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A round-up of answers to the usual questions from one of As the
World Turns' newest cast members.
Napiera Danielle comes to Oakdale as Bonnie McKechnie on
Wednesday, August 22.
A Bonnie Lass
Tamara Tunie and Michael Swan, who play Duncan and Jessica, were
very, very good to me. The night before my first day, they offered
to have dinner with me, just to talk over drinks, and they gave
me all of Bonnie's history. They were really, really great because
without that, I would have been completely lost. We decided that
Bonnie grew up in Oakdale and went off to college in Europe. Bonnie
was engaged to a Duke, so it shows the kind of people she surrounded
herself with. I'm sure that contributed to her style and her wonderful
taste, and also her attitude.
Seven Degrees of...
I've been acting, singing, dancing, probably since I was eight,
my whole life. And then I went to a high school for creative and
performing arts in Cincinnati. Another daytime actress, Rebecca
Budig (Greenlee) on All My Children, we went to the same
school, and also the band 98 Degrees. So a lot of little
talented Cincinnati kids came out of there. And then I went to college
and majored in musical theater. So, I'm a musical theater kid. The
whole triple threat thing is where my heart is.
Musical Mementos
One time I played Nancy in Oliver. That was cool. I got to
be sexy and a tough girl and knocked around by my man. Another one
of my favorite roles is a show I did here in New York called Bright
Lights, Big City, where I was a supermodel/heroine addict. But
I got to do some great songs, and Patrick Wilson, who is in the
Full Monty now, played my husband, so that was really fun.
Miss Congeniality
I was so not a pageant girl. The two major pageants I ever did,
they were bets. It was like a friend said, "I bet you don't."
And I said, "I bet I do. Because I'm bored and I have nothing
else to do." When I won Miss District of Columbia, I was still
in college. A month later I went to Miss USA. It was so much
fun. It was nothing like I thought. It was beautiful and elaborate,
but it was also a demonstration of how smart young women can be.
The group of girls I was with was wonderful. We had so much fun,
which is probably why I was given the Miss Congeniality award. Miss
Congenitally is an award voted by the other contestants. You vote
amongst yourselves for the girl that is the most friendly, the most
easy to get along with, or just the one that makes you feel very
comfortable. Congeniality is personality. I don't know how I won.
It was fun though. A lot of fun.
Becoming Bonnie
I auditioned in LA first, and I got on tape in LA. Then I got a
call from New York saying they wanted to see me for a screen test.
I came in and screen tested with several other young women, beautiful
young women, and then I got the call maybe two days later. I moved
to New York from LA in five days. It's been really, really rushed
and I'm still keeping my apartment in LA and going to try to get
back and forth as much as possible. Right now, though, I'm just
so focused on trying to get in the rhythm and swing of things here,
but you don't really do it that quick. It's gradual. It's going
to take some time. They handed me a 70 page script, and out of 70
pages, I was in 40 of them! I called my agent immediately, and I
was like, "Oh my God, you are not going to believe what I have
in my hand!" She just started laughing. So I read the script
and tried to speak it out loud a couple of times and get it in my
system. I think the biggest part right now is getting to know everyone
around me, plus my character, plus my lines. I just want to learn
everything and try to make sense of Bonnie and why she's doing the
things that she does.
Wow!
I'm just "wow" about how much hard work goes into soaps
and how talented everyone is that's involved, because they make
it happen in so little time. They create what we see on TV. You
have very, very little time to do it. They're doing a lot and everyone's
very, very talented to get it done. I'm just saying I'm happy to
be here and I just really, really, really hope to grow here.
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