By Michael Fairman

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP:

How was it coming back to the show and working again with Jay Kenneth Johnson (Phillip)?

NADIA:

I love him, and I adore him, and I have the most utmost respect for him. He is beautiful and handsome, and we have a good time together and great chemistry. I think we have known each other for such a long time and we get each other. It’s fun on every level.

TV SOAP:

But was it odd to you that Phillip and Chloe were paired together?

NADIA:

When I came back this time, it was all new management and producers here, and Jay had been gone awhile. WE as people and actors have grown up so much in the meantime. I was not sure how we would come together again, and the first day I was having the best time… dying of laughing. It picked right back up where we left off. I have been very fortunate to have a really great guy to work with.

TV SOAP:

But the characters slept together!

NADIA:

After so many years they had us sleep together. It isn’t under the whole premise of love. It’s really, “friends with benefits”. Both people are hurting and in a bad place, and easing each other’s pain. I looked forward to all of those scenes. I thought they were great. We were looking forward to story together. We were looking forward to developing that relationship with our characters, and having the trials and tribulations, but they made it hot and steamy. It was tumultuous, and they did develop feelings for each other. Then they decided to not write us in scripts together anymore.

TV SOAP:

Why do you think they just stopped the pairing?

NADIA:

I think there were a series of scripts, where Jay and I noticed that our characters would kind of go, “Well, this isn’t working out”. It was very obvious that Jay was working more with Morgan and I was working more with Lucas. I guess that is the way the cookie crumbles. I think there is a misconception that the actors have any say into what happens to the characters and the story and we don’t. We try to sell what is written. I know a lot of people think we have influence with the writers and we really don’t.

TV SOAP:

From Chloe’s perspective, what happened to Brady? This was very hard for the viewers to swallow and follow, that Brady became a drug addict!

NADIA:

I think it was a quick way to salvage a story point they did not pan out. I think they thought they were going to get Kyle Lowder, (Ex-Brady) back on the show. That couldn’t happen because he is under contract as Rick on “B&B”. It was a quick way to explain where he is and why he has disappeared. I think originally, he was supposed to be part of that whole Colleen storyline in
Ireland. I think Brady was supposed to be kidnapped and then there was no Brady… so how do you explain that?

TV SOAP:

And then Chloe tagged along to
Ireland and she was kind of just standing there!

NADIA:

I had nothing to do, because originally there was supposed to be another person, I think. I was not told this, but we just deduced this by reading scripts. Phillip and Chloe were just standing there. But, then it turns out that Victor, who had never liked Chloe, had concocted this plan to make her look bad in front of Phillip and everybody else. It seemed like she had murdered Brady! But it’s found out in one episode through Nicole, that Brady has been holed up in a rehab clinic in
Switzerland! Victor had him kidnapped in the middle of the night, because Brady was not seeking help for himself from the evil Chloe… because we all know people turn other people into drug addicts. (She laughs) I guess Chloe took him away from his family and friends so he became a drug addict. He was going to run Titan in
Austria.

TV SOAP:

Do you know why Victor hates Chloe so much? We don’t!

NADIA:

I just remember it was something that Chloe broke Phillip’s heart at one point and then she moved on to his grandson. Victor was never thrilled by Chloe marrying Brady, but then again, at one point, I thought that was resolved because I thought Victor paid for Chloe’s wedding. But then I guess it was not resolved. (She laughs)

TV SOAP:

Does Chloe have an agenda? It seems a bit confusing to the audience.

NADIA:

I am confused to; the only way I could make sense of this is obviously she was really hurting from the whole Brady thing. I don’t think those feelings were resolved. They were kids when they got married. I don’t think they were ready to work through problems and issues. Brady is resentful towards Chloe, and she lost a part of herself. I was trying to find the reality that: people forget themselves when they become consumed in a relationship and marriage. Chloe got away to find out what happened to Brady and to figure her life out. She wanted to see Phillip, because Phillip is the one person who has been by her side, powerful, good and can get things done. In trying to get past some hurt, she was trying to find some love and validation; or acceptance and I think that was through Phillip. And later, seeing Phillip was not all quite there, I think Chloe’s self-esteem was so low that at this point, that she was trying to play people against each other.

TV SOAP:

Chloe seems a bit vindictive!

NADIA:

I think there is a little bit of a vindictive manipulative side now to her. It was fun playing bitter and cynical. She has kind of thrown the old Chloe persona away.

TV SOAP:

She was our “Ghoul Girl”?

NADIA:

Personally, I loved that naïve and vulnerable side to Chloe, and that sweetness that was there. I really enjoyed it, but she was written so differently coming back. I have been trying to find that saying that it comes out of hurt. But its written like I have an agenda, but the problem is they write me with an agenda, but I don’t know what that agenda is, or why I am acting the way I am acting, so I am just creating these truths to myself. She is now trying to find some allies, and yet at the same time trying to make some guys a little jealous. That’s why I find myself befriending Lucas. Then I could see why Chloe would find Lucas endearing and kind. He became a friend who listens to her. When you are in a vulnerable state you start fall for somebody like that.

TV SOAP:

There was that whole scene on the Warf with Lucas when you were crying. Isn’t that what t brought them together?

NADIA:

Yeah, and that’s where Chloe was when she and Brady got together. She was crying on the peer and Brady found her so… I think that’s where Chloe picks up men… on the peer. (She laughs) I think she seeks acceptance through somebody and the person who comes along.

TV SOAP:

What does she think about Nicole?

NADIA:

I don’t know. Personally, if you look at the history, I don’t know if I would be that forgiving. The fact that Nicole put the “flesh –eating” bacteria on the surgical equipment and messed her up and then totally played her against Brady is hard to get past. It’s so hard to look at the character of Nicole the same way because we are all being written so differently. Now I find her to be kind of charming and fun.

TV SOAP:

She does not despise her?

NADIA:

No. She used to despise her, but now we both realize we are both train wrecks. We are both miserable and divorced, and nobody will love us. We are both miserable company for each other. So, we now relate to each other more and are becoming friends. I love this storyline. I hope they write more stuff for us because Ariane Zuker (Nicole) and I are such good friends. She is one of my best friends in real life. We laugh so hard because it’s so hard for us to be mean for each other.

TV SOAP:

Ariane is married to Kyle Lowder and you are dating Brandon Beemer both “B&B” men. When you guys hang out together, I assume it would be fun being now on two different soaps.

NADIA:

It’s kind of funny. We have dinner together, and we are all friends. When we are out and there are fans around and they are like, “Wait a minute.” They are confused. We were all on “DAYS” at one point. Kyle used to be my TV husband, and Kyle is Ariane’s real husband. The men get to tell us about their day at work, and we can tell them about our work. So it’s interesting.

TV SOAP:

Have you watched
Brandon as Owen on “B&B”?

NADIA:

I am a big fan now. I have been really impressed with his work, and it’s so different than the character he played here at “DAYS”. This goes to show, that he is really good. He is not the same person he was here. I think he has a more suitable character for him on “B&B”. At “DAYS”, Shawn was kind of beaten-down and wimpy. Now he is masculine, sexy, mysterious, and a bit of an opportunist. He gets to be more of a player and I think its fun to watch, and fun to watch the women with him who are obviously going to drool!

TV SOAP:

But, I have a question, every time I go to the “hot lists” on the Internet;
Brandon Beemer is always number one? What do you think of that?

NADIA:

Those are some smart people making those lists, but I could have told them that. (She laughs) Sometimes I even forget and I go, “Damn you’re good-looking” but probably his most endearing quality is that he is so humble and a nice guy. Sometimes he doesn’t really realize what’s going on. He blushes when someone gives him a compliment and he works so hard.

TV SOAP:

With the Lucas storyline, where you are at now? I know you made love in an elevator?

NADIA:

I don’t know if it’s making love in the elevator, it was doing it. I would call it dirty and raunchy. (She laughs)

TV SOAP:

So, how was it doing those dirty and raunchy scenes?

NADIA:

How was it? It was interesting. I tell you, I had never done anything like that in an elevator before. I did not know that this is the first thing that comes to mind when you are stuck in an elevator. Lucas was trying to ease Chloe’s claustrophobia!

TV SOAP:

Did it help?

NADIA:

I think it did, because I forgot it about temporarily.

TV SOAP:

It was a pretty sexy scene.

NADIA:

It was a sexy scene. It was sexy for daytime. Trying to get some ratings! (She laughs) I don’t know how to explain our transition since then. Lucas and Chloe seemed to develop a friendship. I don’t know where it’s going, and I was reading scenes last week, and I had scenes last year with Shawn saying, “I can’t wait to have babies’ and this coming week, I tape a scene with Ali Sweeney ( Sami) where I am holding her baby, and I go, “Yuck! I don’t have a maternal bone in my body”. Sometimes, it’s hard to justify what you are saying, but that’s my job to make it work. The set-up for this is: we go away for this romantic getaway to this cabin with Lucas. It ends up including Sami and his kids. It’s hard for me to say where the character is going these days. In a recent episode Chloe helped Lucas pack and move out. Chloe does not have her own life right now.She is doading on Lucas and in real life I would be, “Honey I don’t have to work this hard OK?” (She laughs)

TV SOAP:

Would you like to work more with Jay again at some point?

NADIA:

I hope so, but they have not gone that way. We don’t even cross paths anymore. We are in separate storylines. It is fun to get to work with other people that I didn’t previously work with. It is refreshing and fun. I kind of like how they are integrating different storylines.

TV SOAP:

If you were writing the show, what would your story be? 

NADIA:

If I am writing the show and clearly I am not, (She laughs) I would be playing; “The Mac Daddy” and I would be playing all the guys. I would write it like; she is playing guys and play three guys against each other. They would not even know each other, and I would be weaving this web. It would be hot and sexy and I would be the puppet master with the boys. I think it’s time for one of the women to be like, “That’s right boys. You wanted you come get it!” I would have them feeding me grapes! That’s what I would write.

TV SOAP:

How is working with Bryan Dattilo? What would you say?

NADIA:

Out of control… funny… hilarious and he’s always on! Sometimes I ask him, “What goes through your head?”, because he just comes up with the most random things. He is always singing and rapping. He will just come up with a monologue as he is speaking, and it is the funniest thing you ever heard.

TV SOAP:

With all the backstage shake-ups at “DAYS” from executive producers and writing changes, how does that affect you and the cast?

NADIA:

It has been changing and I am definitely out of the loop. We hear rumors like the fans hear the rumors. Whatever goes on amongst the writers, producers and networks, is speculation to us, and so we are just as excited or worried. A really good thing here at “DAYS”, is we are all like a big family. So we do get anxious and we watch out for each other. We always hope things are going smoothly.

TV SOAP:

Many people miss Chloe singing. Recently, you just did a few episodes where you sang again.

NADIA:

I am so happy we got to do the two “Film Noir” episodes that aired here in the States during the Olympics, where I got to be a torch singer. I sang the classic blues song called, “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” and a new song. It’s fun. They don’t use my singing as part of my storyline anymore.

TV SOAP:

We hear you are working on a new recording!

NADIA:

I am working on a classical-crossover album. We are known as, “Bjorlin”, which is me and my brothers. We have four tracks available for download on iTunes. I am really excited about the project.

TV SOAP:

If “DAYS” is cancelled in 2009, would you consider doing soap?

NADIA:

I don’t know. I am not such a future planner. I would certainly entertainer the idea. Daytime has been really good for me. It’s challenging and great. I would keep that and all my doors open. If a great opportunity comes along, I may have to take that role.