DAYS: Eileen Davidson interview from 1997...

[KLN]

Eileen Davidson's TV Guide Q&A (2/97)

Everything's coming up roses for Eileen Davidson. Considered the front-runner for Soap Opera Digest's outstanding lead actress award, she is currently doing spectacular double duty as Days of Our Lives' Kristen Blake and Kristen's ditsy doppelganger, Susan. Not only that, but this popular, gorgeous star will soon be walking down the aisle with General Hospital heartthrob Jon Lindstrom.

You are such a blast as Susan! Have you ever played a part even remotely like this?

Only in acting class. When I first started studying in my early 20s, I would always pick the characters who either had a weight problem or were offbeat, dowdy, insecure, not the leading lady kind of thing. Susan kinda comes naturally to me, frighteningly enough. It's very scary.

I never thought anyone could steal scenes from Louise Sorel, but you've succeeded. The day Viv showed up at Susan's apartment was priceless. Do you crack up doing this stuff?

Every day. After every take. I always hear the wardrobe people laughing over in the corner. I'm like, "OK, who's laughing? This is drama, not comedy! Susan is supposed to be tragic, not funny."

But she is. You're really riding that very fine line between funny and camp. Is that hard?

Oh, yeah! [Days exec producer] Ken Corday was in the booth one day when I was doing this scene where Susan is talking to the teddy bear about how mean Kristen is. He comes over the boom and says, "Uh, Eileen, that's a little too funny. You really gotta take it down." You want to go all the way but you can't. I don't really understand that line. There is a lot of tragedy where she's concerned, especially with her love for this child. So we're really walking the line all the time.

There's not a lot of direction in daytime drama. How did you devise this character?

I rehearsed with various accents and wigs well before I went on camera. Susan even had an Afro at one point. It was my choice to do a Southern accent, simply because the show has enough of that exotic accent thing with Stefano and Celeste and Franco and all those people. The character really just kinda metamorphosed. She just came to be. When I put on the fat suit and the bad teeth, everything changed -- my posture, my voice, it's hard to explain. Susan just came into being. It has been the most amazing thing: An extra actually went up to Tonya Boyd [Celeste] and, referring to me, said, "I don't mean to be mean, but who is that awful-looking woman? She's walking around like she owns the place!" Some people have asked me -- in all seriousness -- "Who's playing Susan?"

And what about Susan's even more amazing transformation into Kristen? I guess the basic message here is that if you get the right fake teeth and the right wig you, too, can look like Eileen Davidson, no matter what kind of a crone you are. Where can the public purchase these things? You could have quite a sideline going.

But makeup and hair can do a lot for a person!

Yeah, right.

You know about the ugly duckling syndrome in high school, right? People who weren't all that attractive in high school tend to blossom later on? Well, I was one of those myself. I believe that's why I relate to Susan so well. I went through a period of time where I was overweight, I had mousy hair -- OK, not quite to the extent of Susan, but still. I was definitely along those lines. I was the wallflower of the class.

So you mean there's hope for every troll in America?

Why not? And if that doesn't work you can call a plastic surgeon.

I get a lot of mail from people griping about the John-Kristen-Marlena triangle. They want to know if it's ever going to end. But on soaps, isn't the waiting the point?

Yes, and there's going to be more waiting than originally planned. I think that Susan is making [head writer] Jim Reilly happy. She's opened up new avenues for John-Kristen-Marlena, so it's not going to be over for a while. There's just a new quotient in the equation. And they're throwing more things at me every day. She comes off as a dimwit but [Days exec] Tom Langan says, "She's dumb like a fox." There are a lot of layers. I don't think she's calculated. Hey, they might tell me next week, "She's very calculated," and I'll go, "OK, whatever." But the way I see her is that she's dealing with her instincts. She's not well-educated, so things go over her head, and things are funny to her that aren't funny to other people. She has her own way of being. But when she sets her mind on something, she's very tenacious -- especially with this baby.

So now that Susan has given birth, you're gradually taking off the fat padding.

It's weird because I had to graduate as Kristen into different padding, [but] now I'm degraduating as Susan. It's so complicated. I have all these fat suits in my dressing room, and the wardrobe people and I are always going, "OK, what pad do we put on now?" It's really a trip. Susan is going to lose a lot of weight. We're adding it in that she wants to be a model.

Susan?

Well, she's saying, "If I'm a supermodel, everyone will love me" -- that type of thing.

Susan was originally supposed to be a short-term role. Is it now open-ended?

Yeah. Originally they were hoping to hire someone who resembled me to play the Kristen impostor, then they decided to give me both roles, so that changed the plans right there. It is definitely open-ended now. My contract was up in April, and I've extended it for a few more months because they wanted to go with the story a little bit more. You know Jim Reilly. I wouldn't put anything past that man. Anything could happen. I mean, it would be fantastic if Susan just takes over Kristen's life.

So where are you putting yourself on the Emmy ballot? Lead actress?

Yeah.

Do you think there's a backlash from the Emmy voters because Days always sweeps the Soap Opera Digest Awards?

I don't know. I've heard other people say there is definitely a backlash -- but are the Emmy voters really that vindictive? Hell-o-o-o-o-oh, this is just show business! Who knows? And who cares, if that's what it all comes down to? It's just kind of bizarre from where I sit.

But is an Emmy nomination important to you?

It's not life or death by any means. It would be a nice nod, but life goes on. It doesn't affect your paycheck. It doesn't affect getting jobs in the future. It's mostly just a nod from your peers, which is definitely nice, and I don't want to diminish that. But overall, I've been in this business for so long and seen so many very talented people not get nominated, haven't you?

Absolutely.

My fiance is one. Having the editors of Soap Opera Digest nominate me meant a lot.

You've got that one in the bag!

Oh, I don't know about that. Really. I don't know. Genie Francis and Jensen Buchanan are both such talented women. Who knows?

OK, let's get to the real dish! What about that tabloid account that you are demanding double money to play Susan?

Where was that printed? You know, Deidre Hall came into work and told me about that.

I clipped it out hoping I would one day get the chance to grill you about it. It's from The Globe. Here's how it reads: "Days of Our Lives beauty Eileen Davidson wants double salary because she's playing two characters on the soap! The diva's telling pals she's demanding $6,000 per day -- twice her regular pay -- or she'll quit!" The headline says "Double Trouble."

I was furious about that! But Deidre told me it was in Soap Opera Digest, so of course I'm all pissed at Soap Opera Digest.

No, it's from The Globe. I guess Deidre didn't want you to know she reads the tabs.

[Laughs.]

She's at the checkout stand reading 'em like the rest of America.

That's funny. I'm going to have to call her on that. The Globe, eh?

So it's completely untrue?

Completely. First of all, they had me over a barrel because I asked to play both roles. What they offered me was my regular pay plus day-player scale, which is standard. They have to give me a bump. It's in the union laws. It's like an extra $680. And if I'm playing only one of the characters in an episode, I just get my regular pay. I certainly never threatened to quit. That's not my style. I'm sure other people might say, "Screw you, I want double pay!" But I've never heard of that. Also, remember, Jon was playing twins on GH. I knew the kind of money he was getting.

So are the marriage plans still coming along or has Jon's new load with the upcoming GH2 gotten in the way?

No, part of his negotiations was to get a week off for the honeymoon. Everything's insane because my house [is] sold and I'm in the middle of packing. I'm planning a wedding. And now they love Susan so she's not going away. I'm sooo tired and sooo crabby.

Do you have family and friends helping you plan the wedding or are you doing it solo?

Jon is helping. It's 50-50 all the way. Thank God for that. We're getting married in May out of town. Just a family wedding.

Are you nervous?

Just normal nervous. Like if Jon's in a bad mood I'm going, "Do you still want to get married?" Every day, I'm like, "You still OK with this? It's a lifetime commitment, you know!"

It's amazing how much is going on with you two.

Last year was very quiet; this year everything is hitting the fan in the biggest way. But let's get back to that little comment in that tabloid thing... that really pissed me off, because first of all, they didn't call me to ask me.

Eileen, they never do things like that! If they did, they'd get nothing but denials and then have nothing to print.

But they make it sound like there's some kind of problem between me and Ken Corday. Ken is a fantastic boss. I really like working for both him and Tom Langan. I would never pull the "I want this, I want that" stuff. Letting me play Susan was a gift. It's been the most fun I've ever had as an actor. But now there's a whole slew of people out there who believe this -- just like there's a whole slew of people who think I'm really a man [a rumor that has been widely circulating for years]. Once this stuff gets out there you can't stop it. So, now I guess I'm a mean man.

Well, there is always that school of thought that says, "Hey, who cares what they think as long as they're talking about me and spelling my name right?"

Easy for you to say!

[KMan101]

Love that woman!

If DAYS doesn't get her back they are MORONS. Simply MORONS.

She is SO needed.

Thank you for posting that Kenny

[PhoenixRising05]

Love it. Thanks Kenny

[RionPassions]

I'd love to see her reprise her multiple roles on Days (Susan and Kristen full time, Sister Mary Moira, Thomas, and Penelope's ghost sporadically). But I also want her on Passions just so JER can tell Corday to suck his big one.

[DaysnPassionsFan]

With EJ being on the show, I'm guessing if Eileen returned, we'd get Susan first then Kristen... and the rest of the Bankseses popping up once in a while down the road!

That would be awesome.

[daysfan]

Okay, we DO NOT need Eileen playong all those roles again. They were great, but alot of them really aren't needed, and wasn't half the reason Eileen quit because she was tired of playing all the roles?

[Southern Honey]

Get Eileen back on TV, PERIOD. But I would loooove to see her back on Days.

[Mason]

DAYS, get this woman back NOW. Repeat, NOW.

You can have Kristen reading a phone book for all I care, but Corday, get Eileen back on DAYS NOW.

[darraholic]

I don't want to see all the roles again.

Kristen full time and Susan part time. With maybe a few visits by Sister Mary.