STAR OF THE WEEK

Jensen Ackles if fast becoming one of the strongest young leading men in daytime. His good looks and immediate ease DAYS’ Eric Brady, along with his ability to speak volumes with his body language, make him a standout newcomer. For demonstrating true muscle with in-your-face confrontations, he 19-year-old actor earns Soap Opera Magazine’s STAR OF THE WEEK honors.

"I loved him instantly," says Deidre Hall (Marlena), who plays Eric’s mother. "He’s clever, funny, slight outrageous, yet respectful. He’s sweet, confident and boyish. The crew loved him before we rolled tape on his first scene. We knew this guy was solid."

Confrontations between Eric and Stefano have been exciting to watch. "I’m going up against the heavy hitters now!" says Ackles. But being "mean" to Marlena was difficult because "she’s been so nice to me," he adds. Still, Ackles managed to hold his own. During one scene, he proved Hall to turn and ad-lib, "Lower your voice!" When Eric couldn’t get Marlena to forget John, the resourceful young man told John to back off. "John was a major part of Eric’s upbringing," Ackles explains. "Now I tell him to get out of our lives!" But John has continued to stand in the way. "Eric had to be strong with John. It’s the only way to make his point," emphasizes Ackles. But behind the scenes, Ackles has a much different relationship with his co-star. "Drake (Hogestyn, John) is my hero," he says.

"Jensen is a rare find," Hogestyn notes. "As an actor, he’s at ease with himself, has great instincts and it coachable. He comes prepared and has a healthy respect for his castmates and the profession. That respect is returned to him. He’s an all-around good kid. I forsee a long, successful career in this business---hopefully, right here in Salem."

Eileen Davidson (Kristen), "the queen of new ideas," as Ackles calls her, keeps him on his toes as well. "She’ll save something for tape that she hasn’t done in rehearsal," says Ackles. "It makes a scene with her so special. Kristen will play with Eric’s tie or button his jacket while talking, and Eric’s reaction is, ‘What are you doing," Ackles explains. "Then I’ll take her hands and knock them away."

Some of the hardest scenes for both Ackles and his character have involved lying to Roman. On the flip side, some of the character’s most touching moments came in monologues as Roman was near death. "I envy his (read) dad!" enthuses Josh Taylor (Roman). "(Ackles) is very mature, humble, a hard worker and a pleasure to be around. He has a knack for acting. Now if only he were good-looking..." the veteran actor teases.

Ackles likes that "Eric doesn’t stand down to anyone" but bemoans that Eric is "afraid to show any personal weaknesses." There’s a secret Eric has carried with him from Denver, but not even the actor knows what it is. Hall reminds, "There’s so much more than we are seeing. We haven’t yet seen romantic, flirtatious, giddy, incredibly tender scenes. When he hits his stride emotionally with the range, the spectrum he has at his fingertips, there will be no stopping him."

Several of Eric’s female friends from Denver are scheduled to arrive in Salem soon. We’ll be watching.

Soap Opera Magazine