Y&R’s Courtney Hope Says Sally’s Heartbreak Led to a Daytime Emmy Nom

Courtney Hope, as Sally Spectra on The Young and the Restless, arguably did more crying than any other soap character last year. Viewers were touched by Hope’s performance as Sally lost the baby girl she was expecting with Adam — so were Daytime Emmy voters. The actress is chatting with Soap Hub about her nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress.

Finding Hope

“I went back and forth over what I submitted for my reel,” Hope tells Soap Hub. “I wanted to tell as much of the story as I could. I went with the moments that Sally found out her baby was no longer alive to where she wanted to say goodbye to her daughter. [The reel] got right to the core of the storyline.”

Sally’s anguish played out over several episodes, but Hope wanted to keep her reel both dramatic and concise. “I’m so grateful to Josh Griffith [executive producer/head writer] for trusting me with this story,” Hope says. “Mark [Grossman, Adam], Joshua [Morrow, Nick], and Eric Braeden [Victor] are all wonderful scene partners. Matt Kane [Director, Publicity and Talent, Y&R] was a super help. He’s a wonderful sounding board and his advice was wonderful. My parents watch and they definitely helped me [with scene selection] as well.

“There are only about three scenes on my reel,” the actress says. “The moment where Sally’s told the baby had died, where she’s trying to process it, and a scene where she’s talking to the heavens.”

In past years, performers selected two episodes and needed to include each scene in which they appeared within those episodes — even if they were in a group scene and didn’t have anything to say. Now, actors can select specific scenes from multiple episodes.

“I’m definitely glad we have more freedom,” Hope says. “It makes a huge difference. Someone tagged me in a reel [on social media] and I asked myself, ‘Why didn’t I include that?'” After viewing it, Hope recalled that, while dramatic, the beats in the scene were represented in other scenes that were already on her reel.

As far as her competition goes, Hope says she’s quite familiar with most of them. Two of them — Jennifer Gareis (Donna, The Bold and the Beautiful) and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah, Days of our Lives; ex-Caroline, B&B) are former co-stars from Hope’s time on the half-hour soap opera. “I’ve known Linsey for a while,” Courtney Hope says. “We grew up in the same circles. She’s a wonderful actress.

“I’m super-thrilled for Allison [Lanier, Summer],” Hope continues. “She’s an incredible actress. I don’t know Emily [O’Brien, ex-Jana, Y&R; Gwen and Theresa, DAYS]. I saw her work last year, but I don’t know her personally. I’m really excited and honored to be a part of the mix. Everyone is great.”

The last time Hope was nominated was in 2021 for her time on B&B. That ceremony was a hybrid of broadcast and virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Hope is looking forward to a more in-person experience. “I love going to the show,” she says. “There are so many people who have been on multiple shows. It’s a big daytime family reunion. The afterparties are all together now so it’s fun to see everyone. At the end of the day, we’re in a unique medium. To be able to support each other and dance together at the end of the night is really special.”

The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will air on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and Paramount+.

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