Cady McClain is best known to Days of Our Lives fans as the recast version of Jennifer Horton, but she’s a veteran of the soap opera world.
She also recently had the opportunity to guest star on Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 13, where she plays a very different type of character.
We recently chatted with Cady about the two roles, their differences, and her career in the soap world. Read on to get to know her!
It seems like the timing is great. Your appearance on Days of Our Lives started this week, and your appearance on SVU airs this Thursday.
Isn’t that wild? I did not plan that. But that’s the way the universe is working this week for me.
Awesome! So I know Days of Our Lives tapes very far in advance. How far in advance did you tape your guest appearance on SVU?
Not as far, for sure. I think it’s been like a month ago that I shot.
I know you will be playing a CO’s wife on SVU. How different is she from Jennifer?
I think the exact opposite! People will be very surprised when they see me, when they see the character. They’re going to be like, “Oh, my God!”
So, fans tuning in to watch you will see something completely different.
They’ll be shocked, I think.
How easy is it for you to slip back into playing Jennifer after you’ve been away from DAYS for a while?
You know what’s interesting? One of the lucky things is that the costume department keeps your character’s shoes. So I literally put on her shoes and was like, okay, here we go now.
When you first started as Jennifer, you were a recast for Melissa Reeves. What was your anxiety level about stepping into a character that someone else played for so long?
Oh, boy, that was a very high bar because she’s so beloved by her fans.
And I was lucky because she had chosen not to come in. It was her choice. It wasn’t that she was getting fired or anything like that. She didn’t want to come in during COVID. And flying during that time was very dangerous, and she had newborns coming into her life.
But boy, it was a lot of pressure, I have to say. I did a lot of research to try to serve the character, the fans, and the character’s history.
But then after a certain point, I had to be like, Cady, don’t worry about it, you just do your version of Jennifer, and just do the best job that you can, and, you know, then it’s out of your hands and people will like it or they won’t.
I understand both sides: the comfort and familiarity of the character and the loss of a person who was playing that character for a long time.
So, I just feel really blessed because it was a great way to keep my head out of thinking about fans’ opinions.
So this week on DAYS, we saw that Jennifer was going to turn herself in, and Jack said no and took the phone. We know what Jennifer thought, but as an actress, who did you think was right?
That’s a tough one. I suppose I’m always just Cady. Personally, I try to err on the side of truth. At the same time, Jennifer had a family that she had to stand up for. So I’m going to give you a big “I don’t know.”
That’s a fair answer. On the Days of Our Lives Round Table, I had said that Jennifer had gone to rehab, so the judge would probably be lenient, but someone else said that wasn’t guaranteed.
Right. Like, you always want to do the right thing and tell the truth and not have any secrets. I think it does kind of set her up for a fall to have to keep that secret again.
Yeah, and you know, in Salem, it always comes out eventually in the worst possible way.
Right?
I know that you were on All My Children and that there are a lot of All My Children alums on DAYS. So have you worked with anybody that you worked with in the past?
Oh, my gosh. Yes! Mary Beth Evans, but she was on As the World Turns for a minute. She and I worked together, which was fun. And she was making her pies. I think that was one of the earlier times. The early 2000s. Yeah, she just started her pie company. So I was like, bring the pies in, lady. I’m not seeing any pies. We need pie.
She was also on SVU several years ago as an evil doctor — kind of like Evil Kayla.
I love it!
Who do you hang out from DAYS behind the scenes?
Oh, gosh. You know, it’s so funny. With the pandemic, I haven’t done a lot of hanging out with anybody, to be honest with you. But I have so many people I love.
I’m thinking of Robert Scott Wilson, although we don’t hang out. He and I worked on All My Children when it was the digital version, Prospect Park. And so was Sal Stowers. We had a really lovely connection. And so whenever we see each other, we have a very fond affection for one another.
And now it’s come full circle with DAYS having gone digital.
Right, isn’t that wild? I think Prospect Park was ahead of its time.
I think so. There have been rumors about a new All My Children reboot. Have you heard anything about that?
I know it’s on the table. People are working hard to make that happen. So we’ll see what happens with that.
So I know it’s very different working as a guest on primetime than as a major role on a soap opera. What would you say are the most significant differences?
I think that we get to do multiple takes on nighttime, and that is just such a joy.
On daytime, we do a camera blocking, and then we shoot, usually in one take. And all the different camera angles are happening simultaneously and are being cut in the control room as we do this scene. And so it’s almost like a stage.
So to be able to have multiple opportunities to try different ways of doing the scene or saying a line is really, so yummy.
It sounds like daytime is very high pressure.
It is. But you know, I’m super grateful for it because I almost like being in — not to compare it to armed services — but in a military kind of setup because you have to be super disciplined. And you have to be on your toes, ready to go.
When I was working on As the World Turns, I remember we would start shooting at eight o’clock in the morning, and we would be called in to arrive to set at seven.
So you had to get in hair and makeup, in your costume, rehearse your scene and be on set ready to shoot by, well, maybe 830. You had an hour and a half. And I would run down the hall to pick up my own wardrobe. And I had to run home to get my wardrobe when I was first up shooting, you know, and that was really something.
Certainly, DAYS is also very disciplined.
But I’m glad I have it because I have something that a lot of other people don’t have: the ability to handle a certain amount of pressure more easily and then even enjoy the game of it, which I really do.
And it’s skills you can use wherever, probably even in your regular life. When a lot is going on, you’re like, okay, I know how to be disciplined. I’ve done this on my jobs.
Yeah, very much so. And sometimes, it’s like, watching yourself [and telling yourself that] I’ll think about that in an hour. And that’s very helpful.
So when you got the SVU script, did you get the whole story with all the twists and turns or just your part?
Once I got the part, yeah. Before, when I was auditioning, no, but it was very exciting to get the full script. I have to say I was so thrilled to see my name on it.
It’s just such a wonderful, super-professional, committed group of people and such an iconic, incredible show. I was just absolutely thrilled to be a part of it.
Did you watch SVU before you got the part?
Well, you know, they passed a law, right? If you’re going to be a New Yorker, you have to watch it. Otherwise, you can’t talk to anybody, right? I feel like I’ve been watching all my life.
Yeah. It was really funny because I have a social work degree. And I went to Columbia, and they were filming right near there one day, and my whole class was talking about it. There was nobody who didn’t watch. And we all agreed that Olivia says she’s a cop, but she’s really a social worker.
Ah, yeah, I can see that. I saw her [Mariska Hargitay’s] movie that she did about untested rape kits.
That’s my favorite thing, when an actor can do something to help the world through the arts. People may know that she was on this show, and then she was a part of making that documentary happen. I think it’s so admirable.
I know you’re limited for time, so I don’t want to keep you too long. So I’m just going to ask quickly, do you have any other projects that are coming up?
Well, you know, one thing I wanted to mention is I’m an ambassador for an organization called Kids in the Spotlight, which is a foster youth filmmaking organization. That means they work with foster youth to help them write their stories and then turn them into film.
I’ve done three films for them as a producer and director, and then in March, we’re doing another one where I’m just working as a producer. I just love it, and it’s their short film that won their national playwriting competition. So it’s a wonderful organization. And I just love the opportunity to get the word out about it.
So, what message would you like to give to all of your fans?
Always and forever. Thank you. You know, I feel so blessed that there are people who continue to watch my work and realign, and I’m so, so grateful for them, and I just have nothing but love for them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Over to you, Cady McClain fans! Have you been watching Cady on Days of Our Lives? Are you excited about her guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know! And don’t forget to check out our Days of Our Lives reviews and Days of Our Lives Round Table discussions for more DAYS chat.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.