The 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on Friday, October 17, and the Lead Actress category is stacked with four powerhouse performers from The Young and the Restless, all vying for gold.
In a category brimming with talent, Y&R‘s Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott), Sharon Case (Sharon Newman), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson), and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Newman) will face off against General Hospital‘s formidable duo, Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) and Laura Wright (Carly Spencer).
“It’s a very, very strong year,” says Sharon Case, who took home a trophy in 1999. “All six actresses, we all have big storylines, and we’re all strong actresses. It’s a competitive category. It always is, so it makes us all feel all the more just grateful and honored you were part of this. It makes being nominated all that really matters, because that’s the prize right there, especially with the category loaded like this.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.comEileen Davidson, who won in 2014 and again in 2018, emphasizes just how high the bar is this year. “These are the best of the best,” she declares. “All these women are so incredible and always put in great performances; this isn’t an anomaly. It’s pretty amazing, Laura and Nancy included. So, like Sharon said, it’s just really exciting to be considered a part of this group. It’s such an honor. And also, I love them all so much. They’re all such great gals. So, it’s gonna be a big party.”
While this year’s ceremony promises to be memorable, the nominees haven’t forgotten the magic of Emmys past. For Davidson, it was a standout night in New York. “I think with Radio City Music Hall, I was presenting with [the late] Drake Hogestyn (John Black, Days of Our Lives), and I remember being at the top and walking down those huge stairs,” she shares. “And at that moment, I was just taking in this amazing venue. And then all the people — it was filled to the brim with fans — and I was just really making sure I was present, because it was really kind of a cool moment.”
For eight-time nominee Melissa Claire Egan, each year has its own meaning. “They’ve all been special,” she reflects. “The first year I was nominated in 2009, I brought my parents, so that was special to bring my dad as my date, and my mom was in the audience. And I’m actually bringing them again this year. My husband’s [Matt Katrosar] coming, but my mom is turning 75 two days prior, so I’m going to bring them this year too, because they love this stuff, so that’ll be fun. I’m excited for that.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.comThe celebration doesn’t stop at the ceremony. Three-time Emmy winner Michelle Stafford, this year’s reigning Lead Actress, continues the long-running tradition of hosting a luncheon for her category’s nominees — a practice that dates back to 2005.
“I was there when it started,” Stafford shares. “And the way it started was eight of us were nominated one year, and Nancy Grahn was in that group, and we were [at lunch] for, like, four hours. And it was really fun, and this was in New York, and Susan Flannery [Stephanie Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful] went and paid the bill without us knowing it. She said, ‘It’s taken care of. I did it. It’s taken care of.’ And we’re like, ‘No, no. Susan, no, no, there was so much alcohol, there’s so much,’ and she said, ‘You know what? Whoever wins tomorrow, you’re paying next year.’ And that’s how it started. And then Erika Slezak [Ronnie Bard, General Hospital] won, and she got up on stage and says, ‘All right, I guess I’m paying next year.’ And it just continued on, which is really cool.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com