Jackée Harry. Photo Credit: Alan Mercer
Jackée Harry chatted about starring in the Peacock daytime drama series “Days of Our Lives.”
Harry is known for playing Sandra Clark in “227,” the nemesis of Mary Jenkins (portrayed by Marla Gibbs), and Lisa Landry on the sitcom “Sister, Sister” opposite twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry.
Portraying Paulina Price
Harry stars as Paulina Price on “Days of Our Lives,” and she is drawn to her character for many reasons. “Paulina is strong, powerful, rich, and something I’ve never done before. I love playing attractive woman that are rich and running things. Paulina is also vulnerable, and I like that about her before she is multi-faceted,” Harry said.
Current storyline on the show
Harry opened up about the current storyline on the show, which involves Abe Carver (James Reynolds) having amnesia, and being manipulated by Nurse Whitley (played by Kim Coles).
“Kim is very funny and she had never done a soap opera before. I’ve known Kim a long time, and she is a sweetheart. I’ve been with her through a couple of marriages, her marriages and mine,” Harry said with a sweet laugh.
“I love working with James Reynolds. He used to be a Marine, so he would tell me about his adventures overseas. I mean he has really had another life besides being an actor,” she said.
“Also, Raven Bowens, who plays my daughter has a free spirit to her and she loves what she does, and she embodies her womanhood, which is neat to see in a young actor,” Harry added.
“I used to a History teacher but that was short-lived, especially after I got discovered,” she jokingly laughed.
Actors she would love to do more scenes with
In “Days of Our Lives,” she noted that she would love to have more scenes with Deidre Hall. “More Marlena and Paulina scenes would be awesome. We’ve become new friends, and she is wonderful. She gives me insights on how to read these scripts in terms of notations, makeup, lighting, and it’s really helpful,” she said.
“I would also like to do more scenes with Brandon Barash, who plays Stefan DiMera, and Steve Burton, who plays Harris Michaels. Steve Burton is just gorgeous, and I would love to do a love scene with him,” she said with a sweet laugh.
Being dialogue-heavy
When asked how she handles being dialogue-heavy, Harry responded, “I hate to say this… but I am pretty good at it. I love words, I’m a wordsmith. When it comes to the acting part, I study all the beats and the feelings, I love my profession. I pay attention to the emotions and what the other characters are doing.
“Once you get a rhythm in there, it’s cool. It took me about two weeks to get used to memorizing lines all the time,” she added.
‘Days of Our Lives’ limited series on Peacock
Harry shared that she enjoyed being a part of the limited “Days of Our Lives” Peacock series “Beyond Salem” and “A Very Salem Christmas.” “I wanted to do those again, it’s like doing a mini-film,” she said. “I enjoy doing location scenes, those are so much fun.”
“Both of those series even looked different,” she admitted. “I looked gorgeous in both of them, especially in the scenes where I was supposed to be on the beach or in the snow, I loved them. That was when they started using different cameras, and I was unaware of that, until I saw the results. You can really see the difference between the old camera vs. the new one, and I loved it,” she elaborated.
Jackée Harry: The potential acting coach
“I’ve always wanted to be an acting coach, but I don’t think I have the patience for it. I would love to be like Henry Winkler, who plays the eccentric acting coach in the show ‘Barry,’ that portrayal is so spot-on,” she said.
“I might still become an acting coach, perhaps if I could do it via video, or via AI,” she said.
The digital age
On being actress in the digital age, she responded, “I feel like I am the smartest woman in the room sometimes. A friend of mine showed me ChatGPT while having lunch, and we would list four words (passion, love, hate, and pain), and a poem was written shortly thereafter. It did all that in less than a minute, I was so impressed.”
“In terms of creativity, it is both terrifying and awe-inspiring, it’s a real thing,” she added.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Empathy.” “I have more empathy and I am learning how to manage it now,” she said.
“Back in the day, I didn’t care about anything except my career and my son. I am trying to be a different type of person now. I am trying to be more empathetic now and I care more about people, especially with the homelessness situation here in California, especially in Los Angeles.”
‘227’
With “227,” Harry made history as the first African-American woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” for playing Sandra Clark. “At the time, I couldn’t take it in but now I am very proud of it,” she said.
“I am proud to see other people coming up. Believe it or not, the Emmy win is not something I think about all the time but other people remind me constantly about it. I am proud to be a part of history,” she acknowledged.
“Now, I am trying to live life and be in the moment more because sometimes, I feel I think a little too far ahead,” she added.
Speaking of “227,” ironically enough, Paulina’s apartment number on “Days of Our Lives” is also 227. “They did that on purpose… the crew, they got me,” she said. “Think about it, that number is everywhere. I think it’s a lucky number, that’s what Marla Gibbs always told me.”
‘Sister, Sister’
She also expressed that she liked being a part of “Sister, Sister” with Tia and Tamera Mowry. “We were a trio,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, they won’t leave me alone. They take me out everywhere. That’s a lifelong friendship, and they have beautiful kids. Even though they are older, they are still young women to me and I am very proud of them.”
Advice for hopefuls in acting
For young and aspiring actors, Harry encouraged them to “study.” “Know your lines, know your craft, and show up on time (even come 15 minutes before time). Learn how to roll with the punches. Everybody is not a star like Elizabeth Taylor and Brad Pitt who just zoom up,” she said.
“Always have a technique that you can fall back on,” she added.
Superpower of choice
If she were to have any superpower, it would be “to read people’s minds.” “I would love to be able to do that,” she said. “I don’t want to know everything though, especially deep things.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, Harry said, “Having family and people who support me. Also, having good friends and positivity around them, especially since in the post-pandemic world there is a lot of tension and anxiety. It is nice to be around people that are just trying to help you feel good.”
To learn more about veteran actress Jackée Harry, check out her official website, and follow her on Instagram.
