Destrehan High graduate hits the big-time
Shelley Hennig, a St. Rose native, never thought she would be a household name.
But that is exactly what she has become for soap opera fans.
Earlier this month, Hennig was nominated for her first Daytime Emmy award for her work on the show Days of our Lives.
Hennig, 23, has been working on the show for three years and said she never expected to be nominated.
“I don’t really believe it yet – it hasn’t really sunk in,” she said.
She is a graduate of St. Charles Borromeo School and Destrehan High School.
She was also active in Dance Unlimited while in school.
Hennig credits support she got from her family, friends and educators in helping her become the actress she is today.
In fact, her dance teacher is the one who pressed her to become something greater.
“My dance teacher, Samantha Sidwell, suggested that I enter the Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageant to somehow get a scholarship somewhere for school or to get something larger than myself,” Hennig said. “I entered and won…I didn’t know that was going to happen. I also didn’t know that the pageant moved onto a bigger one so that was a kind of whirlwind.”
Hennig wound up winning the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2004.
Her winnings included an acting scholarship to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in New York City.
“When I won Miss (Teen) USA, I got to travel and I had an apartment in New York City, but I was a senior in high school,” Hennig said. “Luckily Destrehan High School was really gracious to let me do both: be a student and be active in school and let me travel.
“Everyone was extremely supportive…I was shocked at the support I got and the support I still get to this day from St. Charles Parish.”
Hennig landed the role on Days of our Lives while visiting pageant friends during the Miss USA pageant.
“I had two months left (at the Conservatory for Dramatic Arts) when I came out to Los Angeles and booked Days while I was on vacation and I haven’t been able to return to New York since,” Hennig said.
Despite not finishing the last two months of school, Hennig said she was allowed to graduate since she had done exactly what the school teaches students to do: get an acting job.
Hennig’s character on Days of Our Lives is Stephanie Johnson. She describes her character as a “wild child” who has a very complicated life.
“My character was very complex and there was a lot of heavy stuff within my very first day,” she said. Within the first few weeks, her character was dealing with some serious “daddy issues,” including helping her father escape from a mental hospital.
Her character is also a rape victim, which Hennig said was both a challenging and rewarding acting experience.
“My character was raped…that gave me a chance to really show depth to my character and allow anyone who’s ever gone through that be able to relate to my character,” she said.
“I got a lot of thank-you letters for portraying the aftermath so genuinely.”
Despite having such a difficult role to play, Hennig said that the show continues to challenge her.
“Now I’m becoming sort of an evil character and that’s been really fun to play,” she said.
Hennig said she still visits the parish often to visit her mother, Cathy Gosset, father, Glenn Hennig, step-father, Wayne Gosset and brother, Glenn Hennig Jr. She also stays in contact with her childhood teachers, Lisa Benoit and Janeen Rodrigue at St. Charles Borromeo, and best friend, Martine Duhe.
“St. Charles Parish has always been really good to me and I miss it,” she said. “That’s why I still keep in touch with everyone and I try to come back as much as possible.
“I’m just happy to make them proud.”
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