JPI
Bringing Up Baby: Pregnancy has come with complications for Chanel (Raven Bowens) and Johnny (Carson Boatman).
Raven Bowens is smack in the middle of the heaviest storyline she’s tackled during her tenure as Chanel Dupree DiMera on Days of our Lives. Her newlywed character is pregnant with her first child, which is typically a joyous occasion. However, the prognosis is precarious, since the unborn baby was exposed to radiation that may have affected its development. Bowens opened up to Digest about the challenging plot and what she’s enjoying most about playing it.
This is a pretty heavy story. What are your thoughts about playing it?
“This is my favorite storyline that I’ve gotten to do so far. At first, I was like, ‘OK. We’re dealing with some real stuff.’ And I love that. That was what I first thought. Then when I saw they were going to bring on the character of Felicity, actually have somebody come on the show and play this character [with Down syndrome], I thought, Wow, This is incredible. I’m so excited that we are giving representation. It’s very rare. And the girl who plays Felicity [Kennedy Garcia] is so lovely and so much fun to work with. I really felt like working with her kind of reignited the joy and the freshness of getting to do what we do. It was a very beautiful experience for me to learn something about myself and learn about her. I spoke with her mom, and she was telling me that she didn’t find out Kennedy had Down syndrome before or have to make any decisions [during her pregnancy]. She didn’t find out until after her daughter was born. She was saying how she feels their community is really strong and that this storyline is going to mean something to them, because they don’t have a lot of representation on television.”
There was a nighttime show, Life Goes On (1989-1993), that starred Chris Burke, an actor with Down syndrome. Are you aware of it?
“That’s another thing that was a really cool moment for me. My acting coach was on Life Goes On. She played the principal [Mrs. Kneffer]. Her name is Gloria Gifford. She shared a lot of her stories about what it was like working on that set with me. So I felt like I was kind of living in a future version of something that I had learned about already in my training. She would talk about how that was one of the favorite sets she ever worked on. Because one of their leads was a Down syndrome actor, they had a rule on set where they had to be positive all the time and weren’t [allowed] to yell. She said the energy was just so good and so positive. That was something that I kept in mind when I was working with [Garcia], because I wanted to make sure I created a good environment for her. She’s also young, and this is her first big job.”
Did you do any research for this story, like looking into the effects of radiation poisoning or what it’s like being pregnant with a child that could possibly have Down syndrome?
“It was mostly speaking to people that I know who have been in this position, especially [Garcia’s] mother. But, no, nothing in terms of other research.”
Actresses have mixed views about playing pregnant, wearing the fake padding and bigger clothes. I remember you telling me when you first started on DAYS how you liked to wear very fitted clothes. How are you adjusting to Chanel’s pregnancy wardrobe?
“It’s still similar. Chanel still has [the same work wardrobe]. We kept that. I would say the dresses she wears have become a little bit more flirty and fun, and they’re more comfortable, honestly. I’ve been steering away from the tight dresses. Those are fun for a minute, but some days you’re just like, ‘I don’t want to put on anything tight.’ ”
What’s it been like sharing this storyline with Carson (Boatman, Johnny), who is a new dad in real life? Was he able to offer you any perspective about what it’s like becoming a first-time parent?
“We were shooting all of this stuff almost identical to the timing that he was at in his journey of fatherhood. So, we have a lot of stuff that comes up that was very personal for him because he was able to connect to where he was at during that time. I talked to his wife [Julana Dizon], because she was really pregnant at that time. That was part of the research process for me. I found myself being more interested and curious about what is going on with a pregnant woman.”
Did you get any tips from Carson or Julana about how to play the different aspects of pregnancy?
“It was interesting, because Carson’s wife had a really, really easy pregnancy. So I learned from her that there were many variations of how I could do it. Most people that I know were throwing up, they were sick, they were this and that. [Julana] didn’t get sick. It didn’t get hard for her until [the end]. She told me she didn’t really feel it until the last month or two. That’s when she started feeling, ‘Nothing fits, nothing looks right, I’m tired…’ ”
How has this storyline affected you and Carson? Do you think it’s intensified Chanel and Johnny as a couple?
“It’s definitely intensified us as a couple. I feel like the first go-round of Chanel and Johnny’s marriage, everything happened so fast, a lot of it didn’t happen on screen, and then there were supernatural forces, et cetera. This time the audience has been more a part of Chanel and Johnny’s journey as far as being able to see their marriage on camera. Then they had a little mini honeymoon, and now they’re pregnant, so it’s like we’ve been able to take everyone on the journey with us. Some stuff that’s going to happen soon is going to deepen things even more. I think that now you’re getting to see what Chanel and Johnny are both made of, because they’re dealing with difficult grownup situations. I feel like last time it was fun. This time it’s mature.”
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Mom’s The Word: Chanel with Paulina (Jackée Harry) in happier times.
Another interesting aspect of this story has been how it’s shifted Chanel’s relationship with her mother. They’ve always been very close, but now Chanel is harboring some anger toward Paulina for having exposed Chanel’s unborn child to radiation.
“I feel like the constant in Chanel’s life is her mother Paulina. She’s really her best friend, Paulina. She’s always the first person who Chanel cries to, the first person who she talks to. It’s devastating right now, because her mother would be the person whose shoulder Chanel would want to cry on, but [the situation she’s in] happened because of her mother, because she was trying to save her. It’s difficult because Chanel understands that, but at the same time she has to place the blame on someone, and her mother wasn’t thinking. On the journey of motherhood, Chanel’s probably going to come to understand why her mother made the decision that she made. There’s a different level of protection that you feel when you’re a mother towards your child that you don’t really understand when you’re not a mom yet. As Chanel is carrying this baby, she’s going to start to understand and maybe be more forgiving towards her mother. But she needs to be able to see that her mother gets it and understand that she messed up. She has to let it burn a little bit.”
How do you like this new dynamic between the two characters? Have you and Jackée Harry (Paulina) enjoyed playing this?
“I love working with Jackée. She’s so funny, because she has this rebellious spirit about her naturally. It feels like she’s a kid in trouble almost. So when I was doing those scenes with her, I felt like I was the mother and I was scolding my daughter. It was kind of a role reversal, which is fun. It was also fun having those scenes where I just got to be mean to her. Chanel has a very loving spirit and quality about her and a forgiving nature. I always love when she gets mad at people or cusses people out, because nobody is sweet all the time.”
