Just let it happen if it happens. When I first read it, I kind of imagined what it could look like and then you just let it unfold from there.

You’ve got Robert Gossett (Marshall, GH), A Martinez (Nardo, The Bay), Mike Manning (Caleb, The Bay), and Bryton James (Devon, Y&R) all in your category. Robert has won two Daytime Emmys in a row, last year for Supporting Actor and the year before for Guest Performer.

WALLY:  l love Robert. I worked with the character Marshall on General Hospital, and we had so much fun. He’s a great guy and a really good actor. A Martinez is the best guy ever. I have such admiration for him. Whenever I see him, we always really connect and to be in included with him is great. Bryton James, I don’t know, but I know he beat me in this category in 2020. Mike Manning, I didn’t get the opportunity to know when he was at DAYS as he weren’t in scenes together, but I hear good things about him, too.

Photo: JPI

When you are judging Emmy reels, what do you look for when you’re voting on a performance?

WALLY: That’s a really great question. And because let’s face it, there’s just a lot of terrific talent in daytime. This year, I judged two categories. I don’t just go with, “Okay, who’s crying the most.” I really try to go with the one who’s touches me the most, who surprises me and moves me. And so, if you go with that, you’re probably going in the right direction. I also think that upfront you do need to kind of give them something in the first couple minutes that shows you know what you’re doing and don’t make it too repetitive.

Who did you first tell you were nominated?

WALLY: My manager, Michael Bruno called me. I was in Chicago with my daughters having a late breakfast and I knew the nominations were going to happen around 11 am Chicago time. I didn’t tell my daughters about what was happening, just in case, I didn’t get nominated. So, when Michael called, I went, “Oh, boy!” I told my daughters who were sitting at the table with me. So, they were the first two people that I could tell, and that was really nice.  We had champagne which was really funny because I bought three little glasses of champagne, and as soon as I bought it, we toasted. They said, “We don’t really like champagne.” So, I ended up drinking all three glasses. (Laughs)

Photo: JPI

What do you think of Eric Martsolf (Brady), your Day Players Band member, and DAYS co-star getting a Lead Actor nomination?

WALLY: I remember, I was like talking to him and I was like, “Eric, are you going to submit yourself?” And he is like, “I don’t know. I don’t really have anything …” And the next thing you know, he’s nominated. I’m like, “Wow! I guess he found something!” (Laughs) I love Eric. I have such respect for him and his gift, and he works really hard. So, I was very happy for him. I’m glad we weren’t in the same category, however.

How many years now have you been playing Justin on DAYS?

WALLY: I started here 37 years ago in 1987. I was there for four years and then I left. Then, 18 years later, Ken Corday (EP, DAYS) invited me back in 2009 and I’ve been on the show now for 15 years. So, I guess a total of 20 years on and off over the last 37 years. Everyone remembers 1987-1991 … those were big, big years for Justin and Adrienne who back then were a supercouple.

Photo: JPI

Have you determined who you would thank in your acceptance speech if you win this year’s Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy?

WALLY: I feel like this year I kind of have an idea of what I would say. I think I can remember all of that without writing it down. If I had gotten nominated for both shows, I was definitely going to point out and thank the powers-that-be for giving me dual citizenship and how much I appreciate that. I do think that being on both soaps, I will go to my grave believing that it’s made me a better actor. In fact, since I’ve been doing both shows, I’ve been nominated for Daytime Emmys. I’ve become a better actor. I feel like maybe it’s just that I’ve gotten older and wiser, but I feel as though when I go in there to work, I’m really focused and I’m really prepared. I know I pretty much get one shot to get it. We’re in the business of “one takes” now in the soaps.

Photo: Peacock

People are so lucky to even have one enduring role in their careers, but you’ve been able to have two, and they’re completely separate characters on two legacy shows; one which just turned 61, General Hospital, and the other Days of our Lives which will soon celebrate 60 years, as well.

WALLY: I didn’t plan on it. I must have done something right. Back in 2009, Ken called me up and invited me back to DAYS. I really jumped in. I’d been out of work for four or five years. I went back with a whole new attitude about the work, about the genre.  In 2004, when I left General Hospital, I was kind of burnt out. Looking back on it, I didn’t have a good attitude and I was just done. I was kind of tired. New writers come in and sometimes, when you have new writers that look at your character differently, it can be very difficult, because you just know that their passion is not with your character. However, in this case, I’m like, “I’m going to take whatever the writers give me and do the best I can and do my job. Let the writers do their job.” I think the writers also know that I really respect them and I’m not going to complain. I’m not going to tell them what to do and I’m going to stay out of it. They have enough to work out. They have enough to do. I’m going to be the problem solver, not the problem creator. There are enough problem creators. Believe me when I tell you that every time I leave those sets, I’m like, “Thank you. I love it.  See you the next time I see you.” I know how lucky I am to do both shows and to have this opportunity to act at my age and still be sent scripts. I love the art of acting. I’d do it for free. The fact that they’re paying me and I am able to do this and work with these great, wonderful, talented actors every day, it’s kind of mind-blowing.

So, will you be rooting for Wally to take home the gold in this year’s Outstanding Supporting Actor in Daytime Drama Series at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards on June 7th live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+? Let us know if you remember his nominated scenes from Days of our Lives via the comment section below and how they affected you.

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Interviews

Y&R’s Michelle Stafford Talks on Her Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Nomination, Allison Lanier, and ‘Pacific Palisades’ with Finola Hughes

April 23, 2024

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.

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