If you've ever thought that it seems like actors and actresses tend to win Emmys once they leave a role on a particular show, you're not alone. We've often thought that, too. This year, The Bold and the Beautiful's Rome Flynn (Zende Forrester) had us asking that question again. Flynn exited B&B in September 2017.
Though pre-nominated in the category in both 2016 and 2017, this year marked Rome Flynn's very first time as a Daytime Emmy nominee. And he was not alone. Every one of the nominees in the Outstanding Younger Actor category received their first nomination this year.
"So, God, listen. I know you told me I was gonna get here, but I didn't believe you," Flynn said as he accepted his Emmy. "I wanna thank you right now. I couldn't be happier where I am right now. I wanna give the glory to God."
Flynn then turned his attention to his former on-screen wife.
"I wanna give a special shout-out to Reign Edwards (Nicole Avant)," Flynn announced. "She was a nominee tonight. Very talented, one of the most consistent actresses that I've worked with over the past couple of years."
Backstage, Flynn reiterated how important his working relationship with Edwards had been. "I think that the past three years have been amazing. I've learned a lot from her, and we've learned a lot from each other. But this [win] is for both of us, for sure. I'm going to write her name on a sticky note and [put it on the Emmy next to my name]."
In the bulk of the scenes in his Emmy reel, Flynn's Zende and Edwards' Nicole had to come to terms with the fact that after Nicole had been a surrogate for her sister, Maya, Nicole learned that she might not be able to have another child. Zende then urged Nicole not to take that child away from Maya and assured her that they would still be able to start a family of their own.
"This storyline was a lot of hard work. Me and Reign Edwards [Nicole Avant] sat down and we just dissected every little piece of it," Flynn revealed. "We wanted to make it as authentic as we could. We knew we were representing not just us, but black couples all over the world and other people who are going through these same situations. We took that with such responsibility and we did the best that we could, and I think this is a result of that."
Flynn wore a button on his jacket with the name "Stephon Clark." When asked about the button, Flynn explained the meaning behind the button.
"I wore this pin in memoriam of him, because recently not too long ago he was killed in Sacramento by cops unlawfully. They thought he had a gun, but he had a cell phone. And I really wanted to wear this just to say that that could have been me," Flynn shared. "It could have been anybody that looks like me. So, this is also for him. I wanted to wear him and give him a little shine, because his life was cut short."
While fictional soap stories may seem to pale in comparison to real life tragedies -- although Days of our Lives earned multiple Emmys this year for a fictional story of a police officer shooting an unarmed African American man.
As for what's next for Flynn now that he's no longer on B&B, Flynn stated, "My next chapter is whatever God has for me. I have projects coming out, and I'm certainly excited about them, but right now, I want to celebrate The Bold and the Beautiful because they really gave me the voice, they gave me the platform, and they trusted me to deliver not just those scenes, but they trusted me to be bold enough to push the envelope in the scenes that I was doing.
Flynn becomes the fourth Younger Actor from The Bold and the Beautiful to win. Justin Torkildsen (Rick Forrester), Drew Tyler Bell (Thomas Forrester), and Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer-but-then-Cooper) were all previous winners for B&B.
Like their Younger Actor counterparts, whichever nominee were to win in the Outstanding Younger Category would be a first-time winner. And what better way to kick off the 2018 Daytime Emmys than by giving one of the five deserving nominees their first taste of Emmy gold.
In her second nomination, Chloe Lanier heard her name called as the 34th recipient of the Outstanding Younger Actress trophy. The actress called the moment surreal.
"It feels very surreal," Lanier said as she glanced at the golden statuette in her hand. "I am just so excited to be here and to have won, and I couldn't be happier."
When she took to the stage to accept her award, the actress thanked General Hospital's executive producer Frank Valentini and Laura Wright (Carly Corinthos), who slapped the heck out of Lanier's alter ego in Lanier's Emmy reel. (You can check out the slap -- and all of the Younger Actress reels here.)
As you might expect, the excitement of the moment can sometimes wipe any and all thoughts from a winner's mind. One of this year's winners in another category actually ran away from the stage when her name was read. Lanier admits that there were some people she had forgotten to thank from the stage. Backstage, she told Soap Central the rest of the people she wanted to thank.
"I forgot to mention our amazing writers, Chris Van Etten and Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman. Also, our producers MK Weir, Michelle Henry, and Mercer Barrows," Lanier shared. "And Chad Duell (Michael Corinthos), who I have shared all of my scenes with! I owe him a lot of credit, too."
When asked where she plans to keep her new hardware, Lanier explained she has some unexpected and furry challenges that will need to be addressed.
"I don't know yet. I keep saying somewhere away from the dogs," she said with a laugh. "I mean, it's shiny! What do you think's going to happen?!"
Lanier's win comes a year after her GH costar Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina Davis) won the trophy. It's the first time that two different actresses from the same soap have scored back-to-back wins since The Bold and the Beautiful's Adrienne Frantz (Amber Moore) won in 2001 and Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget Forrester) won in 2002.
