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TVSource Magazine names its pick to win Outstanding Lead Actress at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. We watched all of the Emmy reels and picked the ones we felt were best based on the submissions. Check out our 2015 Daytime Emmy predictions inside!
For 42 years, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has honored the soap industry and all of the hardworking persons involved by acknowledging the great talent daytime has to offer. The cast and crew of these programs are arguably the hardest working individuals in the entertainment industry and they deserve the accolades.
Though most soaps produce over 200 episodes a year, when it comes to the Daytime Emmy Awards, it’s just a few minutes that matter. Watching an actor bring his or her character to life over a course of a year is very different than watching a sampling of what they consider to be their best work. It’s up the actors and shows to pick the scenes that best show off their talents.
TVSource Magazine staff got together and reviewed the submissions, breaking down our picks by who should win and who will win. We’ve all been there, wondering why a star with a great tape didn’t win over someone who didn’t have one as good. A variety of factors play into why some reels play better with the jury than others. We tried to venture into that area with our breakdown this year.
We felt Outstanding Lead Actress was the strongest category this year. As others have discussed, Peggy McCay really belonged in the Supporting Actress category. Other than being in the wrong category, her reel, though lovely and sentimental, is basically just a wedding speech. McCay is an excellent actress but needless to say we’re a bit confused by the nomination. While McCay’s reel had very little to it, others had almost too much going on. Every actress was the star of her reel but sometimes the amount of story, length of the reel and movement from screen partner to screen partner took away focus. We ultimately chose who we felt showed range and made us feel the most.
The Nominees
- Peggy McCay as Caroline Brady, Days of our Lives, NBC
- Alison Sweeney as Sami Brady DiMera, Days of our Lives, NBC
- Gina Tognoni as Phyllis Newman, The Young and the Restless, CBS
- Maura West as Ava Jerome, General Hospital, ABC
- Laura Wright as Carly Corinthos Jacks, General Hospital, ABC
The Stats
- Peggy McCay — 3 nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress (1986, 2013, 2015) and 1 for Outstanding Supporting Actresss (1987)
- Alison Sweeney — First Daytime Emmy nomination ever (2015)
- Gina Tognoni — 3 nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress (2006, 2007, 2008); 1 nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress (2015); 2 wins for Supporting Actress (2006, 2008)
- Maura West — 2 nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress (2001,2002); 6 nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015); 2 wins for Outstanding Lead Actress (2007, 2010)
- Laura Wright — 3 nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress (2011, 2012, 2015); 1 win (2011)
The Reels
Peggy McCay – Daytime Emmy Nominee Reel
Alison Sweeney – Daytime Emmy Nominee Reel
Gina Tognoni – Daytime Emmys
Maura West – Daytime Emmys
Find out who we selected as our “Should Win” and “Will Win” picks on the next page.
Photo Credits (l-r): Gina Tognoni courtesy CBS.com; Maura West courtesy ABC.com; Alison Sweeney courtesy NBC; Peggy McCay courtesy NBC; Laura West courtesy Jim Warren Photography
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