CBS.com: Tell me about the start of your day.
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: I had a really restless night of sleep, nothing to do with today because, not that I forgot.... I'm not going to lie, and say, "I totally forgot - it took me by surprise." I remembered because I went up to a web site which I check in with from time to time. I was up late, late and I went to the site and I saw Daytime Emmy nominations announced tomorrow...[and I thought,] "That's right, yeah." Long story short, long day at the job on Tuesday, house is under renovations - a new house I bought - I'm staying in an apartment. Went to the apartment, fed the little dogs, went and worked out, then I had to go walk the big dogs. It was almost midnight before I got home and 1:30am before I laid down my head and I woke up with a start thinking I was going to be late for work. It was one of those bad mornings; my phone was off; I didn't have the alarm on and the way I found out was, I got in the car and I turn on my phone and it buzzed. It was a text message and I go to it and it says, Tracey Bregman: "Congrats baby." And that's the way I found out.

CBS.com: So then when did you hear about the other nominations?
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: I was, and this is kind of stupid but, I was afraid to text her back because at that moment I didn't know if she had gotten nominated. I didn't know what to say yet. I didn't want to go, "Thanks baby, yeah, cool, cool. You too," or "How about you?" Instead, I then checked voice mail and I got [Executive Producer and Head Writer] Lynn Marie Latham's message and then I called Y&R because I figured someone would be in early. And sure enough [Associate Producer] Matt Olsen picked up the phone and I asked him, "Who else got nominated?" So, I found out about Christian [LeBlanc, Michael], Peter [Bergman, Jack], Michelle [Stafford, Phyllis], and Jeanne [Cooper, Katherine], my boy Bryton [Devon]. Then I immediately texted Tracey back. I said, "Thanks so much. I just turned on my phone and was greeted by your great news. Called the office to get the rest of the noms. Tracey, they made a mistake, you should have been nominated because of how sweet you are. Enjoy your day, you deserve it. And when I see you I'll give you a big..." and I left out that [ending]. And she goes, "A big what?" And I said, "A big hug. I was going to say, 'Fill in the blank...a mind wanders and I digress." And she said, "I hear you and what's funny is that I was making breakfast and the only time I had Landon, my son, to read a text out loud for me was that one." Isn't that funny?

CBS.com: That is funny. Tell me what show you submitted for consideration.
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: This year I submitted the episode where Neil finds out that Lily is not his biological daughter. He's in the middle of this huge confrontation with Drucilla and all of a sudden Lily walks into the room and says emphatically, "You will always be my father, I don't care what anyone says." And Neil does a double-take and asks, "What do you mean by that?" Well, he's an idiot because pretty much anybody would be able to assume from that statement that there's something very serious going on here. And it takes him a whole scene to put it all together. [Laughs] It's really drawn out but when we do finally get to the point where Neil realizes that he's not her father, it washes over him immediately yet slowly. I thought that was the episode that was best to submit because of the dynamics between his daughter and his wife. There was just some good work from everyone in that episode. Very strong stuff from Davetta Sherwood [ex-Lily]. She cried. Vicki Rowell [Dru] was outstanding and stayed in the background when she had to be.

CBS.com: Did you know immediately that was the scene you'd submit? KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: I don't watch the show but I play it and from June on, there isn't much in terms of finding material. The show changed hands right before we did that episode. Just from the technical stuff, went from having three to four page scenes to having quarter page, one page, half page scenes. Everything became very quick and a lot of scenes. I went from having maybe four scenes an episode to twelve short scenes or ten short scenes. [There was] a lot of activity and interaction with a lot of characters. That's not necessarily stuff you can submit for Emmys. It's the relationship stuff that [you can submit]. And to be honest with you I was kind of worried that there was a scene or two that were very short.

CBS.com: Then it must make you feel good that although there were short scenes the voters still recognized that the body of work is good.
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: Yes, it does. I don't know if you remember the episode but the one thing I felt was missing in that episode was Neil's explosion. There was a controlled upset and anger and you could see it; he was boiling over yet he was just overwhelmed and devastated. So the way it played out was shock that didn't call for this explosion. But I would have loved to have seen one scene after Lily leaves and he says, "Forget me, look what you did to our daughter," and for the next scene to pick up where this rage from the lie that had occurred for 17 years comes out.

CBS.com: It was such a complicated issue that there was no way Neil could process it in a moment. The way it played out was great because you could almost see the wheels turning in Neil's mind, trying to piece together all the lies that were told over all those years - moment to moment realizing a new lie or deception that played into it.
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: I do know what you mean, but I did [miss the explosion], personally as the actor. I just wanted that one scene where I had the verbal assault that would leave him weeping on the couch.

CBS.com: What will you do to celebrate your nomination?
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: Sleep.

CBS.com: You can't sleep! You have to do something fun.
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: I'm looking at it as it's been six years since the last nomination and it takes a year or two to start missing the process as an actor and thinking, "Hey, I want to be considered an MVP. And the community of Daytime is quite a large one. Each show has say twenty, thirty people, times how many shows? So, when you make that cut, that Most Valuable Player cut to five in your category, a total of only twenty actors for the year who they shine that spotlight on and say, "Hey you, you were pretty good. Are you going to be even better than pretty good and take the award home?" That's a special honor. So, I'll enjoy it for the next three months, the longest in history, by the time the award show comes people will forget you've even been nominated. [Smiles]

CBS.com: Are you happy the awards are being held in Hollywood again this year?
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: Love it, love it. Love the fact that it's right here on Hollywood Boulevard at the Kodak Theater and I can take my little one and go to the show. Yes, I don't have to get on a plane! I hate flying. It's not that I don't like New York because I love Broadway and "I love the nightlife, I like to boogie..." but I'm certainly not going to miss that plane ride. And if I know this show, we'll be working on Emmy day.

CBS.com: What's next in the process for you?
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: I have to submit a second show to go along with the first.

CBS.com: Will you sit down with producers or how will you choose?
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: It's kind of a personal thing. It always has been. Actually, collectively as a team, and when I say "we," I mean those of us that have been nominated on the show for the year, Michelle Stafford, Christian LeBlanc, Peter Bergman, Jeanne Cooper, will probably assemble together after going through some hours of watching on our own and then we will sample each other's takes and give some critiques. I'm not a very good judge of what works and what doesn't and that's kind of evident in years past for me. I've had some pretty decent storylines since 2000 but kind of came up empty. I mean, you can't have every year unless you're Peter Bergman. [Jokes] But I'm not the best judge of my own work. That's how we'll make it happen this year. Do I have an idea of what that second episode will be? Nah. I'm just so happy to be sitting there on Emmy night in a chair and for that one brief moment when they say my name attached to The Young and the Restless, I'll look over at Rick Hearst over at General Hospital, "Damn, he's such a fine actor," he's won before. There's Trent Dawson from As The World Turns. He's a really good actor and has great comic timing. And then there's Greg Rikaart [Kevin]. For that one night it means that I made the top five list. Whether I win or not, doesn't really matter.

CBS.com: You always hear people saying that - so you feel that too?
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN: That's how it feels. Of course you're sitting there in your chair going, "Please let me hear my name!" That's all you want to hear. You want to be MVP of the MVPs, but at least you made the MVP list. And to get up there, I've felt that too. You get up on stage and it's very surreal. You hold up that award and you look down at the people below and you go, "Hey, look at me! Look at me!" And all you want to do is dance around in circles like Cuba Gooding Jr. did when he won the Academy Award.