Interview: Alison Sweeney, Pt. 2
BY CINDY ELAVSKY
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Love her or hate her, Sami Brady
has been a fixture in Salem for 20
years. (Can you believe it's been
that long?) As Alison Sweeney celebrates
this milestone, she shares her
memories of what it's been like to
play such a polarizing character on
"Days of Our Lives" for the past
two decades.
Sami has never been one to shy
away from controversy, as she spent
her early years scheming and scamming
to steal boyfriends, make her
parents' lives a living hell and
putting her sister Carrie through the
ringer on many occasions. As
Alison reflects back on her time on
"Days," she explains how "Days"
has stayed relevant in an evershrinking
soap-opera market.
"We here at 'Days' are embracing
the challenge by staying relevant,
staying current and giving fans
something worth watching. Each
year as we get renewed by NBC,
we consider it a gift, and we want
to give our fans a gift in return by
putting out the best possible show."
When Alison thinks back on Sami's
reign in Salem, she can see how
she's changed and how she's
remained the same.
"I've seen tons of change in her.
When I first started, Sami was playing
childhood pranks and antics.
She also did some really horrible
things, like always scheming to
steal Austin from Carrie.
“When you see her today,
while there is a nice
through-line of her questionable
moral compass, you
can see she's wised up a lot. But
there's still not a lot she won't do (to
get what she wants)."
But ask Alison what her favorite
romantic story line has been, and
she hedges a bit, as she doesn't want
to play favorites. "For the first 15
years, it was always Sami chasing
after men (who were usually
unavailable). But in these past five
years, with the addition of Galen
(Gering as Rafe) and James (Scott
as E.J.), now she has men fighting
over her!"
So, what about the main three:
Lucas, E.J. and Rafe? "The relationship
with Lucas in all its different
manifestations has been a wonderful
through-line for me. But I also
love the dynamic of her relationship
with E.J. and playing the different
sides of that. Sami and Rafe is a
wonderful storybook romance,
where he was her protector who
eventually fell in love with her."
Like the fans of "Days of Our
Lives," Alison finds it hard to
choose one romance of Sami's as
her favorite, as they all have their
own unique things to love and for
fans to root for.
As Alison explains: "There is a
different feel between the three of
them. It's been fun to have the
opportunity to play all three of
these story lines."
Associated Images:
‘I’ve seen tons of change in her.’
– Alison Sweeney
Photo Credit: NBC
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