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Baby Steps: Johnny (Carson Boatman) and Chanel (Raven Bowens) have cause for concern about their unborn child.
Chanel and Johnny have their final doctor’s appointment before leaving Salem to start their new life in Los Angeles. But their excitement is overshadowed by concern when Mark tells them that unborn child's latest ultrasound revealed a potentially serious issue.
“They're both pretty nervous,” begins Carson Boatman (Johnny) about how his character and Chanel react to what Mark tells them. “Obviously, they knew there could be some problems with the pregnancy because of Chanel’s radiation exposure. So I don't think it's coming as a complete surprise, but they're obviously worried, concerned, scared, and just anxious to find out the results.”
The couple revisit their decision to keep their baby, but are both firmly convinced they made the right choice after an encounter with Felicity . “The entire time, they both know in their hearts they want to keep the baby,” notes Boatman. “They're just scared for what that might look like if there is a problem with the pregnancy or with the birth.”
Johnny, who originally had mixed feelings about the pregnancy, is now completely on board. “Johnny has taken a position of, 'I love my wife. I am scared, but I'm going to be here for her and support whatever decision she makes regarding her body,' ” explains Boatman. “And he wants to have a baby. He wants to have a family.”
Later, Chanel experiences a cramp, which quickly escalates to severe stomach pains. A worried Johnny and Paulina immediately take her to the hospital, where Mark asks Paulina to wait outside while he examines her daughter. “Chanel is still a little upset with Paulina,” says Boatman, referring to the fact that Paulina exposed Chanel to radiation in the first place. “Johnny feels bad for Paulina that her daughter is angry with her, but again, he's supporting his wife. So he has no issue calmly suggesting that Paulina leave the room.”
Johnny tries to keep Chanel’s spirits up, although they both can’t help but fear the worst – that they could lose their child. “It would be devastating,” acknowledges Boatman. “They’ve already gone through all the emotions of, 'Should we keep the baby? Should we not?' Then they were like, ‘We're going to go through with [the pregnancy]. This is going to be great no matter what.’ So to have gone through all of that and then find out you’ve lost your baby would be heartbreaking.”
This emotional plot turn, which was filmed several months back, hit very close to home for Boatman. “My wife [Julana] was pregnant during the entire storyline, so I was expecting my first child while we were doing it,” recounts the actor. “Honestly, it personally kind of scared me a little. It was like, 'Oh man. There's so much that can go wrong.' And here I was speaking these words out loud about it as Johnny, knowing that I had a pregnant wife at home.”
Boatman was careful not to let the overlap between his real and reel lives affect his performance. “I guess it could have,” he reflects. “But I really try and separate my personal life from my work. I feel like letting either one impact the other can be unhealthy. As far as acting goes, when you're in a scene, you just believe that it's real in the moment and then you're done. That's how I operate.”
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