Eileen Davidson has returned to Days of Our Lives, reprising her role as Kristen DiMera (formerly Kristen Blake) after a 14-year stint on The Young and the Restless as Ashley Abbott.
The GlobalTV.com Soap Bubble got a chance to catch up with Ms. Davidson during a phone-in Q&A last week. Below is an edited version. You'll get to hear about what it's like coming back to Days after 14 years, about the “sparks” that are "definitely" between Kristen and Brady, and some beauty secrets from one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the daytime screen.
Global TV asked Eileen Davidson if she had anything special to say for our Canadian fans. Here is what she said: “I have such a warm place in my heart for our Canadian fans just because... they’ve been loyal in following me from show to show and over the years. They’re amazing!”
Thanks, Eileen! You’re amazing too, eh?
Q: What is it like picking up a role again after 14 years? Is it like slipping into a comfortable shoe? Or do you have to make some changes?
Eileen Davidson: That’s a great question. You know, I’ve certainly changed. I think everybody
has changed in 14 years, right? So Kristen’s definitely a different woman. She’s been through so, so much in her life. I mean, we haven’t seen it, but 14 years have passed and she wasn’t in the best place the last time we saw her. So again, she has had lots of therapy, so certainly she’s changed and she’s not the same as she was. I think she’s probably more mature and more together and ready for a brand new start.
Q: Things can change in 14 years. Is Kristen still obsessed with John Black? Or are there other men who catch her eye?
Eileen Davidson: I think all men catch her eye. I think she is, you know, she’s kind of reborn this time around in Salem and I think she’s interesting and - she’s interested in the opposite sex in lots of different shapes and forms. You know, she’s just a - she’s back better than ever.
Q: Is it true that Kristen will be working at a church?
Eileen Davidson: Well, you know, she has - she’s trying to redeem herself with Salem and she’s trying to convince everybody that she’s changed, and that she’s had tons of therapy, and she wants to make amends and show that she is a better person. So what better way to do that then to, you know, be working in The House of the Lord.
Q: What was it like, your first meeting with James Scott [DAYS: E.J. DiMera]?
Eileen Davidson: You know, the first time I saw him I gave him a big hug because I knew that we had scenes together that day. And I don’t know I just, you know, I was feeling very effusive and very happy to be back and everybody was so warm and welcoming I just gave him a big fat hug. And I love working with James. He’s very open to, you know, kind of improv and doing things in the moment and he’s such a terrific actor that it was great from the very get-go. I hope people like it. I mean it’s kind of fun the fact that, you know, what I did to his mother and him and now he is this grown man. It’s a very interesting history.
Q: Are there any sparks between Kristen and Brady?
Eileen Davidson: Well he’s very suspicious of her clearly because of Marlena and John. You know, so obviously he would be like, “You know, I’m not believing anything... Like I said, she kind of has a thing about men in general when she comes back, you know, and she’s trying to also prove that she’s not interested in John. So are there sparks? I think there are just in terms of the fact that she has such a history with his father... [And] he’s very aware of everything and, you know, it poses a problem for her the way that he’s trying to protect Marlena, so there’s definitely sparks between them.
Q: Do you still get nervous doing love scenes?
Eileen Davidson: I do. I think love scenes are incredibly nerve-wracking. I mean, you know,whether you’re doing them with someone you’ve worked with before, or somebody that’s brand new, or whatever the thing is, you’re in a very intimate situation with 50 people watching you. And, you know, you have to be so careful with how you’re being shot, and what it looks like, and is it this and is it that, and it’s nerve-wracking. I’m just - I mean I never get over how nerve-wracking it is.
Q: What do you do to work out? Any great beauty secrets you could share?
Eileen Davidson: You know, I work out just about every day one way or another. I use an elliptical; I do something called TRX, which is basically core body work with using your own body work - your own body weight with like a pulley system at the gym. I don’t eat meat anymore. I mean, I eat fish now. This kind of has happened organically over time. And other than that, you know, I try to just live a pretty healthy lifestyle, nothing too boring. But I do use my microdermabrasion machine and, you know, just try to take generally good care of myself.
By: Aaron Hagey-MacKay
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Photo by Getty
Watch Days of our Lives Weekdays at 1.00 et/pt.