Stacy Haiduk Says Why This Year’s Emmys ‘Mean, Mean, Mean’ A Lot

Will the third time be the charm for Stacy Haiduk, who plays two roles on Days of our Lives? The fan-favorite actress is up for the Daytime Emmy tonight in the category of Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress, for her dual roles of Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks. Soap Hub chatted with Haiduk about why this year’s nomination is especially fulfilling.

Stacy Haiduk: Twice As Talented

The last time Haiduk was nominated, she opted to send in scenes only of Kristen — not her good-natured doppelgänger. So this year, she’s doubly grateful to have her work acknowledged by her peers as it’s for both characters. “I think this is the second time I put [both characters] together on the reel,” Haiduk says.

The actress does such a great job creating two different and distinct characters that she honestly isn’t sure if voters know that she’s playing both Susan and Kristen. “I love them both very much,” Haiduk says of her roles. “They’re so opposite. Once, I posted a clip of Susan, and someone asked, ‘Why does she look like you?'” (Check out this previous interview with Haiduk here.)

The Susan scenes are with Xander (Paul Telfer), who jeopardizes her safety. “I remember shooting those scenes with Paul,” Haiduk says. “They were so real.” Susan injected some of her trademark humor into the tense situation.

Haiduk says she actually reached out to supporters via social media to ask their opinions on what scenes as Kristen she should consider. “They chose a scene I had with Billy [Flynn, Chad] in which Kristen says what she did to his wife [Abigail]. She was both strong and vulnerable. I like it when a character is going after something.”

The stunning actress is proud of her reel as it shows the balance between her two personas. “They are two different characters,” she says. “I chose the scenes because I loved them.”

Haiduk, whose other daytime credits include runs on The Young and the Restless as Patty Williams and Dr. Emily Peterson, and on All My Children as Hannah Nichols, added, “I always look forward to seeing friends from other shows. It’s a nice party and a way to visit old pals and colleagues.”

The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards airs tonight, Friday, December 15, at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.