Kurth is vying for the Emmy for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” for his portrayal of Justin Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives. “That felt really good,” he said. “It was very sweet and very cool. People really responded to the scenes that I submitted this year so that was really nice. I was proud of those scenes.”
He was previously nominated for an acting Emmy in 2018 for his portrayal of Ned Quartermaine on General Hospital, so now he has one nod for each daytime drama that he is on. “I never thought about that,” he admitted. “That is really great. I’ve always said that having the opportunity to work on both shows is better than an Emmy,” he said with a sweet laugh.
While in quarantine he shared that he has been working on a project that requires a lot of reading, source material, and writing. “It has been really nice, especially since the last few months I’ve picked up a history book (since this project is history-related) as opposed to a script. That’s how I survived the quarantine, that’s for sure. I disappeared in another time in another world,” he said.
In 2002, Kurth took home the Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Original Song” for “Barefoot Ballet,” which was featured in General Hospital. Kurth co-wrote the song with Christian Taylor, with lyrics by Debra Cochran.
This week, 2020 Emmy nominee Sean Kanan (creator and star of the digital drama series Studio City) praised Kurth via Twitter for being there for him in 1992 when he first booked the role of A.J. Quartermaine on General Hospital. At the time, Kurth met him for lunch to offer some insights on what he could expect. He had never met Wally before and complimented him for being a “great guy.” “I love Sean,” Kurth said. “That was nice. I’m proud of him. He created a series and he works hard. Sean’s a hustler.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Kurth said, “Taking a pause to reflect.” “Let’s take this moment of pause, where we can’t work and we are stuck in our houses, to listen and reflect. We are asked to change our behaviors in order to help other people such as the elderly people and the people with preexisting conditions (due to the Coronavirus) because they are the ones that are the most susceptible. That is something to consider,” he said.
This past February, Kurth was a part of a Star Struck fan event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he appeared alongside such actors as Eric Martsolf, Kassie DePaiva, and Jacob Young. “It was totally fun. It was a really good group,” he said. “We sang some Neil Diamond, and we did some karaoke. I learned how to play ‘Shallow’ on guitar.”
In September of 2019, Kurth and General Hospital co-star James Patrick Stuart (who is nominated alongside Kurth for “Outstanding Supporting Actor” at the 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards for playing Valentin Cassadine on General Hospital) performed music and shared stories at Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown on Long Island. “That was a good show. James also got an Emmy nomination and I am so happy for him too. I am a big fan of James’ acting, so that was awesome,” he said.
To learn more about Wally Kurth, follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
