If we had a dollar for every time a Daytime Emmy winner has told Soap Central that they plan to use their Emmy award as a book end, we'd be waving our big piles of cash in the faces of rich characters like The Young and the Restless' Victor Newman and Days of our Lives' Victor Kiriakis. If we had a dollar for every time a soap opera alum said they plan to sleep with their Academy Award, well... we'd have a dollar. And we have former Guiding Light star Allison Janney (ex-Ginger) to thank for that.
The daytime alum won her very first Oscar during the 90th annual Academy Awards held on Sunday, March 4, and she happily exclaimed to reporters that the statue would be joining her between the sheets.
"This one is in my bed with me," Janney said of the Best Supporting Actress award, which she won for her role in I, Tonya. "I want to look at him for a while when I wake up, and be happy for myself and be proud of what happened."
Though the moment marks Janney's first Academy Award win, she is no stranger to the acting world and has a résumé of movies and television shows so long, it rivals grocery lists for families of twelve. Her first credited role, however, is as GL's Spaulding family maid Ginger, which she played from 1993 to 1995. Check out a clip of her playing the comedic role below.
After hanging up her mop as GL's Ginger, Janney went on to wow on television series like The West Wing, Mr. Sunshine, Mom, Nobodies, Masters of Sex, Frasier, and Law & Order. And her Oscar for I, Tonya has some pretty good company: she's won seven primetime Emmy awards for her television work. (No word yet on whether or not she slept with any of those awards, as well.) The Boston native's film credits include Primary Colors, The Hours, Hairspray, Juno, The Girl on the Train, and Tallulah.
Now that she's an Academy Award winner, Janney stands in good company of other soap opera alums to have received the honor. Some notable daytime-alum-turned-Oscar-winners include Julianne Moore (ex-Frannie Hughes, As the World Turns), Laurence Fishburne (ex-Joshua Hall, One Life to Live), Susan Sarandon (ex-Sarah Fairbanks, Search for Tomorrow), Brad Pitt (ex-Chris, Another World; ex-Randy, Dallas), Marisa Tomei (ex-Marcy Thompson, ATWT), and Melissa Leo (ex-Linda Warner, All My Children).
What do you think about Janney taking home the Best Supporting Actress award for her work in I, Tonya? Do you remember her role as GL's Ginger? 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.
