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At fifteen, she began going on more frequent auditions, and was forced to transfer high schools due to conflicting schedules. While attending the Manhattan-based Lee Strasburg Institute to train in theatre, Missy spread her wings and took on new roles. In 1983, Missy portrayed “Georgina” in an HBO movie, Somewhere Tomorrow. In 1984, after being called to California for a screen test, Missy won the role of Jade Perkins on NBC’s daytime soap opera, Santa Barbara. After her junior year of high school, Melissa and her mother (father Larry had to stay in New Jersey for his disc-jockey job) made the move to California. “We didn't know anybody here, so my agent drove us around and helped me find an apartment,” Missy recalled in a 1990 interview with Soap Opera Digest. “For people from New Jersey, California is like another world. Coming here was a big deal." Because of leaving before her senior year and her work schedule, Melissa had an on-set tutor and graduated by taking the GED. After one year on Santa Barbara, Missy was released from her contract, but was diplomatic about the turn of events: “Working there was fun and the cast was great. It was so exciting just to be there. But there are always going to be problems with a new show." During her time on the show, she experienced natural insecurities and fears of a teenager far away from home. Missy recalled those feelings in Soap Opera Digest: “Every girl goes through that stage where you eat at McDonald's every day. You just naturally gain weight… In this business, you're not allowed to look like that, so there was this pressure of 'Oh God, you have to be thin,' plus my family being three thousand miles away, plus being at a job that I knew wasn't going to work out.” A month after being written out of Santa Barbara, in September 1985, Melissa won her most significant role as Jennifer Horton on Days of our Lives. Melissa was paired with several different leading men, including Rob Estes, Billy Warlock, and Billy Hufsey. Missy and Billy Warlock became good friends off-screen, and Missy once recounted, “We became such good friends that when we had to do our first fantasy kiss, we freaked out and didn’t know what to do.” In 1987, Missy had the opportunity to star in the teen-flick-turned-horror-movie, Summer Camp Nightmare, while still working on Days. In 1988, Melissa met her future husband, Scott Reeves, who did a short stint on Days as the character Jake Hogansen. They were introduced by a mutual friend on the show, but were both involved with other people at the time. A few months later, after Scott had left the show, he called up Missy to come hang out at his apartment. “My buddy and his girlfriend were hanging out at my apartment, and I felt like a third wheel. I racked my brain, thinking of who I could call, and Missy popped into my head. So, I called and she accepted," Scott recalled in a 2001 interview. The two began officially dating, and knew this was IT early on. "The second day we were together, Missy came over, and we washed my dogs at my mom and dad's house. We spent the entire day together. Missy had dinner with my mom and dad and she fit right in with my family, " Scott recollected. A month after they began dating, Scott popped the question. Missy happily remembers that night: "He took me for a romantic dinner, then on a limo ride through Stanley Park. At the park, we got out of the limo and Scott asked me to marry him. I was totally surprised. When we first got into the limo, I was so tired I didn't even want to go. But it was so great. I was showing my ring to the limo driver and saying, 'Look, we're engaged!'" They would later endure a drama of soap opera proportions. In January 1990, Scott experienced a seizure, and found out through tests at the hospital that he would have to undergo brain surgery. Wedding plans were postponed, as Missy and Scott’s family feared what the surgery would reveal. It turned out that a sinus infection had traveled to his forehead and stuck there, creating an abscess. "The doctors removed the abscess and he was totally fine," Missy explained. The couple was finally married on March 23, 1990 at Lake Manor Chapel in Chatsworth, California in front of a small group of family and friends. While Missy’s pairing on Days of our Lives with Warlock (Frankie Brady) was popular, the character of Jennifer did little more than float around in teen storylines until being paired with the character Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford). Matt explains that he had often admired Missy’s talent, and said in 1990, “I'd always watch her from afar because she was a cute girl and there's a really good vibe about her as a person. The show kept allowing her to do the same thing over and over again, and it killed me to watch sometimes. I think she has unlimited potential and I'm just so glad we got the chance to work together because she pulled more out of me and I pulled more out of her." Together, the extremely popular duo won three Soap Opera Digest Awards – the 1991 SOD award for Outstanding Supercouple, the 1992 SOD award for Best Wedding, and the 1992 SOD award for Best Love Story. Missy’s pairing with Matthew also brought out the comedic side Missy didn’t know she had. Missy recalled her initial fear of doing comedy: "Matt said, 'Just do it,' and I said, 'Oh, no, no, I can't. I'll screw it up. I'll start crying. I'll be so scared.'" Missy was shocked when Matthew was let go from Days in 1993 - “I think it was very unfortunate and I don't want to say anything bad… It was just awful that it happened because I thought we had something really good going." Unfortunately, many upset fans misdirected their anger at Missy, to which Matt publicly defended her: “Missy seems to be bearing the brunt of this. People have been writing cruel, unrealistic things to her. She has nothing to do with the decision. She's just doing the best job she can.”
On August 2, 1997, Scott and Missy had their second child – Lawrence David Reeves. They named him after Missy’s father and brother. Missy and Scott did their first project together in 1999 with television movie, Half a Dozen Babies, based on the true story of the parents of sextuplets, Keith and Becky Dilley. Scott and Missy portrayed the parents, which wasn’t a stretch for them, as Scott noted in 1999 - "We're playing a husband and wife with children. It's something we can definitely relate to!"
Melissa recently re-signed with Days in September 2002 to remain on the show for at least another year. While Missy loves her job, she knows what’s most important. “In life, God and my family first - career comes after that or I have nothing.” She is a person who is truly appreciative and grateful for her fans and the support they have given her through the years. In an on-line chat with fans in 1999, Missy sincerely expressed her thanks to them - “I'm so thankful that you're so supportive of my career, my life with Scott, and my children. That is a loyalty and a love that you don't find very much in life and it's wonderful. I'm hoping that when I do go back to work one day that you're all there waiting.” They were waiting, with open arms.
Written by Sarah; © 2003
Thanks to Janet from Jennifer Horton Signed My Yearbook for the high school picture of Missy.
Quotes documented are from such publications as Soap Opera Digest, Soap Opera Weekly, and Soap Opera Update. ~ ...On Her Husband and Family
On Her Husband and Family... Back to Top "When I first met [Scott], he used to sing this song to me called 'Thank You' by Led Zeppelin. It's a ballad. That's the one song that means the most to me. The lyrics say, 'If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.' It's really pretty. I thought Scott wrote it when I first heard it."
"Scott is always taking care of domestic stuff. If a bill comes and Scott doesn't pay it that night, he won't sleep."
"I am so thrilled for him [for his Emmy nomination]. Scott is such a great actor and I was happy he was finally recognized this year! He wasn't even nervous - everyone had to keep reminding him he was nominated."
On Matthew Ashford... Back to Top
"When I slapped Jack and called him a rapist, I really smacked [Matt]! When I turned around he was closer to me than when we had practiced it and I really hit him hard. I felt so bad I started crying."
On the J&J bathtub scene...
"We had to do one scene seven times. I was crying, I was laughing so hard. He did this little Michael Jackson dance thing and walked back to where he was standing. Every time someone else's face came on, I was holding my laughter in. We get in trouble, but I can't help it - he's so funny!"
What do you enjoy most about working together?
"I’ll see other people not laughing at something I do and Matt will be laughing hysterically and I’ll think, well, Matt thinks it’s funny. I have to work with Matt, so if he thinks it’s funny, that’s all that matters."
"It's so weird how I can be standing there with Matt during rehearsal and be joking around like Matt and Missy. Then all of a sudden when we know we're taping and we know it's countdown, it changes. You become this couple, you become "Jack and Jennifer" and I look at him totally differently. I can look at him seriously, in the eye, and not start laughing hysterically!"
What was your favorite storyline?
"He's so witty and such a good actor; he brings out things I never thought I could do. You develop a certain trust with actors you work with."
"I learned so much from him about acting. Talking to him every day was like talking to a professor. He brought out different sides of me that I was afraid to try. He'd be like, 'Just do it!'"
(On Matt's firing in 1993): "I do have to say that when Matthew was let go, I was really shocked. I was floored... I had no clue that it was going to happen. I remember our show was firing people left and right, and he came in my dressing room and said, "Hey, guess who's next?" and pointed at himself. I just couldn't believe it, you know. I think it was very unfortunate and I don't want to say anything bad. It was just awful that it happened because I thought we had something really good going."
Who was your favorite leading man?: "I'd have to say Matthew, that was when it was best for me at Days. We had great stories and we worked together very well."
Since you spent so many years as Matthew Ashford's co-star, are you going to support his benefit for Retinoblastoma, on behalf of his daughter?: "Oh absolutely, YES. We had dinner with Matt and Christina and we got to spend time with the kids; there's a friendship between, Matt, Christina, Scott, and myself. We suppport them competely."
"I loved working with Matt. It's funny with different actors, sometimes you get into a rhythm and you know where you're going with the scene...we had a ball and he taught me a lot about comedy. We did a lot of crazy, crazy stuff...it was really fun. When you work with actors who make you work harder, it's wonderful."
"I love Matt Ashford, he was so great to work with and I think the audience can tell when the chemistry is there. He was so funny and the laughter was nonstop. Plus we had a great story to play everyday. It was just a blast. Matthew was one of a kind."
"And working with Matthew is always very funny because he would just make me laugh right out loud during scenes and sometimes they would even keep it when it went on the air. People would say, you were really laughing weren't you? And that's just great, you couldn't really ask for a better job than to go to work and be cracking up everyday."
"If you could improve your storyline in any way, how would you do it?"
"I think it would be interesting if they brought Jack back to "Days" - to bring Matthew Ashford back."
"Who is the most fun co-worker on the set?:
Who is your favorite "Jack"?:
"You just click with people sometimes when you work. And Matthew and I click really well. That makes it 100 times easier and so much fun."
"I love working with Matt again. Nothing has changed between us since the early days. We are having the best time. Matt's rejuvenated and we're both happy. We both grew up a lot, but the dynamics and chemistry hasn't changed at all over the years between us."
On Jack & Jennifer... Back to Top NEW
NEW
"I'd really love to see [Jennifer] get involved with an older man on the show, maybe someone like Jack Deveraux. He's so scary and he could really intimidate Jenn."
"She's attracted to him because he's a cunundrum - a puzzle which seemingly doesn't have an answer. It's more of a challenge to find the answers."
"I think there is a real heartfelt love with Jack that they found in their love so many ways other than sleeping together. ...With Jack, it was more of a genuine love, and not this heated passion that doesn't last forever."
"I think she's secretly glad to see him. We're talking about someone who Jennifer has loved pretty much her whole life. She was very young [when he came into her life]. So I think she just feels comfortable getting into this madness with him. If Jennifer and Jack didn't ever speak again, it would be devastating for both of them. I think it's comforting to have this back and forth, push and pull that exists between them."
"I think that Jack and Jennifer have an everlasting love/hate relationship, and I can't imagine them without each other. I don't think anyone else could bring out what Jack's about than Jennifer. Nobody is capable of irritating him that much."
"Jennifer is still in love with Jack. She's just so scared of the way he is and the person that he is. She's not sure he'll ever be any different. But, deep down, she has this incredible love for him."
(In response to "Is there someone in Salem who is [Jennifer's] match?"): "Oh yeah. I'm sure that Jack is. I think Jack will always be the perfect man for Jennifer, once they grow up a little and turn into adults."
"I think she's attracted to nice guys, but deep in her heart, she's fooling herself because she loves Jack."
Miscellaneous Missy Quotes Back to Top "The storyline is revolving around the character of Chloe, who has leukemia on the show. Our daughter Abby on the show had aplastic anemia years ago, so we felt like we wanted to bond with her family and to be there to support Chloe, by having our own Light the Night walk in Salem. We think it is such a great way to raise awareness for leukemia and lymphoma through daytime, to have this walk on the show. The audience who is watching at home may not know what Light the Night walk is, so to have it on television in the middle of the day when there are millions of people watching it, they are all going to be aware now of what Light the Night walk is. When they see it they are going to know what it is, they're going to know what it's for. To raise awareness in any kind of disease is so important."
"I do hope I've helped the young people who watch us so much. It's important at their age to have someone who can set a good example for them to follow."
Others on Missy... Back to Top "Melissa Reeves [ex-Jennifer] is the only cast member that I do occasionally speak with. I think the last time I talked to Missy was probably about three months ago. That was about it, and we don't talk more than once or twice a year now. Those were the good old days."
[In response to "Would you like to see Melissa Reeves come to GH as a love for AJ?"] "Absolutely! Come on! Any chance to work with Melissa! Not to say Sarah [Brown] isn't the creme de la creme, but you are talking two different dynamics.
I would love to work with her again in any way, shape or form. We just really got along."
"I happen to think it's great that Missy Brennan has a great story. They (Matthew Ashford and Melissa Brennan) are so good together. I'm a big fan of that whole thing. I think that's great. And that's what they do best."
"It's strange to be working with Melissa now. It's a lot of fun though. Matt is also fun to work with."
"I'm having a lot of fun with Missy. She brings about this certain energy, she gives me so much as an actress."
"Missy and I have become pretty good friends. She sleeps over at my house sometimes." "Missy is so down to earth and she’s so grounded. She is the kind of person that always puts everyone around her completely at ease. When we go places, she still gets so much attention – even sometimes more than me – but she never lets it get to her."
Our family is the number-one priority for me and Missy. But when we went to New York for the Emmy Awards, we were kid-free. Missy and I had a great time – we went to see a few shows, we ate food we don’t normally eat, and we just hung around each other. But after a few days, we were both anxious to get home! We’re terrible – it’s great to be alone, but we miss the kids so much when we’re gone."
"We got married in a little church in Chatsworth, California. It was all family. We didn't even have Matt [Ashford]. What happened was we were supposed to have a big wedding. But my surgery came up and we had to postpone all of our wedding plans. So it ended up being very small."
"They are the happiest couple I know."
"She has no problem in labor. Like with our son, he just popped out. I'm the mess. I see a woman giving birth and I about faint."
"Matt and Missy are really nice and so talented. They have both taught me so much about comedic timing, positions, timing and speech but the best thing is learning how to cry like Missy because she is the best crier!"
"Missy is sweet and caring and I love talking to her."
"Missy is the best, I like playing her daughter! She is the best mommy like my real mommy."
Is there someone [of your former DAYS castmates] that you miss the most?
"They were all great, but Missy is the one I miss the most. She's a doll."
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She is grateful for the time she got to work with Matt. “Working with Matt has made me so comfortable that I'm not as scared anymore. You try stuff, and if it doesn't work, it's no big deal… I learned so much from him about acting. Talking to him every day was like talking to a professor. He brought out different sides of me that I was afraid to try. He'd be like, ‘Just do it!’" Scott and Missy became good friends with Matt and his wife Christina, and the two couples even attended Lamaze classes together, as Missy and Christina were pregnant at the same time. On June 23, 1992, Missy and Scott welcomed their daughter Emily Taylor Reeves into the world. Scott says on choosing a baby name, “Missy and I have the same taste. We decided early on to name our first daughter Emily.”
Missy continued to do the best job she could for the next two years. In 1994, Missy was privileged to receive SOD’S Hottest Female Star award. Her popularity in the daytime world had risen to tremendous heights. The industry was shocked in late 1995 when Missy announced that she was leaving Days of our Lives. Missy and Scott released a statement that expressed Missy’s wish to spend more time with her family. Because Melissa was still under contract to Days of our Lives, legal issues ensued with Corday Productions. Everything was settled out of court, and offers streamed in for other roles, but Missy chose to stay out of the spotlight. In 1999, she commented on her departure by saying, “When it comes down to it, my priorities had to be in order... my priority at the time was my family.” Scott and Melissa maintain that Missy’s becoming an at-home-mom worked wonders – “The difference we saw in Emily was amazing. I think that opened both of our eyes. We realized how important it is for one of us to be an at-home parent. It didn't matter how we got to that point, but once we had reached it, we saw the difference it made in Emily and her behavior.” Rumors ran rampant about her departure in the press, and as Missy now states, “Pretty much everything that has been printed, I'll say most of it [has been] rumor and false."
The soap world was thrilled and shocked in 2000 when Days of our Lives announced Melissa Reeves was returning to the show. Melissa expressed that she had never seriously considered going to another show. “My heart has always been with Days of Our Lives,” she told Soap City in October 2000. “I moved here to LA from New Jersey and started on the show when I had just turned 18. I was there for the whole of my young adult life and Days has always felt like a second home to me so there was never a thought going to a different show. In my mind I had always planned to go back to Days, it was just a matter of when.”
Missy and Scott remain happily married, and celebrated their 13th anniversary on March 23, 2003. With Matthew Ashford back at Days as well, Missy is once again part of the on-screen pairing that helped bring her so much fame. In 2002, she happily reported, “I love working with Matt again. Nothing has changed between us since the early days. We are having the best time. Matt's rejuvenated and we're both happy. We both grew up a lot, but the dynamics and chemistry hasn't changed at all over the years between us."
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