In The Family Way

Alison Sweeney comes roaring back to DAYS as Sami on Nicole and Eric’s wedding day

- Stephanie Sloane

SOAP OPERA DIGEST: When did DAYS approach you about coming back? How did you react?

ALISON SWEENEY: I’m always in conversation with Ken [Corday, executive producer] and Ron [Carlivati, head writer] about possible fun opportunities to come back and visit Salem. I guess Greg [Meng, co-executive producer] always sort of initiates, like, “Hey, we have an idea. Would you want to talk to Ron?” or “When can you talk to Ron?” and then I talk to Ron and he tells me some fun, outrageous, amazing story and I love it, and we see if we can make it work.

DIGEST: How did you react when you learned that Allie has been aged?

SWEENEY: I thought it was a great idea. I loved it. That’s the tradition of soaps. It’s the next generation of troublemakers coming to Salem. It’s fun. I love it.

DIGEST: Tell me about reporting back to work. What did it feel like?

SWEENEY: It’s funny because I came back after doing a Christmas movie for Hallmark and so I was feeling kind of in shape as an actor, I guess, but it had been a while since I had been at DAYS. It’s just hard. It’s a lot more dialogue to memorize and all of that. I get butterflies in my stomach now when I know I have to work. I try to do a lot of prep work, like making sure I’m ready. I feel like a kid on their first day of school. And then you walk through those doors and it feels as if I was there yesterday. Everything feels like home to me. I get right back into the swing of things quickly. But leading up to that point I was very nervous.

DIGEST: This is the second time Sami has crashed a wedding, this time Eric and Nicole’s. How does she come in and what is her state of mind?