Q & A with Jensen Ackles
(Eric Brady, Days Of Our Lives)

Sami, Sami, Sami! Sure, scheming Sami Brady gets all the attention on Days of Our Lives, but her twin brother, Eric (Jensen Ackles), is nothing to sneeze at. The strapping hero is being pursued by two women (sisters, no less!), and he still finds time to provide a shoulder to cry on for poor Sami.

Away from Salem, young Ackles is adjusting to life in La La Land and coming to terms with being a soap star — and all that it entails. If you ask us, he's doing a great job. — Jonathan Reiner


So, suddenly you're this huge heartthrob on a popular soap — do you ever sit back and sometimes say, "Holy cow"?

Yeah, all the time.

Did you have any idea what you signed on for?

Not at all! I didn't quite know the caliber of the show and how great the audiences were, because I wasn't into soaps. I became aware of it early on, and now I see what an important role the daytime shows play in the TV industry. It was great to be able to get exposed to that, because I'd only seen the prime-time side (as a regular on the NBC series Mr. Rhodes).

Was it tough sitting on the back burner for your first few months on the show?

No, actually, I think it helped me, because I wasn't thrown into anything that could've been scary. The writers built up a longing for the character, and then they eased me into the swing of things. I thought that was better because it gave me a chance to sit back and observe everybody else and not have to worry so much about the dialogue I had that day. I could sit back and be in the scene and watch everybody else do what they were doing. So being out of the limelight was a great learning experience.

Did anyone take you under their wing?

Deidre (Hall, Marlena) did. She immediately took to me, which was great, and we immediately developed a rapport. Josh Taylor (Roman) as well. They were more than willing to help me out and give me some advice.

Does the pressure of having a full-time job, in addition to being in the public eye, ever get to be too much?

It can if I sit back and look at it like that, but I really don't think about it. I know a lot of people laugh about that and say, "How can you not think about it," but I really don't. I come in and do work in front of a live audience, and I don't see people praising the show unless I go to places designated for that. I have a normal routine. I wake up, go to work, come home and do daily things such as go to the grocery store or to the bank, so it's not that overwhelming to me on an everyday basis. It's only when I sit back and relax that it hits me that that's me on television.

How has being on the soap affected the friendships that you had before you moved to L.A.?

Most of my friends were back home in Texas, and the relationships still stayed the same. It's just like I went away to college like everyone else did — I just happen to do something a little different. The distance obviously takes a toll on friends because you don't see them very often, but I still talk to a lot of them and I still keep in close contact with my really, really good friends. My best friend since seventh grade lives with me out here in L.A., and he and I still get along great.

I see a lot of what you're talking about with other people in the industry, though. People who get quick fame tend to change their lifestyle, but I really haven't let it happen to me. I was pretty comfortable with the way I was living and the friends I surrounded myself with before I got this job, and I still am.

Is it tough to make new friends?

It is hard to make new friends. In fact, lately I've been thinking I haven't made a new friend in a long, long time, and I think my job has a lot to do with it. When my first show (Mr. Rhodes) got canceled, and I started meeting people, I didn't have a job. So I was able to go out to parties. But since I got this show, I don't have time to go to parties and do things. I just have my same friends.

It must be tough, because these are supposed to be your college years. You're supposed to be exploring and trying new and different things.

Exactly, but I am trying different things. I think that I've learned an incredible amount in the past year. My beliefs, things I enjoy and the things that mean a lot to me have become very prominent in my thoughts and in my lifestyle — which is a good thing. The few years after high school, people learn a lot about themselves and about who they are, and I don't think that I've been taken away from that or that's been taken away from me. I'm learning and trying new things just as much as my friends who are in college.

Yeah, but you're so far away from home. Do you miss Texas?

Sure I do. I miss the family and the normality I was used to, but I still have it; it's still there when I go home, which is nice. It's like I have two different lives. I have this one that I've built in the past two years, then I still have the one I grew up knowing back home. I'm still the same person, but with two different ways of living, I suppose.

Is that tough, or do you find it to be fun?

It's kind of unique. I enjoy it. I've always enjoyed my life in Texas with my friends and family, which is incredibly precious to me. I love having that aspect, but at the same time it's interesting to be able to be on my own in such a huge city.

Where do you see yourself after Days? Do you want to stay in show business?

I do, just because I think I've dug myself a little too deep and I'm already here. Who knows? If I decide to leave the show and then have a big dry spell I might throw in the towel. Right now, my thought is either hang in there with the show if they still want me, or try to do some big projects.

Let me guess — you're interested in film, right?

I am interested in film, and I know everybody says that, but it's the only aspect of entertainment that I haven't tried. I've done everything from stage to radio to prime time to daytime, and film is the only thing I haven't tried, so I'm interested in seeing what that entails.

Have you ever considered a career outside of show business?

I really haven't thought about that a lot. I know that's so "tunnel vision" right now. I was going to college and my major was "Undecided," so there wasn't anything that I was pressuring myself to decide on. I was just going to let God guide me. Things obviously took a huge turn when I came out here, but right now I'm just rolling with the punches and taking it where it leads me. I don't try to make plans because I don't want to disappoint myself if they don't come true.

Getting back to the soap, what does it do for a guy's ego to have two women after you on the soap?

I separate myself from the character, so working with Arianne and Kate (Zuker and Ellis, who play Nicole and Taylor) is actually fun. We joke about it, and everybody sort of comes in and out of character mode both on and off the set. The storyline that I'm in right now is good and I think it's going to get better. I don't know if they're going to continue with the sisters fighting over the guy, but I think that there will be some new twists.

Have you made friends with actors your age on other soaps?

Sure I have. it's like this private television world — like one big family, with little families within that big family. Everybody sticks together and we all root for each other. I've got friends on a bunch of soaps, even the New York soaps, and we get along great.

Since it's January, any New Year's resolutions?

You know, I haven't even thought of that yet. I'll have to get back to you!