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Former Dallas star LINDA GRAY (Sue Ellen Ewing) joins the cast of B&B as Priscilla Kelly, Samantha’s mom who comes to town to visit. CBS.com chatted with Gray about her first daytime role.

CBS.com: How did your role come about on B&B?
LINDA GRAY: A year ago I had met [Executive Producer and Headwriter] Brad Bell. I think I was given some erroneous information. I thought they wanted me to come in for a few episodes; in reality, they wanted me to come in for a few years! [Laughs] I had other obligations, so I wasn’t able to do it. This year they called me [and asked,] “Would you like to come in for a few episodes?” And I said, “Perfect!”

CBS.com: Did you know any of the cast before joining the show?
LINDA GRAY: I knew Susan Flannery [Stephanie]. [She] had been on Dallas, so I knew her. I know Lorenzo Lamas [Hector]. And Brian Gaskill [Oscar] played my son on Models, Inc.. It was kind of this wonderful, extended family.

CBS.com: What was your first day on the set like?
LINDA GRAY: Terrifying! [Laughs] I’d never done a soap and I’ve never worked before [with] three cameras. So, I really didn’t know how to behave. [It] was like the first day of school; I didn’t know where I go, I didn’t know what rehearsal things were like. And the director’s in a booth, you don’t see the director. Everything was odd, except John McCook [Eric] and Susan Flannery made it absolutely a dream. Susan gathered everyone in John’s dressing room and we ran the scenes. We rehearsed, we talked, we kept running it and running it until everyone felt comfortable. If there were any changes, you know, we did it then. She did it specifically so I would feel comfortable in this new medium. And I did. Every moment that passed I got a little less anxious. It was a long day, yet I went home confident. The thing that was lovely about it was you’re not really aware of the camera being there. It was rather like doing a play because today we had a pretty intense, dramatic scene and we could just go knowing there's somebody on me, there’s somebody on Sydney [Penny, Samantha], there’s somebody on everybody. You don’t have to stop and wait and build up this whole emotional thing again and stop and wait and build up this whole emotional thing again and stop and cut and wait and relight and all that. So, that’s the joy of working on the show. The people are always great for me.

CBS.com: What kind of relationship do Samantha and her mother have?
LINDA GRAY: Oh, it’s tricky. I don’t think I’m supposed to say. It’s strained, I would say strained with a capital “S.”

CBS.com: Priscilla comes to town during a difficult time for Sam. Is she a comforting, coddling kind of mother?
LINDA GRAY: Do I play a comforting, coddling mother types? Nooo! [Laughs] I remember Brad Bell said, “Oh, I thought of you when I was writing this episode.” I called him back and said, “Um, I hate to say anything, but why did you think of me?” [Laughs] She’s not quite the loving mother type.

CBS.com: There are a lot of meddling moms on the show, like Stephanie and Jackie. Would you say she’s a meddlesome mom?
LINDA GRAY: Oh, no, she doesn’t meddle at all because she really doesn’t care. [Laughs] So, I think I’ve just taken motherhood to another level.

CBS.com: Do you think there will be a love interest for you on the show?
LINDA GRAY: Who would it be? I mean, no one would put up with that nonsense. I think I’m coming in just to be the mother and I’m out. I don’t know. I don’t know anything around here!

CBS.com: You had some scenes with Eric and Stephanie. Maybe she could come between them.
LINDA GRAY: The two of them are divine. They’re like the rocks, you know. That’s what was so fabulous for me. It always seems like you know those kinds of people. You know, we always tried to welcome a new guest star when they came onto Dallas. And it’s really so lovely to feel welcomed like they welcomed me. Thank God my first scene was with them. So, it was kind of like, “Okay, now I’m safe.” It was great.

CBS.com: Are you still approached by people who recognize you from your role on Dallas?
LINDA GRAY: Oh, sure! All the time.

CBS.com: Do you think Priscilla is anything like Sue Ellen?
LINDA GRAY: Oh, no, no, no, no! [People] will probably compare [the characters] because I always play these kind of - I call them interesting characters. People [ask,] “Why do you play these weird, dysfunctional women?” For me, as an actor, they’re much more interesting. Mrs. Robinson was interesting [Editor’s Note: Linda Gray starred in The Graduate in London’s West End], Sue Ellen was fabulously interesting and so is Priscilla Kelly. So when I drive home it’s like, "Oh, isn’t it nice to be me?" And we leave them there.