Playing the fiery daughter of Days of our Lives’ Sami and EJ has been a major undertaking for Sydney Malakeh. Still, she’s handled the assignment with grace and ease, thanks, in part, to some advice from onscreen parents: Alison Sweeney and Dan Feuerriegel. Malakeh weighed in on how she’s acclimating to her first soap, what she’s added to the role of Sydney DiMera, and more during an interview with Soap Hub.
Malakeh Reveals How Her DAYS Co-Stars Helped Her Find Her Place in the DiMera Family
Soap Hub: Did you walk out of your DAYS screen test thinking, I got this?
Sydney Malakeh: I was praying that I got it, but I was also trying to trust that what was meant to be would be. It was so underwhelming because we really just did it in one take. When I came to [read for the] producers and do a chemistry test with Dan, we did it once. They gave me no notes. They said nothing but “thank you,” and I left. So I just tried to let it go.
SH: What was it like working opposite Dan Feurriegel?
SM: It was great. I felt that we were immediately able to play and connect. We improvised a little bit, and it felt really good.
SH: Obviously, you did well and got the job. Was there anybody who took you under their wing and showed you the ropes as a newcomer to the medium?
SM: Dan and Cherie (Jimenez, who plays Gabi) for sure. Both of them really checked in on me on a person-to-person level. And, as actors, they’ve really shown me the ropes, because there’s no hand-holding in this soap world. Things truly move so quickly. There’s no table read. There’s no, “Hi, let’s talk this out.” You just show up and get thrown in.
SH: You’ve got two daytime vets playing your parents, Dan and Alison Sweeney (Sami). Have either of them given you any tips about working on DAYS?
SM: Dan told me that you’re not going to feel phenomenal about every single performance, and that’s okay. That’s normal. You just have to flush it. You can’t hold on to things because we’re moving at such a quick pace, and you’ve got to be available for the next thing. So that has been really helpful. And then Ali came in and was changing things left and right. She was like, “Look, I know that this is a soap. I know that time is money and we need to move quickly, but also the story is important, and our audience cares. This character is your baby. If you know that your character wouldn’t do or say something, bring it up to them. The worst they can say is, ‘No.’” That was really nice to hear from someone who has done phenomenal work on the show. She was like, “Yes, this is fast, but also take your liberties where you can.”
SH: Is there anything you feel like you’ve brought to Sydney that maybe wasn’t on the written page, something that you wanted to put into her?
SM: I’ve taken a lot of myself and put it into Sydney DiMera, like her heart. I, as Sydney Malakeh, really wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m a deeply emotional person. Sydney DiMera is super strong. She’s written that way, but I’m finding ways that I can also show her heart.
SH: Speaking of the DiMeras, did anybody give you a sense of what it means to be part of such a renowned daytime family? I’m sure you notice the portrait of Joseph Mascolo, who played the patriarch, Stefano, hanging in the living room every time you walk onto that set.
SM: Oh, yes. He’s overseeing everyone.
SH: Were you told anything about the DiMeras?
SM: Not really, no. I knew it was a powerful family and that there’s a lot of history there, but no one gave me any [information] other than that my dad is a villain.
SH: What’s surprised you about working on a soap opera?
SM: There’s a stigma around soap opera in general that it may be less, that maybe the quality of work or the amount of effort is less. But these people that I’m working with on DAYS are so brilliantly talented. I’ve just been blown away. Yes, we move quickly, because we have to, but there’s still artistry. Everybody’s showing up locked and loaded and ready to go, because you have to. That’s really cool to see, because on other sets, people will be messing around. They don’t know their lines. You have to here. These people are so professional and talented.
