Michelle Stafford is once again nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Daytime Emmys for her role as Phyllis Summers on Young and the Restless. She sat down with Soap Hub to chat about her nod, her reel, and what she thinks of her fellow nominees.
The Best in Daytime
Stafford has won two Daytime Emmys already. She won the statuette for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1997. The actress took home the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series in 2004. How did she discover she was nominated this year? “The great Matt Kane [Y&R’s director, publicity and talent] told me,” Stafford tells Soap Hub.
Some actors select specific scenes that tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and others choose a selection of scenes from throughout the year that are not as linear. “I don’t know if I told a story [per se] but I liked the scenes [I did choose],” Stafford says. “I felt that they were really good. They showed a character that was really [expletive] messed up and then, she was fighting to get her life back.”
Last year, Phyllis conspired with the dangerous James Hyde (ex-Jeremy) to fake her death but then, she realized he was unbalanced, and she ended up killing him in self-defense. Phyllis not only had to try to re-win the trust of her loved ones, but she also had to fight for her freedom as her schemes could have landed her in jail.
“I feel [the scenes] showed pathos, her spinning out, and then, I showed another element of danger and psychosis,” she says. The actress’s scenes partners on her reel include Tracey Bregman (Lauren), Christian LeBlanc (Michael), Susan Walters (Diane), Lauralee Bell (Christine), and Vail Bloom (Heather).
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Soap Hub selected Stafford as our Y&R Performer of the Week on more than one occasion last year. You can read more about that here.
The Ladies Who Lunch
Asked if she’s familiar with the work of her fellow nominees, Stafford responded, “Of course! There are only four shows, right? We’re all familiar with each other.” Last fall, in fact, Stafford tweeted out her support of her pal Finola Hughes (Anna, General Hospital), one of this year’s nominees. “Someone had posted [a scene] where Dante [Dominic Zamprogna] tells her [she shot Charlotte] and I thought she was so great. I tweeted this is the best in daytime!”
Michelle Stafford says what she enjoys about going to the Daytime Emmys is getting to see members of the daytime community. “I’m always down for a good party,” she says. “I enjoy having a laugh, being with our colleagues. Not every actor gets to act. Not every actor has a job. Not every writer has a job. We should celebrate ourselves. Life is gnarly. It’s a wild [expletive] ride. You’ve got to take those moments and enjoy it. Everyone there has already won.”
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmys are set to air on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.
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