On the Set of DAYS with Taylor Spreitler

We Love Soaps was on the set of DAYS OF OUR LIVES recently and had the chance to speak with several members of the cast including Taylor Spreitler (Mia), who discusses her first year on the soap in this interview.

We Love Soaps: The viewers know that Mia is in for a tragic shock when she learns that the baby she gave birth to actually died. How do you relate to that?
Taylor Spreitler: I can’t really relate to any of it so that makes it more of a challenge. For awhile when [Mia] had the baby, I had to think about a dog that was stolen from me. I had a dog for years that was stolen out of my backyard when I was watching the New York Rockettes. So that’s all I had to compare to it, which is no comparison at all.

We Love Soaps: Is that how you’re able to bring out the tears on set?
Taylor Spreitler: I used to. But I think when you work on a soap you are that person every day. You become attached to them. You start to have some of the same traits. You get so into it that you start to feel bad for someone who’s actually going through that. And because I’m a girl and I’m emotional it makes me feel really bad for her and start crying about it.

We Love Soaps: Does Suzanne Rogers know that your dog was stolen while watching the Rockettes? She was a Rockette at one time, the youngest in their history at that time.
Taylor Spreitler: No, I don’t want to tell her that. [Laughs]

We Love Soaps: In what ways are you like Mia?
Taylor Spreitler: I’m nothing like her. No.

We Love Soaps: I’ve noticed that the characters of Nicole and Sami, who can be pretty rough-edged, always soften up when they are around Mia. Do you feel you bring that out in the actresses?
Taylor Spreitler: I think everybody just feels bad for her. She’s sixteen-years-old and she’s had a kid and given it up. The first person she ever loved left her. This is stuff that most people don’t go through, ever. She’s already gone through it. And, of course, there’s a part of Nicole that feels bad for what she has done. So most of the time she does soften up because her conscience won’t let her keep being mean. And Sami just has a soft spot [for Mia] because she’s been through a lot of stuff too.

We Love Soaps: Who have you not worked with that you want to work with?
Taylor Spreitler: I think Mark [Hapka, who plays Nathan]. I think Mark and I would have fun. Plus we [Mia and Nathan] used to live together. The only time I would see him is when he was walking out the door going to work.

We Love Soaps: Now balancing school work with a front burner story on a soap is a lot to juggle. Do you have friends who you can talk to? Do you have friends your own age?
Taylor Spreitler: All of my friends are older than me. Casey [Deidrick] and I were friends before he started the show. I definitely do have friends I can talk to. I’m friends with other teens on other soap operas. But if it’s something related to the show, most of the time I’ll talk to Dylan [Patton, who plays Will] about it. We work together. He kind of understands it. He’ll help me out if he knows how.

We Love Soaps: You’re getting to the end of your first year on the show. What have you learned?
Taylor Spreitler: There’s so much! I’ve gotten better at memorizing stuff [and] learning how to play off other people.

We Love Soaps: If you could go back one year and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Taylor Spreitler: I don’t know. That’s a good question. I think I did okay. [Laughs]

Damon L. Jacobs is a Marriage Family Therapist practicing in New York City, and the author of "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve". He has started blogging again at www.shouldless.com.