[canflam]

Welcome to the thread everyone! I decided to keep our title from the previous thread as you see. So I learned to day that Eric is the father of Sloan's baby. I wish well with that situation.

[eternalfate]

Hey! I'll change the thread title for something new.

[canflam]

OK. Thank you.

[canflam]

Greg Vaughan Temporarily Recast At DAYS

Greg Vaughan (Eric) will be temporarily played by a different actor this month for a handful of episodes. Jason Gerhardt (ex-Cooper, GH, 2007-08) will fill in for the Emmy-winning Vaughan, who was unable to film to finish out the season before the show went on a holiday break at the end of 2022. Look for Gerhardt to play out some pivotal Sloan/Eric scenes.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/cont...cast-at-days2/

[canflam]

‘Days of our Lives’: Why Martha Madison Chose to Leave Instead of ‘Be a Peripheral Character’


Martha Madison, a fan favorite for her portrayal of Belle Black Brady on Days of our Lives, is leaving the Peacock streaming series later this year. The soap opera tapes months in advance so Madison, who shot her last episode in the spring, is set to exit Salem sometime in early November.

TV Insider chatted with the actress about why she decided to leave the series after a near 20-year (on and off) run. She also addresses the possibility of a return — someday. Read on for the actress’s thoughts on the challenging storyline that earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2019 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and more.

You touched upon your exit from DAYS in a social media post.


Martha Madison: Yes. Someone reminded me it was the 19th anniversary of my first air date, [which was August 10, 2004]. I posted a quick thank you and said it’s been a wonderful ride. I thought the cat was already out of the bag about my leaving.

Before we get into that, I wanted to point out a huge highlight for you from the last few years, which was Belle wanting to honor her mother Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) wishes when she was on life support. It nearly tore the family apart. Then, the big twist was that ‘Marlena’ was really Hattie (also played by Hall). That was great soap opera.

Honestly, that’s what I signed up for way back in the day. I’d been a DAYS fan most of my life for storylines like that — the intertwining family dynamics and relatable struggles. Sure, we have fun escapades with stolen jewels and things like that, but the thing that reeled me in as a soap viewer was the family drama. I think Marlena’s right to live storyline was one of [head writer] Ron Carlivati’s best stories on DAYS. Everyone came back for it.

It was logical that Belle would be chosen to make the tough decision if Marlena were being kept alive by a machine. You were terrific and that Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2019 was well-deserved. Belle was certainly emotional about losing her mother, but she didn’t lose her stance as daytime’s most no-nonsense attorney.
Honestly, that’s what I signed up for way back in the day. I’d been a DAYS fan most of my life for storylines like that — the intertwining family dynamics and relatable struggles. Sure, we have fun escapades with stolen jewels and things like that, but the thing that reeled me in as a soap viewer was the family drama. I think Marlena’s right to live storyline was one of [head writer] Ron Carlivati’s best stories on DAYS. Everyone came back for it.

[Laughs] Thanks!

Why do you think Marlena chose Belle to pull the plug if necessary?


She knew Belle would do the right thing, but the story was great because everyone in the family had a valid point of view. Everyone’s story was told. That’s always been such an important part of daytime.

More recently, you had a nice storyline with Dan Feuerriegel when you were representing his character, EJ. How far into working with him did you think they were going to add a romantic element for your characters to play?

We were doing a scene where Belle was representing him. The script called for her to touch his hand. I thought, “Here we go! They’re doing this!” Dan said he wasn’t sure. I said just watch. Then, those moments started to play more frequently, and we were off to the races. I think the fans found it intriguing, and Dan and I had a lot of fun doing it. He’s both a fun and a serious actor. That’s a great combination to have. I thought it was a perfectly designed story that unfortunately didn’t get to play all the way out. I got great feedback when we were shooting it, but then, all of a sudden, it was wrapped up in one episode.

Belle’s a lawyer and the daughter of legendary duo John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena. For those and many other factors, I was surprised to hear you were leaving.


I was surprised to hear I was leaving, too! [Laughs] Actually, I wasn’t. Albert [Alarr, the then-co-executive producer] called me the day before the renewal was announced to let me know that they decided to write me off the show again. I asked why they chose me, and he said it was budget-dictated. He told me specifics about how they were going to send my character off, and then I thanked him [and] wished him well, and that was that.

Honestly, the writing had been on the wall since they squashed the EJ and Belle story so abruptly, so I wasn’t fully surprised. But then weeks later as I was saying my goodbyes to everyone, I randomly got another script. I was so confused because it indicated that Belle was staying in town, but nobody had spoken to me about that. Ultimately, they said they’d like me to stick around to “occasionally do legal stuff,” and “then, you never know what might happen after that,” and really that was just such a lightbulb moment for me.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1102295/da...-albert-alarr/

The rest of that interview is in the link.

[canflam]

Some sad news. Arleen Sorkin has died at age 67. She played ''Calliope Jones'' on ''Days of our Lives''. She also voiced ''Harley Quinn'' in some Anime shows. Chip Cox also has died. He was 80. He was a production designer for ''General Hospital'' & ''Days of our Lives''.

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‘Days Of Our Lives’ Recasting Jen Lilley’s Theresa Donovan With Co-Star Emily O’Brien


Peacock‘s Days of Our Lives has done some recasting and it couldn’t be more like a soap opera.

Jen Lilley has been playing the role of Theresa Donovan on and off since 2013 and recently reappeared for a story arc. However, her return as Theresa will be short-lived as the character was re-cast with a fellow co-star.

The end credits of the October 2 episode spoiled that Emily O’Brien would be playing Theresa and take over for Lilley, who last appeared on the episode that aired September 22.

Lilley talked to Soaps.com about the recasting and producers told her how O’Brien would be playing both roles simultaneously.

“Oh yeah, we’re just gonna put her in a wig,” Lilley said someone in production told her.

Despite not returning to DOOL for long, Lilley harbors no resentment toward her co-star, in fact, she feels bad for her.

“That poor girl has had to have conversations with me. How horrible she must have felt!” Lilley said about O’Brien having to talk to her after knowing she would be taking over the role of Theresa.

When Lilley found out O’Brien was the new Theresa, the former says she gave her a hug and said, “That must be so awkward for you.”

Ultimately, Lilley says that the recast “was horrible with the fans” and added, “You could not do something more unkind to a recast.”

Lilley said she learned she was not finishing out Theresa’s arc right on the set adding, “Top to bottom, it was just not handled the right way. … Everybody was mad, because everybody was kind of lied to.”

https://deadline.com/2023/10/days-of...en-1235562195/

Wow. Any of you actually in favour of this recast?

[Sandy0401]

I'm not in favor but I assumed it was just temporary for Theresa to give Tate to Brady.

[canflam]

Oh. Wish them both well.

[quin0611]

The casting swap with Jen & Emily is insane to me! I need time to get use to Emily in the blonde wig & American accent too.

I'm excited that Chanel & Johnny got back together!

[canflam]

Tom Cruise Auditioned for Bo Brady in Days of Our Lives But Lost Role to Peter Reckell, Kristian Alfonso Reveals

Christine Taylor also revealed that she originally auditioned for the role of Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives, though the part eventually went to Lisa Rinna

Before dominating the action movie genre, Tom Cruise almost had a career in daytime soaps.

During an episode of the Hey Dude…The 90s Called! podcast, Kristian Alfonso revealed that the Mission Impossible star, 61, once threw his hat in the ring for the chance to play Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives.

After she landed the part of Hope Brady, producers asked Alfonso to come in and test shoot with a few candidates for the role of Bo. While Peter Reckell eventually ended up nabbing the part, the 60-year-old actress revealed that Cruise was one of the “five or six” that made it to the “final test.”

Reckell, who appeared alongside his former soap opera costar on the podcast, revealed he had no idea that Cruise was under consideration for the role.

“Oh, Peter you knew that!” Alfonso chided before sharing an anecdote about their late costar Frances Reid. “Remember when Fran sat next to him on the plane? On the way back from somewhere, it was Tom and they started talking and she said she worked on Days of Our Lives. And he was like, ‘Oh, I tested for the role of Bo.’”

Though he didn’t remember Alfonso’s accounts, Reckell quipped, “I could have been using that for the last 40 years!” while co-host David Lascher joked, "This is good bragging rights for Peter."

Cruise wasn’t the only one who lost out on a chance to be on the legendary daytime soap opera.

Elsewhere in the podcast, co-host Christine Taylor revealed that she auditioned for the role of Billie Reed, but it was ultimately given to Lisa Rinna.

Despite this, Taylor shared that she got pretty far in the process and “screen tested” with another actor to get a read of their onscreen chemistry.

“It was nerve-wracking,” she said. “We're in the stage with all the camera people and I'd never screen tested for anything in my life. Yeah, Lisa Rinna got it so I wasn't offended. It wasn't like it was a prototype of me who got the part, but it was a great experience.”

In the early 90s, Taylor claimed that she “could not get a soap opera to save my life” though she frequently attended auditions in both Los Angeles and New York.

The Zoolander star shared that she was only 16-year-old when she auditioned for another soap opera called Guiding Light. The producers were looking for an actress who was “edgy,” and “16-year-old Allentown, Pennsylvania Christine” arrived at her casting with straight blow dried hair, acid washed jeans and a jean jacket.

“Needless to say, I did not get the part,” she laughed.

https://people.com/kristian-alfonso-...-lives-8363053

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Exclusive: DAYS OF OUR LIVES's Arianne Zucker On Nicole's Baby Heartbreak

When this baby switch story came up in the script, did it evoke memories of the Nicole/Sami one, where Nicole were the perpetrator? And did you ever think, 15 years later, you’d be playing one again as the victim? “I never thought Nicole would be a goody two-shoes. I never thought they’d go there, but I’m finding my way. I’ve talked about [the Nicole/Sami baby switch] story being one of my favorites, along with my hilarious relationship with John Aniston [ex-Victor] years ago. Those were my two favorites. Storylines get recycled no matter what. It’s kind of hard not to; there are only so many to tell. When I realized [this was happening], I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m actually the heroine in this situation!’ But I also felt that Nicole was a heroine in the other situation, too.”

How so? “Because of the way Nicole was able to finesse [the whole plot] out of her need for love so many years ago. Even though it was wrong, I felt I was able to pull that off, in a way. She did it all postpartum and kind of nutty. She did it all for EJ, so he could have his own child. The intentions were pure for Nicole. She thought she was doing the right thing. Now there’s the flip. It’s such a good twist, because of the karma.”

Were you excited to tackle this story? “I was interested to see where it was going to go. I loved the original [baby switch] story. It lasted two years and so many people were involved, which I thought was really cool. I was looking forward to seeing how many people this story would affect and how many people it would touch. I was like, ‘Okay. Let’s see how they do this. There are different writers and different everything now.’ So I was curious.”

Have there been any challenges with this story? “It’s going back to my roots of what I feel I’m really good at, which are these emotional, tragic scenes. It’s something I’ve practiced for a long time, understanding my body and how it reacts to tragic situations. I enjoy it, because I know how to turn it on and turn it off…. A lot of tears. It’s an ability to never take that stuff home. It does exhaust my body to a certain degree, but I know where it comes from. I cried when Nicole lost the second baby, and it was stillborn. For that story I cried for like 30 episodes in a row. It was heavy. I feel like the only challenge is to keep it different than what it was the last time.”

How do you let all that emotion go after playing such heavy scenes? “Well, my body is spent, because your body doesn’t know the difference. But there are times in between scenes where I’ll have to laugh it off or make a joke. As soon as I cross that fourth wall, I’m done. I don’t hang onto [the emotion], because I know from all my studying and all the things I’ve done in my life what it does to your mindset if you do. So you literally can switch [it off]. I’m an empath naturally. I was born that way. If I, personally, am not careful, I take on everyone’s emotions. I’ve done a lot of studying and a lot of homework on how to draw that line. When actors get deep into story like that, they do have to learn to draw the line. Many may not agree with me; many studying Method acting, where you dive into the character and remain that character throughout the entire movie or whatever. I don’t think it’s safe or healthy. Knowing how to shut it off is super-important.”

What about playing pregnant? Did you think you’d get a shot to do that again? “I know, right? It’s like, ‘How many babies do I have to lose?’ Carrying a baby wasn’t my first thought. It was surprise. Going into this as a character I personally thought, ‘What if I got pregnant now?’ I put myself in that scenario, and it was really interesting. And when I say interesting, I mean, not coming from a 30-year-old getting pregnant, but from a 40-something getting pregnant. It’s a totally different world. There was a lot of Ari thinking, ‘What would I do if I was in this place?’ That’s how I’ve been playing it.”

And, of course, it started out differently than most soap pregnancies. “When it first started and it was like, ‘Oh, it’s menopause,’ some people can be offended by that, right? But I was like, ‘Why? It’s natural.’ It’s good to talk about these things and kind of relate. Menopause doesn’t have to be [taboo]. Menopause can still be sexy. I’m somebody who’s going through perimenopause in real life. Why not be the person who takes it on and goes, ‘No. There are so many things at that this time of your life that are still beautiful and gorgeous and awesome. You can make it fun.’ Because that’s me. I try to be annoyingly positive all the time.”

What are your thoughts on how the story has played out? Is it everything you thought and hoped it would be? “Well, I can’t tell you that. I’m being very vague for a reason. I want to be cryptic and not give too much away. It’s been very interesting.''

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/cont...by-heartbreak/

[Sandy0401]

^I am actually upset over this. I am soo over baby stories. But I do like that article.

[canflam]

Oh. What would you have done with Nicole instead?

[canflam]

Days of Our Lives’ Peter Reckell Explains Bo’s Continued Absence With a Single Word

It’s the coma that’ll never end! We’re fast coming up on a year since Peter Reckell came back to Days of Our Lives and Bo returned from the dead — only to lapse into unconsciousness and be sent off to a mystery hospital where he remains to this day!

Now, as far as we know, there’s no plans in the works to bring him back anytime soon and Reckell himself seemed to reinforce this when a fan asked him on X/Twitter if he would “tell us if you were back to work?”

Bo’s portrayer promised that he would let everyone know, “The very moment!” But what if we were to tell you that Bo could return at any moment?

Reckell certainly seems happy enough to come back. In fact, not that long ago, he talked about how great it would be if Bo was back at Days of Our Lives to help celebrate its 60th anniversary. That doesn’t, though, mean that we’d have to wait until then to see him. He could at least come out of his coma and give us a chance to see him!

It’s just that, as Reckell put it, there’s one powerful force stopping him: “Writers!”

That’s what he replied when a fan tweeted their frustration with his absence asking, “Who is this up to? You or the writers?”

And that could be a big problem, seeing as how we’ll likely be in the interim writers’ work until sometime in May. While they keep churning out storylines, we doubt the show would let them dictate any casting requirements — at least not of the big kind like bringing Reckell back to Salem!

So for now, we’ll just have to wait and watch for the moment story, the writers and Reckell himself can all line up to make this happen!

https://soaps.sheknows.com/days-of-o...ack-waking-up/