Santa was extra good to us this past year. We got the opportunity to talk to daytime legend James Reynolds. We talked Days, Days and more Days. But first, we learned a lot of interesting information about Mr. Reynold’s pre “Abe Carver” life.
James was born in the small town of Oskaloosa, Kansas, a town of about 800 people. Growing up in a small time provided James with a unique perspective on life. He developed a particular optimism, a certain boldness to get involved with and to try new and different things. James described it as a bit of “naivety”. But it’s just that type of “naivety” that gives one the freedom, the boldness to try something new, whether you know if you will succeed or not. And it’s this type of thinking that more often than not is a prelude to success. And James was no exception. James was also a vivacious reader which made him a vivacious dreamer. The combination of naivety, boldness, freedom and dreaming would be a catalyst to set James on his path toward his destiny.
James served in the Marines and subsequently Vietnam. It was after that when he returned to the States and attended Topeka’s Washburn University that he began auditioning, performing and his path toward his destiny was crystallized. James discovered what he was born to do, acting.
I have to admit I got a little tongue-tied once or twice during the interview. It’s hard to put into words what it meant for a young African American girl to see actors such as James, Darnell Williams, Debbie Morgan, etc. on my daytime screen back in the day. There I was talking to, “Abe Carver” the longest running African American character on TV (37 years and counting) period (daytime or nighttime). And of course, James has been the only actor to play Abe Carver which is no small feat in daytime. So yeah, I got a little tongue-tied. But I pulled it together and had a blast talking to James.
For 37 years Abe Carver has been involved in countless epic and entertaining stories. No doubt one of the most groundbreaking and relevant was the more recent storyline when Theo Carver was shot by JJ Deveraux. The storyline sparked a range of emotions and discussions among the fans. Please share with us your perspective and experience with being such an integral part of bringing this story to life.
“Ron brings a lot of different qualities to the show. We explore things that we haven’t explored before. He does it with a tremendous amount of sensibility. The story dealt with the issue of a young unarmed black man assaulted by the police. It’s such an important part of what’s been going on in our country for decades. They addressed an issue that is so important and it was talked about honestly.
It brought the issue to light and tackled it in a way that allowed people to access every part of the story. The father of the victim was a police officer himself. The mother of the shooter was a close friend of the father of the victim. So, the writers also made it about family. It was also about Abe and Jennifer. This important issue was clothed in a story about human beings, family and the love between people. It was a brilliant way to address the story. And I’m forever grateful that I was the vessel used to tell it.”
Days left nothing on the table when telling this story. We had the hoodie, the Dimera’s and Kate’s involvement, the aspect whether it was racially motivated or a pre-bias was involved, JJ having to live with what he had done and of course the autism factor. Days covered everything.
“Yes, we did. Usually, when we are dealing with a police shooting in these instances it involves the racial aspect but there can be other aspects to consider as well. I have a friend who runs an organization that does great work. She works with police departments on how to approach people with autism. There has to be a particular approach used. There has to be understanding. The police need to recognize the signs. So, the issue of autism was another layer on top of the racial aspect as well. It was all handled brilliantly.”
Days has done such a good job with the condition of autism since Theo was diagnosed 10 or 11 years ago. We can’t praise Terrell Ransom, Jr. enough for his portrayal of a younger Theo, initially being diagnosed and then growing up with autism. He did a fantastic job.
“Yes, he did.”
And Kyler Pettis came in and picked up right where Terrell left off. Both were so great. Speaking of which, is Theo coming back from Africa anytime soon? Theo still can’t walk? It’s been a year. People come back from the dead in less time than that. Laughter.
“That’s true. You are right. I personally don’t know. But Theo is very much alive in Salem. Abe and others talk about him often. We hope at some point that happens. But one of the things Ron has done that I admire is he has kept Theo on the canvas even though we don’t see him. But my fingers are crossed.”
Ours are too. We are also keeping them crossed that Valerie will come back. We love Vanessa Williams and we were so sorry to see her go.
“Well, you know that character is not dead. She moved and I think that is an important thing. It’s always good on soaps to watch where a character goes. Death isn’t an impediment for a character coming back. But if a character still lives that makes it even easier.”
Music to our ears. Come back Vanessa Williams, please. In the interim, we are #TeamShabe here. We are so happy Days brought Shelia back. She is the perfect offset to “straight-laced Abe”. What can you share with #TeamShabe? We want to see more action from them than just rearranging Abe’s office (which had been onscreen at the time of the interview). Laughter. Laughter.
“I would say, keep an eye on that relationship. You talk about opposites. There couldn’t be more different people than Abe and Shelia. But there is something about each one that the other one finds interesting. So, I’d keep an eye on that.”
I know it’s already in the can. But if they do, do something, hopefully, Abe wasn’t drunk and we don’t get the “he didn’t know what he was doing”. I want full blown sober Shabe. Laughter. Laughter. I don’t want Abe saying I was drunk. What have I done? I want him to want Shelia. Laughter. Laughter.
“That’s not an excuse these days (the alcohol made me do it). These days that excuse doesn’t work.” Laughter. Laughter.
And now that we are on that subject, we hoping Abe will be a grandfather soon. We need the next generation of people of color.
“That would be great. I’d be happy with that. And I have to tell you, I could not be happier with Lamon and Sal. They are two wonderful people. I always start there. The fact that they are talented is without question. But they are lovely people. I enjoy them both a great deal. When you know someone is going to be involved very intimately with your character for a long time you want them to be nice people. Both Lamon and Sal are just great. I couldn’t have asked for two better people. They make the show deeper and they fit the fabric of what Days is all about.”
Yes, they do. And it’s been a while since Abe and Lexie. We need another African American supercouple. We are so happy to see Days investing in Elani. Their fanbase is excited and growing. Recently, they had their own promo.
“It is a diverse world. I’m sure Days will continue their trend of expanding its diversity. And not only with blacks but with more people of color in general, Hispanic and Asian characters as well. That is America.”
Absolutely. It’s very encouraging to see. You know what else was encouraging? That finally after all these years you were rewarded and acknowledged with a Daytime Emmy Award for the leading man that you have been. Did you hear me screaming when they said your name? I was screaming and hollering at the top of my lungs. I was so happy for you. Laughter. Laughter.
“It was an extraordinary moment. There are certain words you can’t qualify and extraordinary is one of those words. But I have to qualify it. It was an extraordinary moment. I think I lost consciousness for a couple of seconds when I heard my first name and I knew I had won. At that point in time for a couple of moments; I was suspended. It was such a great honor. It was an affirming moment. A lot of hard work went into the award. This is the absolute truth, I look at it every day, sometimes a few times a day, with reverence.”
Did you think you would win?
“You never know. It’s always a bit of a mystery. I was extremely pleased with the work I had done. I was getting tremendous feedback not only from my cast mates but from other people involved in the industry. I felt good. I felt very good. But then I had felt very good before (in the past when James was nominated by didn’t win). Chuckle. Chuckle.
It was very deserving. Days was very deserving of all the awards they won. You all are giving us such great soap right now. One of the best weeks for soaps in 2018 was the return of Kristen with the Jarlena wedding. It was an epic week of television.
“Thank you so much.”
The story, the acting, the production all top notch. But what was also so amazing was that everyone stayed in the story and stayed in character amidst all the chaos and all the moving parts.
“It was tough to shoot. There were a lot of different people and situations. We have to be aware of a lot of things. For instance, as an actor, does your character see Susan holding a gun? And what you do next, is it predicated on whether you saw it or not? These are just things we notice as actors. But the directors have to be keenly aware of that kind of things. Most of it is detailed in the script but it’s up to the directors to make it work and that’s not always easy. It’s a little easier sometimes to put it on the page than to make it work when you are shooting it.”
Well, you all made it work. I want to ask you something that I asked Lamon when I spoke to him. He shared with us his perspective. But I’m also interested in yours especially given the fact that you have been on Days, of course, longer than Lamon. I’m intrigued and so impressed with Days actor’s and how they have to “deal with” this six months ahead production schedule. How is it for you and how did you adjust to it over the years?
“The changes I’ve seen in the way we shot the show is incredible. If you would have asked my younger self, if we would be capable of doing what we do today, I would have said no way. We can’t do that. We are going to shot over 100 pages in a day? That’s just not going to happen. Now we used to shoot one show a day and the scripts were always around 80 pages. But we are going to shoot multiple bits from multiple shows, in and out of different sets, wardrobes and stories and just picking it up as if everything is just seamless? I would not have believed it. There may be weeks between scenes at times. I have shot some shows where at least two months have passed between shots. And then with the time gap, you have to make sure you don’t give any story away. Even as I’m talking to you, I’m editing what I’m saying not to give away what will happen 6-7 months from now.”
It sounds like a lot of work. It sounds like hard work.
“It is a lot of work. We work very hard. But we are appreciative to be able to do the work. And we appreciate that we are among the people who are able to do what we love to do. And even on the bad days, we know we are fortunate to be doing what we love. It’s challenging. But it’s worth it so we rise and meet those challenges.”
We are thankful to everyone for all their hard work to make the production schedule work to help keep Days on the air. You can tell everyone is so invested in the work and in the show. It’s electric. And if we the audience can feel it, it must be palpable on set.
“The energy is great. You know this is from people who come in and work on Days for a few days, weeks, months or on recurring status. These are people who have done a lot of shows, daytime, nighttime and movies. Everybody feels our set is one of the best around and the people are the nicest. And they are right. There is a lot of pressure with the amount of work we do and in the amount of time, we have to do it. But it is a wonderful place to work. Everybody makes an effort to be kind to everybody else. I find the praise for our show is universal. There is praise for our kindness and the welcoming atmosphere our show has. And that has always been the case.”
We believe it. We can sense it. Again, thank you all for all the hard work and for all the great soap. We are loving loving loving Days. And we can’t wait to see what comes next. Thank you so much for your time. It has been such an honor. Do you have anything you would like to say personally to the fans?
“Yes. I’m always so appreciative to the fans for their support they have given me and the show for such a long time. I walk out my front door and people will walk up and talk about how much they love the show and Abe. It’s clear our fan base has grown and it will continue to grow. I love talking to fans. It’s one of my great pleasures in life. So, if you see me on the street don’t be afraid to come up and talk to me. We appreciate your continued love and support.”
On a personal note; this was such a highlight for me. Thank you Mr. Reynolds.
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