Camille Guaty may be putting stars in the hot seat in her newest role on Daytime Divas, but as the show’s plot line thickens, her character Nina Sandoval is also very much involved in plenty of drama off screen. “She has a lot of skeletons in her closet,” the actress tells HELLO!. “I never got to play a character that was vindictive and would do anything to get to the top.”
Camille plays Pulitzer-winning journalist Nina Sandoval Photo: Getty Images
The VH1 show, which is based off of Star Jones’ book Satan’s Sisters , follows the behind-the-scenes antics of the fictitious daytime talk show The Lunch Hour. “Vanessa Williams is the leader of the pack then there is Tichina Arnold, Fiona Gubelmann, who plays the All-American goodie-two-shoes and the millennial played by Chloe Bridges,” the 41-year-old says of her co-stars.
For Camille, playing Nina has been both fun and challenging. “It’s not necessarily me and was actually really difficult,” the former Prison Break star adds. “She doesn’t really comment on what people say. I like to open my mouth a lot. I’m not one to hold my tongue if someone says something that steers me the wrong way.” Definitely though, she has embraced every aspect of the word diva.
Keep reading to learn more about the on-set behavior from Camille and her co-stars and who she considers the ultimate diva.
Camille notes the women off set were super close Photo: Getty Images
The Lunch Hour certainly brings the drama. What was it like behind-the-scenes? “You would think that working on a set with five different women would be a bit like a Desperate Housewives set which I heard horror stories about. We had so much fun and it was a blast. We would entertain ourselves and everyone 24/7.”
How was it it being in the interviewer seat?“I love it. There is a powerful position when you are asking the questions. It’s a lot of fun and we had some great guest stars.”
What did you do to prepare?“I watched a lot of interviews with big female reporters to get their sense of interviewing. She has an air of seriousness that I don’t really carry around on a daily basis. I’m quite the opposite of her so I was watching to see how to be on the serious side.”
Camille with co-stars Tichina Arnold and Fiona Gubelmann Photo: Instagram/@camilleguaty
The first episode, you all had to wear bathing suits right off the bat. How did you prepare? “I like to eat and I couldn’t eat that much. Day one they were like ‘We are going to put you in bathing suits. One of the girls was three months pregnant [at the time]. We hardly knew each other and here we are in bikinis on day one. You always try to get camera ready and first day you aren’t there. It was just c’est la vie. When they yelled cut, everyone was like bring me a robe and Chloe was eating fried chicken.”
In the opening credits of the Lunch Hour, Prince William and Kate Middleton are used as people Vanessa’s character has interviewed. Which royal would you want to interview? “It would probably be the diva of them all, the Queen. I think she has been the only queen in my lifetime that I know. I’d ask what it’s like to wear that crown.”
And if you could interview anybody, who would it be?“Oprah – not only to me is she a diva of all divas, but this woman really took control of what it’s like to be a powerful working woman and flew with it. I’d want to pick Oprah’s brain.”
The actress credits Chloe Bridges for keeping them up-to-date on social media Photo: Instagram/@chloebridges
What does being a diva mean to you?“Diva is confidence, it’s being on time, having an excuse for not being on time. It just means knowing what you want and going for it.”
Most diva person, you’ve worked with?“Patti LaBelle, we had her on our show. That woman is queen diva and she demands respect when she walks on set. Star Jones, I learned so many amazing life lessons from her and Vanessa Williams. I’ve been very fortunate.”
How about the ultimate diva?“It’s subjective, but mine is Jennifer Lopez. I love JLo. I think she sealed the deal with me with Selena.”
Lastly, any teasers for the remainder of the season?“There is so much packed into ten episodes, a lot of scandal, sexy drama, comedy and a lot of great guest stars that people will want to see. It’s so different than a network show because we can be heightened and have storylines a lot can’t have. It was a blast to shoot.”
Daytime Divas airs on VH1, Mondays at 10 pm EST