AS THE WORLD TURNS' Kelley Menighan Hensley talks about Emily's custody woes and new love, and why she loved it when Margo went gunning for her character.
Soap Opera Weekly: When Tom threatened to take Daniel away, was Emily worried about choosing between her son and Casey?
Kelley Menighan Hensley: Oh, it's been looming over her head ever since she entered prostitution that there was a chance this information might come out, and she would lose her son. Tom was very clear when it came out about her and Casey, and he caught them in his house, that he would do everything in his power to make sure she never saw Daniel again. He wasn't kidding. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it, and when it comes to choosing, there is no choice. You choose your son. That's a no-brainer.
Weekly: Tom eventually ends up seeing Emily's side of things and drops his custody suit. Why?
Hensley: He wises up, basically saying, "We either win the case and lose our son, or we drop the case and keep our son." He realizes there's nothing that he and Margo can do. Casey's a grown man; he may only be in his 20s, but he's an adult, and he can make his own decisions. Tom makes the decision [to drop the case], and Margo is like, "Why in the hell would you do something like that?" Tom, being a man, understands that there is nothing that would stop Casey. He knows it's better just to give up and let Casey figure out on his own that maybe Emily's not right for him.
Weekly: That's not any time soon, though. They're finally happy to be together.
Hensley: Oh, yeah. Once all of this happens [with Tom and Margo], Emily's like, "What do I have to lose?" She's slightly hesitant, but then there's this free spirit of a young man saying, "I love you. You love me. We're not hurting anybody. What are we so afraid of?" Emily's always afraid of what other people are going to think, when the truth of the matter is: Who really cares?
Weekly: Casey's love for her is pretty amazing.
Hensley: And the way Billy [Magnussen] plays it, it's just filled with such goodness, there's no ulterior motive.
Weekly: He's so earnest.
Hensley: Yes. That’s a great word for him. He is so earnest.
Weekly: Like when he stood up to his parents for disrespecting Emily.
Hensley: I loved it! I mean, my God, talk about a man standing up for a woman's honor. It was a beautiful thing.
Weekly: Yeah, that whole episode where the affair came out was truly fantastic.
Hensley: I'm usually not around to watch the show, whether it's at work or at home, and I was actually there for that whole episode. We all said the same thing. That is what a good show is all about. It's historical. It's based in character, and it was great.
Weekly: Are Tom and Margo ever going to accept this relationship?
Hensley: Some things are going to happen where both Tom and Margo are going to get the fact that Casey loves her, and some things are going to happen to Casey and Emily that will really solidify that they love each other and there's no denying it.
