General Hospital fans are beyond thrilled that Dominic Zamprogna is back on the canvas as Dante Falconeri, and the exciting wrap-up storyline has come at the perfect time: the actor was just nominated for a Daytime Emmy award.
Soap Central caught up with Zamprogna to find out how he feels about receiving the third nomination of his career and to get a little scoop about what fans can expect from his short return to Port Charles. Keep reading to get the answers to those questions and to find out the fun reason he may have ruffled his family's feathers.
Soap Central: Congratulations on your Emmy nomination!
Dominic Zamprogna: Thank you. You're going to get tired of saying that to everyone you have to interview today, I'll bet.
Soap Central: Ha, maybe. But there are so many people from General Hospital nominated, and I'm so excited for all of you!
Zamprogna: I am, too! It's really great.
Soap Central: This is your third Emmy nomination, so do you believe in the saying, "Third time's a charm?"
Zamprogna: No, and I was just thinking about that earlier. With the first one, you know you're not going to win because it's your first one. The second one, you're like, "Yeah, I want to win, and I should because it's my second one!" And the third one is like, "Well, I'm just happy to be there again." If it happens, it happens. And if it doesn't, that's okay. I really love that Max [Gail, Mike Corbin] got nominated, as well. I think he's done an amazing job with the storyline he had last year. It's a good group of people all around, and hopefully, if I don't win, he does.
Soap Central: I would imagine that being up against someone from your own show would make you feel more competitive, but I like that you just pointed out that it at least makes the chances of someone from your show winning a little higher.
Zamprogna: [Laughs] Well, technically, mathematically, that's how it should work out. But I don't know if that's always the case.
Soap Central: How did you find out you'd been nominated?
Zamprogna: I was working out, and [I received some calls and texts]. My trainer was taking a break, and I looked at my phone and saw that someone from production had texted me.
Soap Central: So you were working out at the time?
Zamprogna: Yeah, my buddy just does some training with me, just to get some aggression out, you know?
Soap Central: Okay, cool. I get that. And as an actor, you always have to stay in shape and be ready for whatever comes.
Zamprogna: That is true. You've got to work out the body and the mind, the whole thing.
Soap Central: Who did you share the news with first? Did you call anyone or message anyone about your nomination?
Zamprogna: I'm still waiting for my family to text me, because I haven't heard from them yet. I've gotten text messages from a lot of friends and people from the show. But I'm still waiting for my dad and my sisters -- I think they're mad at me for something, I don't know!
Soap Central: Maybe they don't know! You've got to tell them!
Zamprogna: They might not know, but they've known every other time! But I heard from Maura West (Ava Jerome) and Frank (Valentini, our executive producer) and some other people at the studio. But the first person [I told] was my buddy that I was training with and then my wife. My kids don't really care, so I haven't really told them yet.
Soap Central: Your kids are quite young, right?
Zamprogna: They're three, six, and eight.
Soap Central: Yeah, okay -- they're probably a little young to understand how cool this is.
Zamprogna: Yeah, my three-year-old could care less. My six-year-old is sick on the couch, so she might care when she's not vomiting.
Soap Central: Oh, no, she's sick? I will keep my fingers crossed that she gets better soon.
Zamprogna: Someone is always sick when you've got three kids -- it never ends! Someone is always sick.
Soap Central: What can you say about the scenes you chose for the reel you submitted?
Zamprogna: This round, we submitted the stuff with Max, a scene in the stables when he has taken Avery, thinking she's Courtney. We submitted also the stuff with Ryan [Peavey, ex-Nathan], when he's dying a year ago. And also some stuff with Wes [Peter August] in the interrogation room, where Dante has just found out he's sort of responsible for Nathan's [Ryan Paevey] death. And I think we had the stuff with Lulu [Emme Rylan], my last scenes on the show before I left in May, where he says goodbye to her. I can't remember if those were on the final cut, but I think they were.
Soap Central: It sounds like you had a really nice mix and range of material. Was it a tough decision, narrowing down what made the cut for the reel?
Zamprogna: No, it wasn't. I left the show in May, so I only had material up until May. But it was kind of easy because I think you know when you're doing scenes. You kind of file it in the back of your head, like, "Oh, that might be something worth revisiting that could be submitted." When I did the stuff when Nathan was on his death bed, I thought, "Well, you know, maybe I'll throw that in." The stuff with Lulu, I kind of knew I wanted that. And you know, our stage manager, Craig McManus, he constantly comes up to me, because we have a little bit of a joke going on where if he can ever see me acting, then I've got to go and do another take. He came up to me after the stuff with Wes and didn't say that. Instead, he said, "I think you've got some good stuff for your reel now." So, I kind of use other people's judgment. Those guys see everybody's stuff, day in and day out, so when they come up to you and say something [positive], it really hits home and means a lot.
Soap Central: Do you have any idea of who you might bring to the ceremony this May?
Zamprogna: Oooohhhhhh, well probably my wife, Linda. I have to start by asking her, of course. But if not, I thought it would be fun to take one of my sisters. But they live in Canada, so I'll have to see if they're not mad at me anymore and want to come with me. If so, maybe I'll take one of them.
Soap Central: Okay, this is the second time you've mentioned that your family may be mad at you. What did you do?!
Zamprogna: Oh, I bailed on our Mexico trip, because we're going to Europe on Monday for three weeks. I bailed on our family Mexico trip. I'm just joking around about them being mad at me, but they were upset that I didn't go.
Soap Central: Well, that's fun that you're going to Europe! And for three weeks? That is pretty much most of the time from here on up to the Emmy Awards in May. That doesn't leave you much time to prepare!
Zamprogna: Yeah, we're coming back on the 17th, so I'll have a week and half or so before the big night.
Soap Central: You're lucky that you're a guy and you can skip the whole dress search. That's really the stress before the Emmy Awards.
Zamprogna: [Laughs] I can just wear a black suit, pick a new tie, and get a fresh haircut!
Soap Central: Exactly! Do you think that you'll be celebrating your nomination tonight or this weekend, or are you too busy packing for Europe?
Zamprogna: No, we're just going to chill out because we have so much to do before we take off on Monday. We'll probably just lay low and take care of the kiddies.
Soap Central: Are you taking the kids to Europe?
Zamprogna: We are.
Soap Central: Oh, wow. Have you traveled long distances with them yet?
Zamprogna: We've traveled, but usually to Canada to see family or to Mexico. The most we've ever done is a five-hour flight, so this will be a little different because we'll be going all the way to London, and then we have a layover for a couple of hours in London, and then we head to Rome on Monday afternoon. I think we'll be okay. They're looking forward to it and are excited. They don't want to fly over the ocean, but who does?
Soap Central: Have you been to Europe before?
Zamprogna: Yeah, I went when I was fifteen with my dad and my grandparents to visit family and meet them for the first time. It was to meet my dad's side of the family. We're Italian, so I got to meet all of those guys for the first time, my grandparent's family. And then my mother's family is in England, so we're going to go there this time, too. But I haven't been to England in [a long time]. I went to Rome was I was fifteen and eighteen, and I went to England when I was twenty. And that was the last time I've been anywhere over there. It's been fun planning, just looking at all the Airbnb's and drives. There's so much stuff we've never seen before, so we're looking forward to it.
Soap Central: Dante has returned to GH and I'm wondering if there's anything you can tease as far as what fans can expect from his return to the canvas?
Zamprogna: Viewers are seeing some darker shades of him; he's been through a bit since he's been gone. And there's some good stuff coming with Lulu that I think will be either at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. Hopefully people will be excited and are looking forward to that.
Soap Central: Is there anything else you'd like to add before I let you go?
Zamprogna: Just that I'm really looking forward to [the Emmys on] May 5th!
What do you think about Zamprogna's Emmy nomination? Do you think he has a strong shot at taking home the gold? What are your thoughts on Dante's GH return? 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.
