Days of Our Lives star Chandler Massey photographed by Ryan Forbes for Frontiers Magazine.
Chandler's interview from Frontiers.
It’s been a whirlwind year for Days of Our Lives star Chandler Massey, which last month culminated in his winning the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Will Horton. The reclusive, handsome young star captivated the critics, fans and LGBT community with his honest and raw performances as Will struggled to admit to himself—and others—that he was gay.
At 21 years old, with a bright future ahead as the current “poster guy” for playing gay on daytime TV, Frontiers wanted to learn about Massey’s life off-screen. But first, we relived Emmy night—and got a preview of Will’s upcoming romance with Sonny (Freddie Smith) on Days!
As it turns out, even though Chandler was the odds-on favorite in his category, he didn’t think so. He related his Emmy day jitters or lack of them. “I woke up that morning and I decided I was not going to win. I was not nervous,” Chandler revealed. “But then when they started announcing my category, my heart started pounding. I thought, ‘What the heck?’ I didn’t think I had a chance till 15 seconds before they called my name. And I did not even hear them call it. My dad had to push me up out of my chair to the stage!”
A very shocked Chandler made a quick speech, though reflecting back, he admits there was more he wanted to say. “I didn’t prepare an acceptance speech, because I did not want to jinx it. I missed thanking my grandparents. I could have articulated more that I wanted to thank the people who watch and support the story. Accolades are great, but the real award is hearing people say that they related to it, or it moved them. I wish I would have thanked the viewers for that. Who knows? Maybe one day I will get another chance!” Chandler later admitted he had a bed mate post-Emmy—the gold statuette! “Yes, it’s true—I slept with her.” [Laughs]
But while Chandler praises the Days creative team for the coming out story, he does admit that he has begun to realize his own contributions to making Will’s story jump off the page and connect with the audience. “When it really hit me was at the Outfest Days event,” he admitted. “They played 30 minutes of clips spanning months of Will’s journey. When I saw the story all together, that is when I felt really proud of the work I did. It feels good to see your work pay off and make somewhat of a difference.”
Now that Will has come out, the next step is to find romance, of course! After testing the waters, Chandler indicates that this summer and into the fall, fans can expect Will and Sonny to become much closer. “It looks that way. I think it’s going to be something that hopefully the viewers have wanted to see. If I could give them that, that would be great. I am outspoken about how much I like the platonic friendship of Will and Sonny because I thought it was fresh. Regardless of how I feel about that, I am still going to play that to the best of my ability.”
The other onscreen duo that has been tantalizing viewers is the twisted relationship between the dashing EJ (James Scott) and Will, where many have joked it’s more like … master/slave! Chandler reveals it may not be continuing. “All good things have to come to an end. I can’t help but hold back a smile, and sometimes I don’t when I work with James. I think it’s hands-down my favorite relationship that Will has. When James is in a scene, his focus is on you. That is how people are in real life; they want to get something from you. How many people aren’t afraid to do whatever it takes to do what they want? That is what makes EJ so attractive to Will. I also like Will edgier, too. It is more fun to play.”For the full interview, click here.
