• Jackée Harry returns to daytime TV as Mayor Paulina Price on Days of Our Lives.
  • She credits “small choices” for bringing authenticity to the role and teases a disruptive March return.
  • Paulina juggles family joy — a successful cancer treatment and a new grandchild — with political pressure.
  • Harry reflects on her career, growth, and the responsibility of portraying a formidable Black woman.

H2: Jackée Harry on stepping into Mayor Paulina’s shoes

Jackée Harry says playing Mayor Paulina Price lets her use the full range of her craft. On a set visit with BET Current, she called the role “strong, forthright, honest, and playful,” and joked, “All I can say is hide the kitchen utensils!” as she teased upcoming storylines.

Paulina’s life in Salem is a blend of political authority and family devotion. Harry described the mayor balancing her daughter’s successful cancer treatment with the joy of an expected grandchild — but she warned viewers the peace won’t last. “I like tension. The actor in me wants tension,” Harry said, hinting at an unexpected return in March that will shake Paulina’s world.

H3: Small choices, big impact

For Harry, the character’s power comes from subtle, lived-in gestures. She emphasized that small acting choices — a look, a pause, a touch — make Paulina feel real and reliable. Those details, she said, help the mayor convey authority without losing warmth.

“Paulina is someone folks can rely on,” Harry told BET. She said portraying a formidable Black woman on daytime TV carries responsibility, and she takes care to honor that role with authenticity and heart.

H4: A career shaped by range and reflection

Harry’s career spans five decades. In 1987 she became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on 227. She reflected candidly on her younger years in the spotlight, admitting her ego sometimes got the better of her and sharing a memory involving a young Kenya Barris to illustrate personal growth.

“Back in the 80s and 90s, that was the way to be,” she said. Now, Harry says kindness guides her work — though she remains fiercely committed to her craft.

H5: What’s next for Harry — and for Paulina?

Harry says she still dreams of roles that let her show full vulnerability, naming Diahann Carroll’s performance in Claudine as an example she admires. On Days of Our Lives, she’s found a creative home where she can be stern, silly, and maternal — often within the same scene.

The show teases that March will bring an unexpected return that upends the mayor’s world. Fans should expect family drama, political fallout, and the kind of heightened tension that defines the soap.

Short, powerful scenes and quiet moments of truth are where Harry shines. As Paulina Price, she’s poised to remind viewers why daytime drama still resonates — and why small choices on screen can deliver big emotional payoffs.

Image Referance: https://www.bet.com/article/an8y6a/the-legendary-jacke-harry-on-the-joy-and-craft-of-playing-the-mayor-on-days-of-our-lives