‘Days of Our Lives’: Victoria Grace Explains Why Wendy Is Torn Between Johnny & Tripp
Q&A
Like Sands Through the Hourglass…
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Victoria Grace’s first professional credit dates back 20 years ago but the actress, who appears on Days of our Lives as ingenue Wendy Chin while maintaining a successful voiceover career, is still learning the ropes of soap operas — not the technical aspects but the loyalty of its fervent fan base.
The actress joined Days last year after first popping up in the Peacock limited series Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem in 2021. She recently sat down with TV Insider to chat about the many men in Wendy’s life, the possibility of her mother coming on, and her extensive voice-over career. Read on for the scoop!
What’s surprised you most about being on Days?
Victoria Grace: I’m finding out how loyal Days fans are by reading social media comments. They are amazing!
Wendy’s shocked by a marriage proposal Johnny [Carson Boatman] makes this week. How does Wendy feel about Johnny?
First, I want to say that even though Wendy is a very smart, take-charge person who gets the work done, she is very inexperienced when it comes to [personal] relationships. Having two guys [Johnny and Tripp, played by Lucas Adams] be interested in her and who she is as a person at the same time is something she’s never experienced.
People have written online that Wendy is fickle. I feel there’s only that perception because this is all so new to her. She was a tomboy and was focused on work until she came to Salem. She and Johnny bonded over a common cause. Their feelings for one another kept growing. It’s always been complicated because Wendy sees an attachment Johnny has with his ex-wife, Chanel [Raven Bowens]. Even though Wendy cares about Johnny, she doesn’t want to get hurt. She won’t commit 100 percent to him.
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Days especially does fan favorite couples — Bo and Hope, John and Marlena, Patch and Kayla — the list goes on. Does Wendy have an OTP (One True Pairing) yet?
It appears that fans really want Johnny and Chanel together, so Wendy’s best bet may be Tripp. I do feel that Wendy and Tripp have this chemistry. Over time, she’s realized just how good a person she is. He’s gone out of his way to take care of her. She hasn’t felt that with Johnny — yet. That’s definitely one of the other reasons she’s been leaning towards Tripp.
Wendy has very strong male relatives — her brother Li (Remington Hoffman) and her father Wei (Donald Li). How have those relationships formed her identity?
Wendy comes from a very traditional Chinese patriarchal family. Ever since birth, she was labeled as “the girl.” Her father doesn’t want to give her any credit for the hard work she’s done. He gives it all to her brother. Even when she’d get perfect scores in school. He gives it all to her brother. She felt like she was in a constant fight to prove to her father and brother that she’s just as capable as they are. I don’t think either Wendy or Li had a particularly close relationship with their father when they were growing up. I think Wendy and Li feel that they can lean on each other.
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Congratulations on the two-year pickup Days has received with Peacock. How does that kind of commitment feel?
It’s so exciting. When they first announced the pickup to us, reps from Peacock were there. They said that Days is one of the most resilient cast and crews they’ve ever worked with. I find that to be true. We all put so much passion into what we do. I’m so happy for my Days family.
We don’t know much about Wendy’s mom. Would you like to see that explored?
She’s still a total mystery. I’d love that. I’m always so thrilled to have more family members on-screen. Growing up, as a child actor here in Hollywood, it was so hard being paired in a family. [Shows] haven’t always put an Asian family [into their shows].
Have you found things have started to change?
Yes, 100 percent. There’s been more of a concerted effort across the board to get POC [people of color] — actors, directors, writers, producers — out there. I think we have a long way to go. The Hollywood Diversity report shares that Asian [American actors made up 5.6% of lead roles, 6.4% of overall cast]. It has gotten better and is better than it ever has been before.
You do a lot of work in the animated world!
Yes, I do tons! I’ve been studying [voice-over work] since I was a pre-teen. It started to take off when my character, Yara, in The Last of Us: Part II was introduced. It’s Sony PlayStation’s biggest and most awarded game in history. Yara was escaping from a cult [The Seraphites] and her arm was amputated. I did three years of voice over work. Then, COVID hit. Every voice actor has started recording from home. I’ve gone on to work with Marvel, DreamWorks, Lego (Lego Monkie Kid: Revenge of the Spider Queen), and Warner Bros. It’s been amazing. I voiced Shadow Lass in Legion of Superheroes.
Jensen Ackles (ex-Eric Brady, Days) was in that, voicing the part of Batman (Bruce Wayne).
I didn’t get to meet him but I have met his friend Misha Collins from Supernatural.
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Is there a character you haven’t voiced that you’d like to?
I really enjoy voicing Luna Snow in MARVEL Super War. She’s an amazing character. One of the main characters I’d like to voice is Silk from Spiderman. I’m huge into the Spiderman universe.
Have you been an action figure yet?
My Lego character — Lady Bones Demon — is one. I have multiple Lego sets. That is like bucket list stuff!
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