When Bradford Anderson woke up this morning he didn’t immediately know that he had received his fifth Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Damian Spinelli on ABC’s “General Hospital.” How is that even possible, you ask? “I sleep with my phone off,” the actor admits. “That’s the fun thing about being on the west coast. You generally wake up to the news.” He adds, “Just turning on my phone and seeing how many emails and texts I get is generally an indication of a ‘yay’ or a ‘nay.'”
For those of you wondering what Anderson submitted for his Emmy reel, the actor shares that it was the episode in which Ellie (Emily Wilson) told Spinelli that Connie was actually his daughter while they were in the hospital. “It had a nice arc. It was heightened circumstance. It felt like the one,” he explains. As for whether he misses being on the show, he notes, “I miss the people for sure. They were my family for seven years. They saw me through a very amazing time in my life, getting married, having kids… that was the best seven years. Sharing it with people like that, I certainly miss the people. The character I don’t miss as much.” Before jumping to any conclusions, he notes, “[While] I enjoyed playing him, he was at a good place to leave him. He’s doing fine in Portland by himself, I imagine, but I do miss the people for sure.”
A day hasn’t even gone by since learning he was nominated, but Anderson reveals that he’s already spoken to most of his fellow nominees, and speaks very fondly of them all. “My category specifically is really fun because some of my good friends and great friends [are nominated]. Steve Burton [Dylan McAvoy, ‘The Young and the Restless’; ex-Jason Morgan, ‘GH’] is one of my absolute best friends. Dominic [Zamprogna; Dante Falconeri, ‘GH’] and I are great friends. In the time that we’ve known each other we’ve both had kids and have gone through really wonderful times in our lives, so we share a lot. Scott Clifton [Liam Spencer, ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; ex-Dillon Quartermaine, ‘GH’], I’ve known for years. When I came on [‘GH’ in 2006] he was one of my very good friends. It’s been fun to see his life blossom the way it has. Eric Martsolf [Brady Black, ‘Days of our Lives’] and I go to events together. We have such a great time. He’s a fantastic guy.” Ultimately, however, “Rather than be pitted against them, I’d rather we go on a fishing trip, but that’s how it goes.”
Speaking of how it goes, if he had it his way, there would be 50 nominees in each category. “It’s fun that the pre-nominations are announced because they never used to be announced the way they are now. That’s fun because so many other people get recognized for their work,” says Anderson. “You root for everybody. You wish everyone could get nominated. There are so many, and that doesn’t take away from the people that were nominated. We’re just celebrating each other and that’s what it’s all about.”
Whether or not it’s televised or streamed online, “The 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” is scheduled to take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, June 22 and Anderson can’t wait for the day to arrive. “It’s at a beautiful place, we get to eat a lovely meal [and] spend time with each other.” While he can’t specifically comment on what he’s going to wear this early in the game, he says with a chuckle, “I can pretty much guarantee that I own it already.”