One can only assume that recently returned Days of our Lives star Chandler Massey (Will Horton) has a Daytime Emmy Awards secret sauce up his sleeve. After all, he managed to win three consecutive times in the Outstanding Younger Actor category during his first run with the NBC soap opera and has just snagged a nomination in the Supporting Actor category with just a couple of months' worth of material from his recent return. Soap Central spoke with the popular actor shortly after his nomination to see if he'd reveal his secret -- and his response is worthy of an award in and of itself.
Soap Central: Congratulations, Chandler! How does it feel to be nominated -- again? I know it's not new for you, but it's been a couple of years since your last nomination.
Chandler Massey: Well, yeah, it has been. And it's a new category, so it's very exciting.
Soap Central: You seem to have a magic Daytime Emmy formula up your sleeve or something. You're just on fire when it comes to this event!
Massey: [Laughs] It's bribery! That's my secret. I send fruit baskets to all the judges.
Soap Central: Fruit baskets? I thought only cupcakes would work!
Massey: We're all on soaps. We can't be eating cupcakes!
Soap Central: Touché. So how did you find out that you had been nominated?
Massey: I had no idea it was going to be announced, so I just woke up midmorning, and I had a couple of texts congratulating me. So, I went, "Oh! Great."
Soap Central: So, I take it you're less the type to jump up and down in excitement, and more the calm "Oh, that's cool" type?
Massey: Well, I was surprised, for sure. I felt good about the material I had, but I only started airing in earnest, I guess, the last couple of months of the year. So, I just felt very lucky and grateful. I was just waking up, so I didn't have the energy to jump up and down! If it was midday, maybe I would have.
Soap Central: After you found out, did you call or text anyone to share the good news?
Massey: I tried calling my mom, but she was in Patagonia. She's hiking and doing crazy outdoorsy things. When she didn't pick up, I called my dad and talked to him for a little bit.
Soap Central: So, which scenes did you submit?
Massey: I submitted a couple of scenes with Will and Marlena [Deidre Hall], when Marlena convinces Will to come back and stay in Salem. That was when he still believed he was E.J. And then I threw in a couple of strangling scenes for shock value, and I guess the meat of it were the scenes with Will and Paul [Christopher Sean], when Will comes to visit Paul at his place for the first time.
Soap Central: You didn't have a ton of material, considering you came at the end of the year. But nonetheless, you did have quite a bit of powerful material. So, was it difficult to narrow down the scenes? Or did you know right off the bat what you wanted to submit?
Massey: It was easy because I really didn't have that much to choose from.
Soap Central: What do you think about the competition you're up against this year? Some stiff competition, I must say!
Massey: Well, Greg [Vaughan, Eric Brady] is nominated, which is awesome! So, there's stiff competition right there. And there's also the other Greg [Rikaart, Kevin Fisher, The Young and the Restless], whom I like very much. And Wally [Kurth, Ned Ashby, General Hospital; Justin Kiriakis, DAYS]. The entire set of nominees is skilled, and it's definitely cool to be in that group with those guys. They're all pros.
Soap Central: Do you think it's easier or more difficult to be up against someone from your own show? You're up against two from the DAYS family, even though Wally has been nominated for GH.
Massey: That's a good question. I guess I would say easier because that means DAYS has a better chance of taking that Emmy home. And also, Wally is nominated for General Hospital, but if he wins, we're going to count half of that! So, the odds are good.
Soap Central: Have you thought about who you might take with you to the awards when they come around at the end of April?
Massey: I guess my mom, if she wants to fly all the way out here again. That would be my first choice. I don't have a girlfriend, so I might have to hire one. [Laughs]
Soap Central: I'm sure you could just show up at the thing, and you'd have a million screaming girls eager to walk the carpet with you.
Massey: [Laughs] I don't know about that! But that's sweet of you to say.
Soap Central: I know most guys don't put so much thought into it, but you never know: Have you thought about what you will wear?
Massey: Noooooo! [Laughs] No. I have one suit that I have had since 2011, so I'm feeling like that will be the choice. Either that or my finest pair of sweatpants.
Soap Central: So, did you wear the same suit every year that you won? If so, maybe it's your lucky charm!
Massey: Actually, someone let me borrow a suit one year, so there has been a little variety. But all the other years, it has been that same suit. I'll have to keep the tradition going.
Soap Central: You said you were pretty sleepy and groggy when you found out you had been nominated, but once you woke up, were you able to celebrate? Or do you have plans to celebrate your nomination?
Massey: Maybe I'll take some friends and we'll go to Chuck E. Cheese and have a night out on the town. [Laughs] We'll go to Chuck E. Cheese, then we'll walk down to Blockbuster to rent a movie, and then we'll go to Radio Shack to get some tech gadgets.
Soap Central: Well, that will definitely match your suit from 2011. The complete package!
What do you think about Massey's Outstanding Supporting Actor nomination? Do you think he has a shot at taking home his fourth Emmy award? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
