Award winning actress, Heather Tom of the daily soap, "The Bold and the Beautiful" recently picked up her 6th Daytime Emmy Award.
The actress who plays the role of Katie Logan is the only actress in TV history to win a Daytime Emmy in all three performer categories: outstanding younger, supporting actress and lead actress. Tom also holds the record for being the most Daytime Emmy Award nominated actress under the age of 40.
An emotional Tom said she didn't expect to win and burst into tears when she did.
"This was the year I expected to win the least of any year I’ve ever been nominated, so it was a total shock. I burst into tears. I watched the Zoom viewing party with some of the other cast and crew. My husband, James, was out cycling. That’s how little I expected to win. Maybe it had to do with being in month three of lockdown. I just really felt grateful to my peers, who were the ones who voted for me," she said.
She said no matter how many times she has won, the feeling never gets old.
"It’s still a thrill and I cherish the validation and confirmation. It means something to me. It’s also humbling to be given this embarrassment of riches when there is so much talent in this business."
She said she can't quantify or define the secret to her success, however experience, studying and training and sheer hard work come close.
"There is a place where no words can go, and that’s one of them for me. I went out there and got some experience, I studied and trained. I try to give it my all and I work really hard. But that still doesn’t help with making sense out of it. I’m just going to keep working hard and putting my nose to the proverbial grindstone, expanding my horizons and trying to grow as an artist."
While Tom is still on the show, which has been renewed for another two seasons pushing it up to season 35, she has also carved out a path behind the cameras, directing.
"(For) a few years now, I've also focused on directing. After so many years as a daytime actress, it’s a challenge to get peers to see you in a different role, but that’s exciting to me as well, to be a beginner again and start all over. I guess I love challenges."
Speaking of challenges, Tom said the even though she has been playing the role of Katie for a while, the character still evolves and surprises her.
"Every day is a challenge in daytime television. We have up to 50 pages of dialogue a day and do two episodes in one workday. Just physically and emotionally to put yourself into that kind of workload takes a lot of stamina and determination. I’m really grateful to the writers, who make our stories and our characters interesting year after year. The characters evolve and surprise us. Getting the eight scripts every week is exciting because we never know what’s going to happen, just like the audience."
So how has life in quarantine been for the actress?
"Thanks to the lockdown, I did a lot of being a mom this year. I was Professor Mommy. It was another difficult job, but I made it through and it was very rewarding. Zane and I bonded in a way we couldn’t have if there hadn’t been a quarantine."
Tom said, when she isn't on set, she loves to entertain and cook for my family and my friends.
"I also train for and compete in triathlons. My husband James and I also have an interior design business on the side. This year I’m devoting a little of my time and energy to campaigning in the presidential election as well,".
Three things fans may not know about the actress is that she loves to skinny dip, has a shoe fetish and is the biggest groupie to her husband's band.
*Catch new episodes of "The Bold and the Beautiful" Monday to Friday at 5.30pm on Eva, DStv 141, with a binge-worthy omnibus every Saturday from 4pm.