Sarah Brown has made her mark on daytime television, having starred on General Hospital (as Carly and Claudia), As the World Turns (as Julia) and The Bold and the Beautiful (as Sandy/Agnes). Now she’s tackling the role of Madison on Days of Our Lives, a businesswoman who’s slated to battle Kate and find passion with Brady.
You’ve got a huge daytime following. Did you get a lot of tweets from Days fans welcoming you to the show?I got tons of tweets. There are so many Days of Our Lives fans, who were already fans of mine, going, “Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to see you on Days. It’s my favorite show.” Not only that, but a lot of my friends are Days fans. It’s awesome. Everybody I know is calling me going, “Can you take me on the set? I want to meet such and such.” A huge number of my friends grew up watching Days. Why did you leave B&B?
I’d been off the show a few months. They put me on recurring instead of being a series regular. I got another job that was a series regular offer, and I took it. Madison is a cosmetics magnate. Have you played a businesswoman before?
Claudia Zacchara was a businesswoman. She was just into illegal business, as well as legal businesses. That’s part of what drew me to Madison, the challenge of creating her. The show gave me the opportunity to collaborate with them on the character, so I’ve gotten to help design Madison. I’ve done research on her, her clothing ... I’m trying to define her, visually, so that when you look at her, you can tell her apart from all the other characters I’ve played on daytime. Claudia’s look was short tight dresses and red stiletto heels. What is Madison’s look?
Beautiful flowy blouses. She might wear pants, but not a pantsuit. Women who work in fashion or cosmetics, get to have a lot more fun with their wardrobes. I want Madison to have a romantic look. Lauren Koslow (Kate) has an incredible sense of style. Did you ask her for any input?
No, I didn’t. We’re kind of going head to head, so the whole idea is to be the opposite of Lauren’s look. How would you describe the Kate/Madison dynamic?
They’re not bosom buddies. They’re competitors. Madison is bringing her business [to town] to try to try to squash Kate’s. So, as you can imagine, there’s some tension. Drama. Word is Madison will find romance with Brady. Did you know Eric Martsolf before joining the show?
I did not, but I’ve worked with him tons and love him. He’s wonderful and such a fun co-star. We laugh all day long. One of the best parts about the job is I love the people here. They’re nice. They’re warm. Eric is definitely the leader of the pack, when it comes to warmth and friendliness. Do you feel you have good chemistry, that “it” factor?
Yes. I’m someone who really believes in that very much. You either have it or you don’t together, and we definitely have it. It’s an undeniable thing, something you can’t put your finger on. Off screen you’re the mother of a teenage daughter. That probably shocks a lot of people, doesn’t it?
Yes. Isn’t that crazy? Jordan is 13. What’s it like raising a teen?
Well, she doesn’t let me call her a tween anymore. She’s like, “I’m a teen.” It’s funny. I can’t believe it. I have so much fun with her. Does she have typical teenage interests?
Yes. Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber and Justin Bieber. (Laughs.) Does Jordan have any desire to follow in your acting footsteps and will you let her?
Jordan is interested in acting, but we’ve made a deal. She’s going to get a really good education and study acting to see if her interest continues. She gets it. She understands that’s the way I did it, and it worked for me. She’s good with that. I’m lucky. She’s an amazing girl. So far, so good.
