General Hospital's Elena Tovar (Rosalie Martinez) was certainly surprised when she found out she'd been nominated for a Daytime Emmy this year in NATAS' new category Outstanding Special Guest Performer. So much so, she admits she had to double-check the official list to make sure the information was correct! But that's not the only heartwarming thing the actress did upon finding out she'd been nominated.
soapcentral.com: Congratulations on your nomination!
Elena Tovar: Thank you. It's been a fun day. I came out of the gym this morning and had like 100 tweets and thought, "Wait, what's going on?!" That's the first time I saw it.
soapcentral.com: How did you react when you realized all the tweets were about your nomination?
Elena Tovar: I'm pretty sure I was jumping around on the sidewalk as I was leaving the gym. "Agh, this is so exciting! What's going on? What?!" All these people were saying, "Congratulations," and messaging. It was pretty fun.
soapcentral.com: So after your freak out moment, who did you tell first?
Elena Tovar: I told my roommate, and then I went online because I thought, "Wait, before I start telling people, let me make sure this is all correct." And then, after I found the list of nominees, I called my manager and my family. It's been an exciting day.
soapcentral.com: What scenes did you submit?
Elena Tovar: It was a scene I had with Chad [Duell], who plays Michael Corinthos. We were in a bar, and we have like half a bottle of whiskey together. It was a really fun scene, because we were just able to play a little bit drunk and let loose. I hadn't worked that much last year when they asked me to submit something, so out of everything, that was probably my favorite scene that I had done so far, so I thought, "Yeah, I want to put that one in." I looked at them, and I asked, "What was the most fun to watch?" out of everything that I was able to do.
soapcentral.com: Will you be attending the ceremony in April?
Elena Tovar: Does getting a nomination give me an automatic invite?
soapcentral.com: It better!
Elena Tovar: Yeah, I asked my manager this morning, "Um, so what do I do? Do I just show up at the event?" [laughs] "How does that work?"
soapcentral.com: That's hilarious. What do you think about the event being televised this year and held at Warner Bros.?
Elena Tovar: I think it's great. Since I've started to work on GH, I've had a lot of interaction with fans via tweets and stuff like that, and they deserve to see it live on TV. I think it will be awesome for them. They're really the best fans of any genre on TV, because they're so interactive. It's this ongoing thing, so I think it will be a treat for them.
soapcentral.com: Will you bring anyone on Emmy night to attend with you?
Elena Tovar: I don't know if I'll be able to bring her, but my little niece just got accepted into NYU, and since she was three years old, she's been telling me that whatever award ceremonies I go to in my career, she has to be my plus one. But she's doing big things, and I don't know if she'll be available for me, but I'll try!
soapcentral.com: There were a lot of GH nominees, with the show actually leading the pack. Was there anyone you're particularly close with who you were excited to see also get a nomination?
Elena Tovar: When I saw the list, I was so happy because people that I've worked closely with in scenes are nominated, and I said, "Yes, this is so amazing!" Because I'm closest with them. And then Kristen[Alderson, ex-Kiki Jerome] as well, who's no longer there, but she's such a sweetheart, and we had a couple of scenes together, which were always super fun. So I'm just excited in general for everybody on GH. This year, they've had such great storylines... and Frank [Valentini] and Ron [Carlivati], our executive producer and head writer, are just masterminds. I watch it, and I think, "How do they put all this stuff together? It's crazy!" So I think it's well deserved for GH as a family, as a whole. I'm just super happy for every single one of the actors, but especially the ones I've gotten close with.
soapcentral.com: You're up against some pretty talented actors yourself. How does it feel to be competing with people like Donna Mills, a soap legend; Meredith Baxter, who's known from Family Ties; and Ray Wise, from Twin Peaks?
Elena Tovar: It's just crazy. Crazy! I'm like, "What?" They're all supposed to be there, and I'm like, "Should I? I don't know!" But it's awesome. It's really great. It feels really special.
MORE DAYTIME EMMY REACTION
• GH overcome with emotion after first Emmy nom
• Nominee jokes, "Do I just show up" at the Emmys?
• Lisa Locicero on her first Emmy nom and being pregnant on the Red Carpet
• Kristoff St. John discusses the old-fashioned story that earned him an Emmy nod
• Y&R star Amelia Heinle discusses the possibility of back-to-back wins
• Elizabeth Hendrickson on her final Y&R goodbye and Melissa Claire Egan's "bold" move
• Max Ehrich on the real-life tears his Emmy submission caused
• Christian LeBlanc on the blood, sweat, and tears (of others) that landed him an Emmy nomination
• Gina Tognoni celebrates her first Y&R Emmy nom
• They're no longer a B&B couple, but Linsey Godfrey and Jacob Young are co-nominees
• DAYS star Alison Sweeney on her first-ever Daytime Emmy nod
What do you think about Tovar receiving a nomination in the Guest Performer category? Are you rooting for her to take home the gold? 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.
