Award-winning actress Miranda Wilson chatted about her return to the hit daytime drama series “Days of Our Lives,” where she has played the role of Megan Hathaway.
‘Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem 2’
On being a part of the Peacock limited series, “Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem 2,” she said “I loved it, absolutely loved it. Ever since the 50th ‘Days of Our Lives’ party and celebration, the fans have been asking me to come back and I told them it’s not up to me, it’s up to the show, and I told them that it would be fun, if I were to come back.”
“That was in 2015, and I had gotten over the idea that it would happen, so when it did happen, I was so thrilled, and I was ready to go. It was a long time coming and very welcome,” she recalled.
Working with Steve Burton
She had great words about working with Steven Burton in the five episode limited series. “Steve Burton is a sweetheart, I loved working with him. I loved his focus, detail, and he gets so into it. He is super prepared and professional, and great to work with,” Wilson said.
Reprising her role as Megan Hathaway
On reprising her role as Megan Hathaway, she said, “That was amazing. First of all, reprising Megan was a walk in the park. She has never left me. The experience on Days of Our Lives never dimmed or disappeared. It never went away, it was always fresh and real.”
“Bringing Megan back to life was super easy, she walked right out on that stage, and there she was. For me, as an actress, that was a natural movement,” she said.
“One of the things I love about the character is that I set everything in motion and I am going to watch the way that it plays out. In Beyond Salem, she had to get her hands dirty despite of all that,” she acknowledged.
“For the new audience, I want them to catch up where Megan was. There is a reason she has that energy, so my hope is that viewers do manage to find some of the old storylines and video clips that are on YouTube or Facebook that will allow new viewers to catch up on who Megan was and where she came from and where it all started,” she added.
Viewers and fans can catch Megan Hathaway videos on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. They can search #MeganHathaway and they will get a fair amount of references.
Reuniting on set with Peter Reckell
She opened up about reuniting on set with Peter Reckell (who played the iconic Bo Brady). “Peter is adorable, he is gentle, beautiful and wonderful. Seeing him for the first time in many many years was a joy. We spent 30 minutes just catching up. Obviously, in ‘Beyond Salem 2,’ we didn’t work together but it was great to see him on set,” she said.
When asked how she handles being dialogue-heavy, she said, “That is not a problem at all. I’ve never had a problem with dialogue or heavy scripts. It’s something that comes easily for me.”
“What I find most useful is to keep running lines with my fellow actors, that brings it to life, and that makes it stick. It may be work but it’s not grueling work, it’s a part of the job that I do,” she said.
She noted that her character doesn’t swear, and that is one of the elements that makes her who she is. “I don’t know if you noticed this, but Megan doesn’t tend to swear, there is no reason for it. Megan is above that, and who needs that. This really makes Megan who she is,” she said with a sweet laugh.
She noted that she would love to have more scenes with people that her character may have sparks flying with” such as Kate, Kristen, and those “fiery actresses that do such beautiful work.” “I would love to do scenes that bring the pinnacle elements of each of us out,” she said.
“It is beautiful at the moment, the way it has done, and more of that would be great,” she said. “I would love to see Megan get a man in her life. It would be fun for her to have a cohort, another partner in crime who happened to also become her partner in life. We would have fiery love scenes and the energy of true camaraderie. I could just see the way that plays out.”
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “I don’t notice a difference yet. I don’t have a perspective on what that means. Does that mean more people are going to see it? From a consumer standpoint, and as a viewer, it’s addictive and you can easily prevent yourself from sleeping.”
“In any case, it is what it is. I just don’t have any perspective yet on how that is as the actress. I don’t understand how it impacts the way that it works for me or the way that the fans interact with me, I literally don’t know what the impact is going to be,” she explained.
Conversations of 3 Villainesses
She enjoyed being a part of “Conversations of 3 Villainesses” with actresses Emily O’Brien and Stacy Haiduk. “That was such fun, absolutely. We really enjoyed that together and you could tell,” she said.
“The wonderful thing about ‘Days of Our Lives’ is that everyone is a family,” she said. “There is no rivalry because there is no need to. They are all super supportive and they have everybody else’s back. We are all in it together and I love that.”
Advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “The most important thing is to be true to you and to who you are because there is no formula that is ever going to work for everyone. You can’t ever second guess what is called for because what is called for is the essence of who you are, and bring that to the screen.”
“Do your homework, do your acting classes, do your training and know how to work cameras and all of the basic things. In terms of being successful, you need to bring yourself to the table,” she added.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Steady Consistency.” “Settle within, continue moving forward,” she said.
If she were to write, direct and produce her own short, she noted that it would be on two subjects: “One has to do with the interaction of male and female, and how society has got us twisted into contortions that are all wrong. The other passion that I have is the joy that life has to offer, the magic that is in this world that we so rarely see and rarely embrace and acknowledge,” she explained.
Dream acting partners
Wilson listed Patricia Arquette, Judi Dench, Ruth Wilson, Helen Mirren, and Elizabeth McGovern as her dream acting partners to someday work with on a project.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Wilson said, “Success to me is remaining consistent in the way that I am with myself and the way that I am with my work and my commitment to bring as much joy in this world as I can while avoiding the extremes of trauma and even excitement which wear the body down.”
Fans
For her loyal fans, she concluded, “The fans are the backbone, and we all know that. Thank you for hanging in there, and thank you for saying that you want to see Megan again. I am 100 percent sure that without you guys, she wouldn’t be here anymore.”
To learn more about acclaimed actress Miranda Wilson, visit her official website, and follow her on Instagram.
