What role did Cady McClain play in Days of Our Lives? Character explored

Recently, soap opera star Cady McClain gained attention from the press for both her personal and professional milestones, including her recent divorce. Jon, the husband of Cady McClain, recently announced that they planned to dissolve their union.

They announced on Instagram that they had to make the painful decision to split up after realizing that their objectives were taking them in different directions and giving the decision some thought.

McClain had a successful career starring in several soap operas; most famously, she was the beloved Jennifer Horton on Days of Our Lives. 2020 saw McClain step into the role, temporarily replacing Melissa Reeves.

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Cady McClain as Jennifer Horton: A legendary role on Days of Our Lives

On the famous soap opera Days of Our Lives, Cady McClain portrayed the iconic character Jennifer Horton to wide acclaim. As the daughter of long-running characters Bill and Laura Horton, Jennifer first appeared in the series in 1976 and has since become a key and recognizable character.

Melissa Reeves played Jennifer for more than 35 years. However, McClain briefly filled the role in 2020 while Reeves was away from the show. In 2021, McClain won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for her complex and moving portrayal of Jennifer.

She discussed how she changed into Jennifer in an interview with Daytime Confidential.

She mentioned:

"I decided that I can’t pretend or try to act and be Missy because she’s her own magical, beautiful, creative self, who brought the character of Jennifer to life over a long period of time, and if I tried to be like her, it would feel weird and inauthentic and wouldn’t work somehow."

Cady McClain clarified:

"So I just studied the character of Jennifer, and I thought, ‘I can bring myself to Jennifer and put my spin on that,’ so that’s what I’ve been trying to do."

In one storyline, Jennifer confronts severe mental health issues as she deals with the sudden passing of her daughter, Abigail Deveraux. This story delves into the depths of Jennifer's pain and the challenges she faces in embracing such an awful loss.

Also, the main focus has been Jennifer's struggle with addiction, which has shown the character's strength and flaws as she makes her way through this difficult road. McClain has had many chances to show off her acting skills and give Jennifer Horton on Days of Our Lives more nuance.

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Cady McClain's career history and background

She started acting professionally when she was nine years old and went on to work with renowned directors like Richard Benjamin and Herbert Ross. McClain is an actress who has taken home three Emmy Awards and a director nominated for two Emmys.

McClain's most well-known credits are from her highly praised soap opera roles, specifically the one where she played Dixie Cooney on All My Children, for which she received two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Having attended schools including NYU, SVA, and The New School for Public Engagement, McClain has a broad educational background. Cady McClain studied fine art, creative arts therapy, and international literature there.

To assist artists in overcoming creative blocks, she has also created and instructed a workshop dubbed Dreaming Into Art. Besides authoring a book titled Murdering My Youth: A Memoir, she has released several albums.

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Check out Cady McClain playing Jennifer Horton on Days of Our Lives on Peacock.