Seeing Chandler Massey's name on the list of this year's Outstanding Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy nominees was a bittersweet moment for fans of the Days of our Lives star, known for playing Will Horton. Everyone is crushed about the fact that he was let go from the NBC soap opera and will be exiting Salem later this year -- so it's especially exciting to see the actor and his talent saluted in this special way. But there's even more good news: in an interview celebrating his Emmy nomination, Massey told Soap Central that his upcoming exit isn't necessarily a permanent goodbye. Plus, no matter what happens in the future, he's very happy to see justice for Will and Sonny (Freddie Smith).
Soap Central: Congratulations on your Emmy nomination!
Chandler Massey: Thanks very much!
Soap Central: How do you feel about it?
Massey: I feel pretty good, as you would probably guess. It's an honor to be nominated, and I'm definitely glad that people liked the story.
Soap Central: You've been nominated before, and I'm wondering if it feels any different this time, just with everything going on in the world, and you're not on set with your colleagues?
Massey: Yeah, it does a little bit. That's a good question -- I'm not on the show currently, so it's a nice reminder that the work that Freddie and I did resonated with people, and they find it compelling, to some degree.
Soap Central: Have you sort of felt that you've been swept back up into the DAYS family with all of this?
Massey: Sure, yeah. I mean, I've gotten some really nice messages from different cast members and other people who are working on the show, so it's been nice to reconnect with them. But it's hard, right? Everybody feels really isolated right now.
Soap Central: How did you find out that you'd been nominated?
Massey: I was in the car with my dad, and his phone was on the dashboard, just as a hands-free thing because he was driving, and his friend sent a text that popped up that said, "Congratulations to Chan on getting an Emmy nom," and we looked at each other and said, "Whoa! Didn't realize that was getting released today."
Soap Central: Doesn't it feel good to get love like that right now? Every bit of good news is extra special, it seems.
Massey: Yeah, I think so. I would agree.
Soap Central: Which scenes did you submit for your reel?
Massey: I submitted the scenes with Freddie and myself, or rather Will and Sonny, in prison, and Will was saying that they shouldn't be together, that Sonny should be free to live his own life and move on and that he would be happier without him.
Soap Central: Were all of your scenes from that same storyline?
Massey: Yes. I wanted to keep it one episode and sort of short.
Soap Central: Oh, wow -- that will definitely make you stand out, because I feel like the "norm" has been several different scenes from different storylines.
Massey: Well, I knew that Freddie and Wally [Kurth, Justin Kiriakis] were submitting scenes that I was in, so I figured the judges were going to see enough of me! [Laughs]
Soap Central: We could never see enough of you, Chandler, come on!
Massey: Oh, that's sweet. [Laughs] Thank you.
Soap Central: Was it difficult for you to narrow down which scenes to submit? Because you had quite a bit of material to choose from.
Massey: To be honest, I didn't really look at all that much. I wanted to submit the flashback scene at the hospital where it comes out Adrienne [Judi Evans] passed and that it was Will's fault, but unfortunately, that aired in early January, so it wasn't eligible. So, I just went back a little bit and found, just by chance, these scenes, and I thought while they're not dramatic and they're not big, something felt real about them to me, which is really what I look for.
Soap Central: What do you think about some of the other very talented men that you're up against in your category?
Massey: I can tell you two of them are awesome! [Laughs] I'm sure they all are, but two of them -- Wally and Paul [Telfer, Xander Kiriakis] -- are incredible actors and also really, really nice guys. I'm hoping, above all, that one of us wins so we can represent DAYS and take home that sweet, sweet gold.
Soap Central: How do you feel about the fact that the ceremony is going to be televised this year? The fans are sure excited about that.
Massey: It's sort of a weird year to televise it, being that everything is going to be virtual. [Laughs] But I think it's cool, and I think it'll lead to some interesting moments.
Soap Central: How do you feel about the possibility of accepting an award via Zoom rather than in an auditorium full of a gazillion people?
Massey: Yeah, I guess that's under the Jeopardy! category of "Things I Never Thought I Would Do." [Laughs] Or at least have the chance to do. It's pretty funny, and I think it'll be an interesting awards show this year, for sure.
Soap Central: So many actors have told me that they're not really great with computers, so I'm thinking, "What in the world is going to happen on this night?" It might be pretty hilarious.
Massey: I can only imagine! There's going to be some amazing moments, like someone doesn't have the camera on their face and it's like on their torso, or people are talking in the background on the beach or something. It's gonna be interesting, that's for sure!
Soap Central: Normally, we ask what you're going to wear, but this year, the more pertinent question is what is your background going to be?
Massey: Oh, yeah! [Laughs] I don't know. I'll have to look at some options, maybe do that Snapchat thing where I'm just a pickle or something.
Soap Central: You are one of the few actors that I'm talking with that has some future storyline coming up, as a lot of the shows are airing reruns right now, and I know that your time is wrapping up, but is there anything that you can tease very vaguely about your last episodes?
Massey: I feel like you can expect a nice conclusion for WilSon. With all they've been through, they finally get some peace and some happiness. It's a long time coming, but I think it's a good development.
Soap Central: It really is a bittersweet time, because obviously your fans are sad to see you go, but we're all so happy that you got this nomination, so what kind of emotions are you feeling about all of that?
Massey: I'm feeling just very grateful to be nominated. Sad to leave the show, but nothing lasts forever, and I was on it for quite a long time. And who knows, it's a soap, so maybe the door is open for returns in the future. I'm just happy that the WilSon story was done justice, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.
What do you think about Chandler Massey receiving an Emmy nomination for his work as DAYS' Will? Do you think he'll take home the gold this year? 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.
