JPI
As Salem mayor Paulina Price Carver, Jackée Harry gets to mix it up with the good and bad citizens in town. Not surprisingly, the Days of our Lives actress relishes playing a woman of power and is embracing being a role model, too. Harry weighed in on all of the above and the story twist that had her worried she was being written off the soap during an interview with Soap Opera Digest.
Soap Opera Digest: Late last year, Paulina ousted EJ as the town’s district attorney. Was she justified?
Jackée Harry: Yes. She wants this town to run properly and by the book. She can’t have his finagling going on. He’s lying to everybody. Of course, he’s powerful, and we know he’s manipulative, but he’s also savvy and he’s a DiMera. So who knows where the bodies will be? But she’s got to deal with him. Today, if you are in politics — a mayor, a councilman, a congresswoman — you’ve got to deal with characters known and unknown. EJ is one of those known factors, but he’s repulsive.
Digest: You had some great confrontation scenes opposite Dan Feuerriegel (EJ). How do you like going head-to-head with him?
Harry: It’s brilliant. I can’t wait to do more. I love it. I wish I could be a bad guy. I always wanted to be a bad woman, but they won’t let me. I always wanted to be Cruella or that Diehard guy that Alan Rickman played. I wanted to be the female [Hans Gruber]. Going up against [Dan] felt so good. He plays EJ with leverage. That’s something he’s good at. It made me feel powerful to go up against a powerful man.
Digest: Does Paulina feel that she’s a formidable opponent to EJ?
Harry: Absolutely. Are you kidding? Is a bluebird blue? No doubt.
Digest: Jada was the one who pushed Paulina to fire EJ. What is it about Jada that made Paulina trust and follow her recommendation?
Harry: Jada is a young woman who is honest, and she’s a young woman of color. So she wants to push that narrative. The future belongs to the next generation and the next one after that. So Paulina wants to push her, and she also wants to use her. Once you appoint somebody, they’re in your pocket. So Paulina’s thinking she can influence her, woman to woman. And Paulina’s an older woman. She’s a role model, which I don’t mind being. In all my interviews, I tell them, “I didn’t want to be a role model years ago.” What was that, 30 years ago? Now, I love it, but you’ve got to live up to it.
Digest: Jada was worried that EJ was going to retaliate against her, but Paulina reassured her. Does Paulina think EJ is all bark and no bite?
Harry: We know he’s going to strike back with something, but Paulina’s like, “I got your back. It will be two of us, maybe three of us [against EJ].” You know, Paulina’s got connections. The mayor’s got connections, but EJ is formidable. The whole DiMera family is. The first time I came up against EJ, I said, “Oh God! Am I being written off? Are y’all killing me?” They were laughing. I said, “I know I’m going to lose. They’re going to find me dead.” It’s challenging being a woman going up go against a man, but I welcome the challenge.
Digest: Meanwhile, Belle has been appointed the new DA.
Harry: I love her. I’m in love with Martha [Madison, Belle]. She’s so sweet, but so wickedly funny. She knows how to make jokes on the set, and nobody sees her lips moving. I’m like, “But Martha said it.” And they’re like, “Jackée, shut up.” Martha is hilarious. She’s been there a while, and she’s a very decent human being. She’s very fair and honest, and she has a warped sense of humor that nobody knows about.
Digest: What’s Paulina’s take on Belle? Obviously, she thinks she’s the right choice for the DA job.
Harry: Absolutely. And she thinks she can control her too. But I don’t know. Belle is honest. She has integrity, but she also has history that Paulina doesn’t know about.
Digest: Salem is now run by women. Paulina’s the major, Jada’s the police commissioner, and Belle’s the new DA. What are your thoughts on that and how it reflects on women in positions of power?
Harry: To have influence and power is more important than money. I think it always will be. Money helps. But just because you have money doesn’t mean you have power and influence. Now with TikTok and the Internet, influence is more powerful than ever. But influence can fade, so you’ve got to have power.
