Melissa Claire Egan Jokes She’s the New Susan Lucci of the Emmys!
The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are on hold pending a resolution of the ongoing WGA Writer’s Strike. So until the ceremony is rescheduled, it may be a while before THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS star Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) finds out if her seventh time as a nominee will be the charm in crossing over from “Daytime Emmy nominee” to “Daytime Emmy winner.”
Throughout her daytime career, Egan was nominated three times in the Supporting Actress category for her work as ALL MY CHILDREN’s Annie Lavery before she landed at Y&R and began collecting more nods for her portrayal of grifter Chelsea Lawson. Now nominated for a seventh time and her second vie as an Outstanding Lead Actress, Egan joked in an interview with Michael Fairman that she feels a bit like her former AMC colleague Susan Lucci (Erica), who was famously in the running for Emmy gold 19 times before finally taking home the trophy in 1999.
“I’m the SuLu!” Egan exclaimed, not sounding at all bothered to be associated in that way with the iconic daytime star. “I’ll take it any time I can be compared to Susan Lucci. I know it’s wild, right? Number seven.”
All joking aside, Egan noted that she has “always been proud” of her Emmy reels and being honored with seven nominations in her 17 years of performing in the soap opera genre. However, this year’s nomination feels somehow bigger, as her reel included the powerful scenes surrounding Chelsea’s suicide attempt and depression, which resonated profoundly with viewers.
“Because the material is so important and the material is so relevant, and it’s touched people in such a different way, it’s become the work I’m most proud of,” she admitted. “The truth is, I’m so excited to be nominated again, but the real reward has been being able to affect people and touch people and help people. There’s nothing that can compare or compete with that. So, I feel like no matter what happens, I feel like the real reward is being able to tell the story and help people feel less alone.”
No doubt, being named Outstanding Lead Actress for her commanding performance would be the icing on the cake for Egan whenever the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are handed out!
