Think daytime soaps are dead? Try telling that to the more than 400 fans lined up three hours early last weekend outside the Mall of America Rotunda to secure autographs from "Days of Our Lives" cast members.
It didn't hurt that one of the newer actors on the 52-year-old NBC series, Billy Flynn, hails from Minnesota, where he struggled to find his footing before taking over the role of die-hard romantic Chad DiMera in 2014 and earning a Daytime Emmy nomination.
Before the mall mayhem got into full swing, Flynn, 32, opened up about his real-life drama, why he got booted from a Minnesota school and where he likes to overindulge when he comes home.
Q: You've taken a pretty unlikely path to stardom. What was your first job at Warner Bros. Studios?
A: Finance. I was terrible at it. I don't think I ever finished a report. I was too busy watching Hulu. When I was at St. Cloud State University, I walked into the counselor's office and asked what paid the most. He said, "Finance," so I said, "Cool. That's my major."
Q: But you worked in finance in downtown Minneapolis before coming to L.A. You must have had some talent for it.
A: I talked my way into it. Acting.
Q: Was it inspiring or frustrating to be on a major Hollywood lot, even though you weren't there as an actor?