For anyone who thinks being nominated and winning Daytime Emmy Awards might get old after you've received the honor numerous times, talk to The Young and the Restless' Hunger King (Summer Newman). Despite having been nominated in the Younger Actress category a total of four times now and winning in the category twice, she admits that she still gets extremely nervous at Emmy time. But it's nothing a little food and time with mom can't fix!
Congratulations on your nomination!
Hunter King: Thank you!
When you first heard your name was called, where were you and what was your reaction?
King: I was on set with a lot of people, and Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin) was the one to inform me I was nominated. He was reading off of Twitter, I think it was, and he could not find my category, so he was announcing everybody else's category, but he said, "Oh sorry hun, I can't find your category." So I was just standing there, waiting to find out. And then my mom was on set that day, and I tried to mouth to her, "I got nominated!" But she couldn't read my lip! So later [I told her] and was like, "That's what I was trying to tell you!" She's in the car right now, and anyway, I was trying to mouth to her, "I got nominated!" But she had no idea and thought I was crazy. She had no idea what I was saying.
Was she there on set specifically because you all knew the nominations were coming out?
King: Oh, she was just there to hang out. We had family and friends in town, so we were hanging out with them, and she came on set, and it just happened to be the day that they were announcing nominations, so it was the perfect time for her. And she literally showed up on set... 20 minutes after I found out I was nominated, so when she showed up, I mouthed to her, "I was nominated!" And she was like, "What?!" She didn't know what I was saying, so I was like, "Oh, God, never mind!" [Laughs]
So, did you guys celebrate afterward when you were off work?
King: We went out to lunch... and we also had In-N-Out Burger that day on set, because of the show's 43rd anniversary. So I kind of got to celebrate by eating In-N-Out, like win-win for me! It was a great day with a lot of food. I always celebrate with food. People celebrate with drinks, I celebrate with food.
Hunter, you've been nominated and won several times, so does it ever get old for you?
King: No! No, it doesn't get old. No, never. It's still just as exciting as the first time. You try to play it cool, like, "Oh, I'm not nervous at all." But yeah, you're still a little nervous, waiting to find out if you're nominated or not. Especially when Christian LeBlanc is announcing everybody else's category but yours! I was like, "Come on, man, just find the category!" But, yeah, it's just as exciting as the first time.
What do you think about the venue? It'll be at the Bonaventure Hotel, and it's not going to be televised. Does that have any impact on you?
King: It's still going to be so much fun. I mean, everybody is going to be there from all of the different shows. All of daytime is going to be there, and I still get to hang out with all of my friends, and that's always a lot of fun. And I'm probably going to bring my mom again, and it's a fun night out. So it's still going to be a bunch of fun for everybody. And I've never been to the Bonaventure, I don't think. So it's going to be exciting. I'm excited to see the venue.
Have you already thought about what you might wear?
King: I mean, I have thought about it. I showed my mom one dress, I said, "Hey, mom, look at this dress!" And she was like, "Oh, that's awful!" So, not going with that dress! Other than that, I haven't found any dresses that I like, so I don't know yet. We're going to have to dress shopping, huh, mom? We're going to have to start looking at some dresses. And soon, because it's coming up in like a month!
Does that add to the pressure, or is that good, because you don't have to stress or think about it for such a long time?
King: I don't know. It's a mixture of both. It's a lot of pressure, like, "Okay, gotta find the dress, and soon!" But I don't know, the whole process is so exciting, and I don't want to wait that long for such a fun night, so I'm excited that it's happening sooner rather than later.
Have you already thought about an acceptance speech, or do you not usually plan those in advance?
King: Oh, God, no! No. I mean, as you can tell from the other years, I don't plan anything! Ever. I kind of think that jinxes it, if you plan something, it totally jinxes it. I probably should plan what I would say if I did win, but I never do. You would think I'd be prepared for stuff like that, but I really don't.
I would never have known that. I've always thought you had great acceptance speeches.
King: Thank you! That is so kind of you! [laughs]
Do you have a lucky charm or a special ritual that maybe you used the last times you won and will use again?
King: My mom is my lucky charm. When I bring her, I win.
So she's going to be your date, obviously.
King: Oh, yeah! Yes, I'm bringing my mother again with me this year. One, she's my mom, two, she's my lucky charm, and then I leave for Italy the next day for vacation, so I have to hang out with my mom as much as I can before that! So my mom has to come. She has no choice.
Did she help you choose the scenes that you submitted?
King: Yeah, I usually tell her and my grandma, because my grandma is a huge fan of the show. My grandma always knows what's happening on the show, so she always tells me, "Hey, when it comes to Emmy time, you know, ask me because I always remember all your scenes!" So I asked my mom, and I asked my grandma. So they were the two who really helped me choose my scenes this year.
And what scenes did you guys end up choosing?
King: The scenes that I submitted, they were the funeral scenes, Austin's [Matthew Atkinson] funeral, Summer's husband at the time. So it was the funeral scene where she found out he had cheated on her, and she kind of remembers everything that had happened in the cabin, and she remembers him and Abby [Melissa Ordway] being together, and all of that comes about, and she just throws a huge tantrum and freaks out and starts talking about, "Why do people cheat?" and all of that. It's a very emotional set of scenes for that.
Were they hard to narrow down for you? Or did you kind of know automatically those were the scenes you'd choose?
King: I think I kind of knew with those. It was between those and another set of scenes from the whole cabin stuff. I really liked all of the cabin stuff, that whole storyline. It was really high intensity stuff, and Chuck [Pratt], our writer, and the whole writing team, they did such a good job at letting all of us portray all of those emotions. And I think those were some really great scenes to choose from, just because the writing was so great, and the amount of emotion, the crazy turmoil going on, I think those were some of the best scenes I had that year.
You're the only woman representing your show in your category, so does that make it more or less nerve-wracking, to go up against others who are not on your show?
King: I know! I don't know. I guess it's a little bit more nerve-wracking, because you're representing your show, so a little bit, yeah. And then Tracey Bregman [Lauren Fenmore] for the Lead, so her as well for her category. Yeah, I guess it does make it a little more [nerve-wracking], because you want to make your show proud. So it does, a little bit, yeah, heighten up the intensity and the chances.
And what do you think about the other nominees you're up against?
King: Oh, my gosh, they're so amazing! I didn't get to see their reels, because I didn't get to view our category. So I didn't get to see the scenes that they submitted, but just watching them and the other scenes that they've done on their soaps, they're all amazing actresses. I'm up against some great talent, so who knows. It's anybody's game, because they're all great.
What do you think about King snagging her forth nomination in the Younger Actress category? Do you think she'll take home the award for the third time in a row? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
