A “Day of Days” With Alison Sweeney & Galen Gering

A sit down with Alison Sweeney and Galen Gering during Days of our Lives and NBC’s second annual “Day of Days” event.

TVSource Magazine’s Assistant Editor William Dallman attended the second annual “Day of Days” event on Saturday, November 7, 2009. The following interview was conducted at the Samba Brazilian Steakhouse and Lounge in the Universal Studios Hollywood: CityWalk.

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Rafe? EJ? Lucas? Everyone wants to know who Days of our Lives‘ Alison Sweeney thinks her alto-ego Sami Brady should be with. “I feel like I have to plead the fifth,” she said laughing. “That’s not fair. That’s three major, major, fan bases. I love working with Bryan (Lucas), we have worked together so long… James (EJ) is charming. I hate that with the accent he gets away with so much. I think it’s a lot of fun. I feel like Sami’s healthiest relationship she’s ever been in is with is Rafe, far and away. That’s awesome and fun and different. In a perfect world she should have all three.”

Gering playfully asked, “Maybe we can clone you?”

Sweeney shared some of the commonality she shares with Sami. “I think she’s loyal and she’s outgoing and she wears her heart on her sleeve.”

As we began talking about the big reveal that Sydney is actually Sami’s biological child, Sweeney said “We made it very clear that just because Sydney’s alive [that] doesn’t take away from the loss that they feel for Grace.”

Alison expressed how this was one of the most challenging storylines in her sixteen year history with the show. “Grace’s death is the most difficult I’ve ever had to play. It’s difficult because it was so realistic. I was really lucky to have Galen by my side during that. I thought the whole cast did a good job, we were there for each other the whole time.”

“It was just a very supportive atmosphere,” said Gering. “It was a huge thing to have the support of your cast mates because if you don’t, it’s not very fun.”

When asked about working with the babies who play Sydney, Ali said, “They are adorable twins. So sweet… People keep asking me if [Sydney] is my daughter, Meghan.”

When asked what it feels like to be at the heart of Days‘ biggest storyline in years Sweeney says, “There are certain storylines that affect people so much so that when you meet them in real life they are like ‘you know Nicole has your baby, right?’ and it just doesn’t happen every storyline.”

Both actors agree that it has been a lot of fun and worth the hard work that everyone has put into it, emphasizing that the payoff was worth the wait. “Then of course the next thing that happens is this crazy new twist. You keep going. You have a lot of stuff, so it’s really awesome,” Sweeney hinted.

The actress gushed about her co-stars and her upcoming storyline. “I love Ari (Nicole) and we have so much fun doing these scenes together. I think we all have so much fun working together. We have a storyline coming up and you will see — it’s me, James, Eric (Brady), Galen, Ari, and Lindsay (Ari) and we all end up totally saving each other and having fun. “We have so much fun off camera.”

Gering had much praise for Days of Our Lives executive producer Gary Tomlin, explaining how great it is to have him available to help with any questions or anything the actors might need. “It’s remarkable,” he says.

“He is such a leader. He knows where he’s going and he has a goal. I love how he’s so supportive of the story,” Sweeney noted.

The actress offered some insight about the behind the scenes changes at the show. “We move really fast,” she said. “It’s different than when we had all the time in the world to shoot a couple of scenes. It’s quick. You gotta know your lines and you have to be prepared.”

When asked how it feels to be an inspiration to millions struggling with their weight, Sweeney said “It feels really good.” She spoke very highly about the show and interacting with the contestants. “I met three people during the opening who said ‘I’ve lost twenty-five pounds, I’ve lost thirty pounds, I used to weigh two hundred and fifty pounds,’ and they are making a change. It’s so nice to be a part of the solution.”

Sweeney is currently filming the 9th season of NBC’s weight loss reality competition, The Biggest Loser. The current season can be seen Tuesdays at 8PM/EST.

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TVSOURCE MAGAZINE “DAY OF DAYS” COVERAGE

• Visiting The Set of ‘Days of Our Lives’ — A recap of our visit to the set of “Days of Our Lives.”
• At The ‘DAYS’ Set — Interviews from our visit to the set of “Days of Our Lives” with Wally Kurth, Eric Martsolf, Lindsay Hartley, Shelly Hennig and more!
• “Day of Days” With Alison Sweeney & Galen Gering — Interview with Alison Sweeney (Sami) and Galen Gering (Rafe)
• A “Day of Days” With Bill and Susan Hayes — Interview with Bill Hayes (Doug) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie)
• A “Day of Days” With Suzanne Rogers & Molly Burnett — Interview with Suzanne Rogers (Maggie) and Molly Burnett (Melanie)
• ‘A ‘Day of Days’ With DAYS Cast Part 1 – Interviews from the “Day of Days” event with the younger set — Shelley Hennig (Stephanie), Mark Hapka (Nathan), Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip) and more!
• ‘A ‘Day of Days’ With DAYS Cast Part 2 – Interviews from the “Day of Days” event with the soap vets James Reynolds, Renee Jones, Louise Sorel and more!
• ‘A Day of Days’ With James Scott & Arianne Zucker – A sit down interview with James Scott and Arianne Zucker during the “Day of Days” event.
• A “Day of Days” With Joe Mascolo – A sit down interview with Joe Mascolo (Stefano) during the “Day of Days” event.

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