When actors talk about facing high-stakes drama, it’s usually on a soundstage with cameras rolling. But for Days of Our Lives star Emily O’Brien, one of her most terrifying moments happened completely off-script—while trapped underwater in the Nile River.
Appearing on the Soapy podcast with hosts Greg Rikaart and Rebecca Budig, O’Brien dropped a series of wild, candid stories about her life and career, ranging from a near-death experience in Africa to the bizarre Craigslist ad that launched her second career in video games.
Here is a look inside the behind-the-scenes secrets, close calls, and industry twists O’Brien shared.
Key Takeaways
- Emily O’Brien revealed she nearly drowned while rafting on Uganda’s Nile River.
- A $100 Craigslist ad launched her successful motion-capture career.
- She explained why many motion-capture auditions discourage Botox.
- O’Brien returned to Days of Our Lives just 10 days after leaving the show.
- A tough audition lesson helped launch her five-year run on The Young and the Restless.
“I Found Myself Underwater”: The Terrifying Nile River Rescue
While swapping memories with her former The Young and the Restless co-star Greg Rikaart, O’Brien recounted a story from a trip to Uganda that sounded straight out of a soap opera plotline. While out on the Nile River, her small boat hit unexpected whitewater and flipped.
“My boat just goes, and I had a helmet that was too big for me,” O’Brien said. “So I found myself underwater just choking with this thing over [my face], and I try to get above water and there are these—they’re not crocodiles, but they’re these [reptiles]… I just see the tail.”
Fighting against a rushing current, O’Brien struggled to stay afloat until another person on the trip managed to pull her out of the water.
“I was blacking out because I’d swallowed so much water and couldn’t breathe,” she recalled. “I would be too scared to do that stuff now.”
The $100 Craigslist Ad That Tech-Tested Avatar
Long before voicing major video game characters like Sarah Morgan in Starfield or roles in God of War, Batman, and Guardians of the Galaxy, O’Brien broke into motion-capture technology through a low-budget internet listing.
“There was this job on Craigslist… $100,” O’Brien explained. “They were looking for a brunette who was British who would be willing to experiment with facial performances. I thought, ‘How hard could that be?’”
She ended up sitting in a light box doing dozens of extreme facial expressions for a tech startup called Image Metrics. At the time, engineers were attempting to bridge the “uncanny valley” in computer graphics.
That experimental project turned into the “Emily Project”—a viral tech demo that caught the attention of major Hollywood developers. Soon, production teams were using her performance data to test specialized camera setups for blockbuster films like James Cameron’s Avatar and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Why Video Games Are Banning Botox
Having worked in motion capture for over 15 years, O’Brien highlighted a key difference between standard television and modern video game production: the tech requires total facial mobility.
She revealed that during a recent audition for a major motion-capture game project, the casting call came with a strict warning printed right at the top.
“I just got an audition actually last week. It said in big bold letters: ‘Do not audition if you’ve had Botox done.’ … Because you have to be able to move your face.”
Unlike on-camera acting where ageism and appearance heavily dictate roles, motion capture offers actors a rare level of freedom.
“It doesn’t matter what your weight is. I mean, your height can matter sometimes, but again, that can be altered,” O’Brien noted. “There’s a role I’m doing now… I was supposed to play a 16-year-old, and it doesn’t matter that I’m 40.”
Emily O’Brien: Getting Fired and Re-Hired in 10 Days
On daytime television, cast changes happen fast. But O’Brien experienced one of the quickest turnarounds in recent soap memory when her time playing Gwen Rizczech on Days of Our Lives wrapped up.
Just 10 days after being written off the canvas, former head writer Ron Carlivati called her back—this time to step into the recast role of Theresa Donovan.
“I had been let go as Gwen, and then 10 days later I got the call asking me to come in and play Theresa,” O’Brien said.
Host Greg Rikaart pointed out how rare that kind of rapid rebound is for an actor in daytime television:
“It is so hard for actors because we are the product… what I love so much about this story is that it clearly tells you, ‘No, the arc we had for that character is done, but we love you so much that we want you to continue on our show.’”
O’Brien also revealed that in 2018 she got the call to audition for a different role… the role of Sarah Horton, which is now being played by Linsey Godfrey.
She also revealed that she was supposed to play a character named Reece, which actually never saw the light of day. Instead, the show created the role of Gwen, and the rest is history.
The Harsh Audition Lesson That Saved Her Career
When O’Brien first arrived in Los Angeles at age 19, her very first daytime audition was for legendary casting director Marne Carpenter. Expecting a simple cold read where she could hold the paper, O’Brien walked in unprepared—only to realize Carpenter had already memorized the entire scene.
“She stopped me halfway through. She said, ‘Listen, if you want to work in this business, you have to be memorized… If I ever bring you back here, be off book.’”
Terrified by the warning, O’Brien made sure she memorized every single word for her next call. That lesson paid off: she landed the role of Jana Hawkes on The Young and the Restless. What was originally scripted as a quick, 5-episode guest stint was expanded into a 5-year run on the show.
Watch the full interview with Emily O’Brien below!
Photo Credit: CBS Broadcasting Inc.
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