The last time soap viewers saw Scott Bailey was on Guiding Light plummeting to his character Sandy Foster’s death off a cliff. Sandy didn’t survive the fall, but Bailey has recovered nicely. He has just completed MyNetworkTV’s new telenovela Saints and Sinners, which begins airing March 14.

“Saints and Sinners is a contemporary Romeo and Juliet”, Bailey said, “and I play the Romeo.”

Saints and Sinners features the love story of Roman Martin (Bailey) and Julia Capshaw (played by Julissa Miro), members of rival families in the hotel industry. Bailey isn’t the only soap vet to star in Saints. Former Days star Charles Shaughnessy plays Roman Martin’s father August. Former Sunset Beach star Hank Cheney also has a role.  But soap stars aren’t the only familiar faces on Saints. Mel Harris plays Julia’s mother.  Maria Conchita Alonso plays Roman’s mother. And Robin Givens plays a potential love interest. “I got to make out with Robin on the beach” Bailey joked.

In some ways, the Saints shoot reminded Bailey of his days on Guiding Light. But in other respects, the two acting jobs seemed worlds apart. Saints was filmed in San Diego which “was a change of pace from [the] small New York city studio where Guiding Light was filmed” said Bailey. And unlike GL and much of Daytime TV in general, Saints looks like film and has plenty of location shots.

But Bailey felt Saints and GL were similar in at least one way, the pace. “It went fast, like almost doing it live, which I like because it’s very challenging.” Bailey said.

Apart from the cramped studio space, Bailey looks back on his time at Guiding Light fondly. Playing Sandy Foster, Bailey got to do a little bit of everything. In three short years, he played a mysterious radio DJ, fell in love with his sister, became a white knight, got electrocuted, had a kidney transplant, and became psychotic.

“It was awesome to play” Bailey said of his character’s ups and downs. Asked what he enjoyed most about playing Sandy, Bailey mentioned the character’s crazy moments.  “That was the most fun,” he said, “the good guy role was a little limiting.”

Bailey has nothing but praise for his Guiding Light co-stars. “The best group of actors around,” he says about the GL cast.  “People like Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman are pure talent.”

Though he has moved on to other roles, Bailey still keeps in contact with some of his former co-stars. “I talk with Crystal Hunt who used to play Lizzie” he said. And Bailey also hears from John Driscoll and Tom Pelphrey from time to time, even getting together with them for the occasional poker game. “They miss taking my quarters,” Bailey laughs.

Bailey also has nothing but praise for GL fans. “I really miss the fans” he said. One of the best benefits of working in daytime, Bailey said, was getting to know the fans, who still come up to him and comment on the show.

Despite his success in the business, Bailey did not set out to be an actor. Bailey says that he started taking acting classes to get over his shyness. In fact, Bailey was working on a PhD. in mechanical engineering when he started to land acting jobs. Bailey decided to “follow [his] bliss” and pursue acting full time.  But he has not entirely abandoned his interest in engineering. In his spare time, Bailey is building his very own electric car.

Now that Saints and Sinners has wrapped, Bailey is auditioning for other roles and taking meetings with industry folks nearly every day. He wouldn’t rule out another daytime role if the right part came along. “Whether it is nighttime or daytime, if there is a good story to tell, I’m on it” Bailey said. 

Make sure to catch Scott Bailey in Saints and Sinners on MyNetworkTV, which will air two episodes every Wednesday starting March 14. You can also check out the latest information about Bailey on his website. ScottBailey.tv