Days superstar Kate Mansi talked about being nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama series and more.
A “Hairy” Experience!
Mansi got a big–and very pleasant–surprise while she was fixing her hair getting ready for an appointment. “The publicity department [for Days]was FaceTiming me, which never happens,” she recounted to Laurie Baker of Outtakes. “They told me I was nominated. I was not expecting it, since I’m not with the show anymore!” Mansi had been in Bermuda shooting a film during the time she had to put her Emmy submission reel together. “The crew for the film knew all about the nomination and were really excited for me,” she said. Hear the full audio below.
Choosing a Reel
Mansi said that it was difficult to select reels for submission. “I chose the scene where Abby seduced Ben and lit him on fire. Chad rushes in, and saves him and she’s in a state of trauma.”
She also added scenes where Abby was subsequently committed to a mental institution. Mansi leaned on her fellow actor and Days alum Blake Berris (Nick) for advice in this regard. “He told me to lead with my heart [when choosing scenes for a reel], so that’s what I did.”
The Story of a Lifetime
Mansi was diligent in her research to portray her character’s struggles as realistically as she could.
“The interesting thing is that no one knows your character as well as you do,” she said. “As time passes, you flesh out the character more and more, and she becomes her own person.” Mansi talked to the writers about a last story for Abigail with something specific in mind.
“One of the things I feel passionate about is mental health,” she said. Mansi conferred with a psychotherapist friend on her idea. “I asked her what she’d diagnose Abigail with.” Mansi spent a good amount of time taking notes and attending lectures to get a thorough background on the situation that she’d be playing. “We decided that Abigail would be suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Luckily, the writers went with it and wrote me an unbelievable story.” Fans can remember that Abigail’s mother, Jennifer went through the same thing. “We really dug into Abby’s family history to play it better,” said Mansi. “Honestly, I feel like I was given the story of a lifetime, so I’m really lucky.”
Emmy and Future Plans!
Will Mansi attend the Daytime Emmys on April 30th? Yes, she will but she has another special event to attend first!
“My sister is getting married right before, so I’ll be flying in from Seattle! I want to find something great to wear, but since I’ll be coming right off the plane I might be in my bridesmaid’s dress!” she joked.
As for future plans now that her Days role has come to an end, Mansi said that she just finished filming the movie Babymoon in Bermuda with Kelly McGillis, who was “fantastic” to work with.
She is also working with a cause close to her heart, mental health. “I’m working with a non-profit called Bring Change to Mind, which was started by actress Glenn Close,” she said. “Glenn started this organization for education about and beating the stigma of mental illness. I met with her in New York after her Broadway show, Sunset Boulevard and we discussed it.” Mansi pointed out that April and May are Mental Health Awareness months. “It’s a nice transition from Days for me to put the passion I have for this cause into this charity,” she said.
Words of Advice
Asked what advice she’d give to budding actors, Mansi said this. “We all know that there’s a lot of rejection in this industry. There’s a great, cheesy quote, ‘Rejection is God’s protection,’ you don’t always have to be ‘boss lady’ or have everything figured out. If you find that acting is your passion, pursue it, but it takes a lot of patience, perseverance, and grounding.”
Give us your input in the comment section below. Check back with Soap Cities for more Days spoilers, recaps, news, and fun! Follow us on Twitter at @soapcities, on Instagram at @soapcities, and come chat with us in our Facebook group. Catch “Days of Our Lives” weekdays on NBC.
