SOAP OPERA WEEKLY

The Bad Seed
By Robin Sayers

If the late Richard Milhouse Nixon and Days of Our Lives' Sami Brady had ever met, they surely would have agreed on at least two things - No. 1: It's tough being misunderstood; No. 2: Trust no one. Sami, villainess and occasional orphan, has been generating nonstop angst during her three-year reign as Salem's drama queen. This fearlessly wily pubescent aged a decade overnight; sporadically lost parents Roman and Marlena; was separated from her twin, Eric; witnessed her mother's infidelity with John Black; kidnapped her half sister Belle; shot her rapist, Alan Harris; and tricked her half sister Carrie's fiancé, Austin, into impregnating her. While nothing seems to daunt her TV alter ego, 19-year-old Los Angeles native Alison Sweeney admits to a fear of Nixon-era fashion. Soap Opera Weekly recently spoke to Sweeney about life on and off the Days set.

ALL ABOUT SAMI:

COULD THE FACT THAT SAMI SKIPPED HER CHILDHOOD HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT SHE'S SO WACKY?
I think there are so many reasons she's so wacky…you can't pin down just one? A lot of her problems stem from the fact that she was separated from her parents for so long. Her mom was dead, then she thought her dad was dead, but he wasn't. She's had a lot of trauma. It can be hard on a girl.

DOESN'T ALL THIS LEAVE LITTLE TIME FOR SCHOOLWORK?
Sami's really smart; she just hasn't focused on school as being something that is really important to her. She has so many other problems in her life that schoolwork has sort of fallen by the wayside.

IS SALEM UNIVERSITY IN SAMI'S FUTURE, AND IF SO, WHAT WOULD HER MAJOR BE?
Psychology - no, I'm just teasing! She would make a really good lawyer. She's good at defending someone's position.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ERIC IS LIKE, AND WHEN DO YOU THINK IS HE GOING TO PAY HER A VISIT?
Sami is really protective of Eric. Because they're twins, they have a really close relationship. I believe that she talks with him on the phone, and she wants him to think that she's a good person. But Eric really knows what's going on. He knows Sami like the back of his hand. When Sami runs out of people to torture, he'll show up.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT AUSTIN THAT SAMI LOVES SO MUCH?
He's very handsome, a very sweet guy, and he really cares about her. And he's never let her down, and he's always there for her when she gets into trouble. He rescued her from Alan twice - not the times that were important, but nevertheless, sometimes he did! And I think she's just molded her image of the perfect guy into Austin. Now she has this baby to think about, so even if she changed her mind and she wasn't as dedicated to Austin, she's sort of set herself on this path and she can't go back.

WHAT ABOUT CARRIE UPSETS SAMI THE MOST?
Sami really believed that Carrie was perfect. Her sister was always so generous and kind and loving and sweet and wonderful and beautiful, an djust perfect. She trusted her implicitly. And when Carrie led her down the primrose path, promising her that this guy who hurt her is going to go to jail for the rest of his life and that she doesn't have to worry about anyone finding out that she'd been raped - I mean, I agree with sami to the point that Carrie should not have promised all of these things. Everyone found out. She was on the cover of The Intruder, and he didn't go to jail; he got off and continued to harass her. I really think that she was heartbroken. Carrie betrayed her.

IS IT BETRAYAL MORE THAN ENVY?
Yes. Sami's envy is a manifestation of the betrayal. To be honest, I know that everyone thinks that Sami is the villain, and she certainly is. She has a lot of vixen-like qualities, but she doesn't see herself that way. She loves her baby without reserve, and she loves her grandparents, and she loves her dad and her brother. And it's not that she doesn't love Carrie or her mom; it's just that she really feels they betrayed her, and she's afraid to give them her love again.

DOES SAMI SECRETLY ADMIRE VIVIAN AS A ROLE MODEL?
Totally. Sami admires. Vivian's spunk; that's the kind of person Sami wants to be.

HOW IMPORTANT IS LUCAS TO SAMI?
Sami's really short on friends, but the friends she does have are really important to her. Lucas is her best friend because he understands her, and she can't pull the wool over his eyes, and he can't pull the wool over her eyes. They're pretty much stuck being friends because they certainly don't want each other as enemies. And they do care for each other.

IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT LOVE WILL BLOSSOM BETWEEN LUCAS AND SAMI?
Well, they slept together. But they're not in love. If they ever end up together, it will be because they realize the only way they'll ever be happy is if they're in love with someone whom they can't manipulate and can't trick. And really, the only person that they can't trick is each other.

IF JAIME THREATENED TO TELL AUSTIN THE TRUTH, HOW FAR WOULD SAMI GO TO KEEP HER QUIET?
Wow. What a great question. I don't think she would do anything to physically harm Jamie, but I think maybe she'd find a way to set it up so that Austin wouldn't believe her. She probably would end up seeking revenge…or maybe even changing Jaime's mind by trying to make her feel sorry for her. That's Sami's favorite trick - getting people to feel sorry for her. She has a natural talent. She ought to major in that in college!

WHICH OF THESE THREE MAJOR ILLNESSES THAT COULD POSSIBLY BEST SAMI WOULD UPSET HER THE MOST - BLINDNESS, PARALYSIS OR AMNESIA?
Interesting. From watching Stefano, amnesia really throws a monkey wrench into your life. But I have to say, I don't think even amnesia would stop her from manipulating people and getting what she wants, even if she doesn't know what she wants. Paralysis would be the worst because that would keep her from carrying out her own plans. Sami has really come to the point where she can only trust herself.

WHAT DO YOU THINK SAMI WILL BE DOING IN 10 YEARS, AND WILL SHE EVEN BE ALIVE?
Sami is a survivor. And I think that no matter what obstacles life throws in her path, she may not come out on top, but she'll find a way to break down the wall, slide around it, underneath it, over the top - whatever she needs to do to get to the other side. She's definitely going to be around in 10 years. She probably won't be happy yet. I think one of her problems is her commitment to getting Austin to fall in love with her. That's her only goal. So in 10 years, if she managed to come up with a career or some kind of normal pursuit that people have, she'll be a lot healthier. She'll probably still be scheming and manipulating, but maybe in a broader way.

IF SAMI HAD TO BE KILLED OFF, HOW WOULD YOU PREFER HER TO GO?
Oh, dear. Suicide is the least attractive. Sami would like to die in the heat of battle, in a blaze of glory. Like rescuing Austin or maybe even Carrie…say, jumping in front of a bullet or something to save her sister. Yeah! That would be the best!

HOW IS SAMI MOST LIKE, AND LEAST LIKE, ALISON?
We're both family-oriented. Sami goes through life and her schemes with the concept that the ends really do justify the means, no matter what they are. She really believes that she's a heroine in a novel. She's supposed to end up with the guy, and he's supposed to end up with her. She's actively going to make that happen. To a certain extent, I really believe that you have to go after your dreams. But Sami goes overboard. She doesn't consider the consequences of her actions. I'm a lot more cautious. I think about how other people will be affected by my actions. And some of the things she comes up with I would never think of in million years!

ALL ABOUT ALISON

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE STORYLINE OR EPISODE?
I have had so many cool storylines. I really loved shooting Alan. That was fun. And I loved my scenes with Deidre (Hall, who plays Marlena) when we had huge fight scenes, yelling at each other. She's so talented. And I love working with Louise (Sorel, who plays Vivian). I love adding in a little bit of comedy to our scenes.

WHAT'S THE COOLEST THING YOU GET FOR FREE BY BEING ON DAYS?
The clothing. They're not my clothes, but every time I'm on the show, there are a bunch of different outfits for me to choose from. It has taught me a lot about fashion and what I look good in and how to dress. And you get to wear a new outfit every day. Usually Richard (Bloore), the costume designer, will give me two or three choices. He really listens to my ideas. Like, I'm not into this whole retro '70s whatever flashback. I can't stand it! It frightens me! So he's really cool with that. My wardrobe has changed a lot since I've worked here.

WHAT'S THE ODDEST THING A FAN EVER DID TO OR FOR YOU?
I have many great fans, but during the storyline where I kidnapped the baby, I was walking to go meet some friends at a movie theater. This woman came at me with her purse and started hitting me and yelling at me, "Give the baby back!" I mean, she was angry! I didn't know what to do. I didn't really spend any time trying to talk to her. She was not in the mood to understand that I was just an actress playing a part. There weren't a lot of people in that area, so I just apologized and said, "I hope you keep watching" or something, and I ran.

DO YOU LIKE GIVING INTERVIEWS?
Yeah. Sometimes I feel bad if I haven't given an interview that is unique. I feel like I'm saying the same thing over and over again, and I want each interview to have a different angle on my life.

BESIDES SAMI, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ROLE EVER?
I was on an episode of Tales From the Darkside, and I played a little girl who knew when people were going to die, so everyone thought she was killing them. That was sort of fun!

YOU'VE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN DIRECTING. WHAT TYPE OF FILMS WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIRECT?
I'm probably going to direct dark comedies, satires. That's my sense of humor and the timing I have.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO BE DOING IN 10 YEARS?
By 29 I would like to have my career as a director established. Obviously it takes a long time. But I would like, when someone asks me what I do for a living, to be able to say, "I'm a director." I want to be an actress all my life, don't get me wrong. And I'll probably be married by then."