Esteemed actor Billy Flynn chatted about his 2023 Daytime Emmy nomination for his acting work in the hit Peacock daytime drama “Days of Our Lives.”
The late U.S. Army general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell once said: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” Billy Flynn is an actor and individual that epitomizes this wise quotation.
Flynn is known for playing the role of Chad DiMera on “Days of Our Lives,” and this marks his third career Daytime Emmy nomination (all of which were for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series”).
Billy Flynn: The 2023 Emmy nominee
On scoring a 2023 Daytime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actor,” Flynn said, “It feels really nice. I am very grateful.”
“In my Emmy reel, I submitted scenes from the Abigail passing storyline,” he said. “The first scene was me apologizing to Thomas (Cary Christopher) for yelling at him. Then, I chose a small scene of Chad and Clyde in the graveyard, and I chose the whole episode of Chad and Abigail and when she comes and sees him as a ghost.”
Working with Marci Miller as his leading lady
On working with Marci Miller on this storyline, he said, “It was great. I was lucky to have her as my scene partner. None of the work I do or did would have been possible without having this 10 to 15 year supercouple romance with Kate Mansi and Marci Miller. We built this thing that is really beautiful.”
“With Marci being there till the end, it felt really easy. It’s not hard to do scenes with Marci, and as those characters, especially if you’ve lived with them for so long. Marci has become one of my best friends over the years. The show was incredibly lucky to find her, and I was lucky to have her, and she is very talented. We did some wonderful work over the years. This Emmy nomination feels special for me,” he elaborated.
Working with Cary Christopher as his on-screen son
“Cary Christopher is amazing as my onscreen son,” Flynn said. “I had a feeling he would get nominated. Cary did such good work as Thomas, and the DiMeras swept this Emmy nomination season. It would be a nice night to celebrate the DiMeras.”
Cary Christopher is nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series” alongside Eden McCoy (“General Hospital”) and Henry Joseph Samiri (“The Bold and The Beautiful”).
Flynn also took the time to address some of the minor controversy that these “Younger Performer” Emmy nominations sparked online (now that the age limit has been lowered to 18), especially those that think McCoy is automatically going to win because she is up against two younger kids.
“Cary is just so talented and he deserves to be nominated, they all do in that category. It is not going to be an easy victory for anybody,” Flynn said.
“Eden McCoy is a wonderful and talented young actress, and I am glad that she stood up for herself to the naysayers online, who said to her that she is going up against little kids and it’s unfair,” he said. “First of all, Cary has been acting since he was three years old, he is a good actor, and he works his craft. Eden is going up against a couple of young actors, who are actors.”
“As someone who shares scenes with Cary, I think it’s an insult to Cary what these naysayers are saying online, and not just to Eden McCoy,” Flynn said.
“Cary can hold his own with anybody… with me, and anyone that Cary shares scenes with,” Flynn added.
Favorite storylines on the show
On his favorite storylines on the show, Flynn stated, “The Chad and Abigail romance over time is pretty hard to beat.” “I thought the beginning part of Chad and Abigail was amazing,” he said.
“Then, when Marci first started, we had a stint of dealing with what happens when your wife comes back from thinking she’s dead, I thought that was a really beautiful story,” he added.
‘Wild Card’ short
Most recently, he starred in the short film “Wild Card,” which was written and directed by Tipper Newton. In this short,
Two strangers are brought together by a video dating service. “It was fun,” he admitted. “Tipper Newton is super-talented, she writes and directs all of her own shorts. It is a little outside of the box, where it reminds me of ‘Twin Peaks’. I had a blast doing it, and it was a lot of fun. I got to play an interesting little character.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Flynn said, “Fatherhood.”
Regarding his favorite mottos to live by, Flynn shared, “Don’t fumble on the goal line.” “That’s what my grandfather used to always say to me,” he said.
Maurice Benard’s ‘MB State of Mind’ podcast
Flynn opened up about being a part of Maurice Benard’s “MB State of Mind” podcast on mental health.
In that candid conversation with Benard, Flynn discussed his struggles with alcohol and addiction. They talked about how he was able to break the cycle, stemming from his childhood, and how it’s something he still works at every day.
“Maurice is so good at that show,” Flynn said, and subsequently noted that the podcast has helped a lot of people.
In-person fan events
Flynn discussed being a part of the “Beyond Salem” in-person Star Struck fan event in New Jersey this past April of 2023.
“It was cool, it was a lot of work. There were a lot of people, so it worked out. It was a good group of people and we all had a good time. Overall, it was a nice event,” he said.
Flynn also spoke about being a part of the Spectrum Celebrity Events in-person fan event in Burbank, California, back in March of 2022. “Burbank was great, that was a good one. I like those guys, it was easy and quick,” he admitted.
Superpower
If he were to have any superpower, it would be “to be able to grant his own wishes.” “Then I could do anything,” he said.
Success
On his definition of the word success, Flynn said, “Making sure that my family is safe and happy.”
Fans
For the loyal “Days of Our Lives” fans, he concluded, “Thank you. I am very grateful for all of them and for sticking with us through all the ups and downs, especially the downs lately, after the Abigail character was killed off. Thanks for all of the support and for sticking by us.”
To learn more about Billy Flynn, follow him on Instagram and check out his IMDb page.
