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Days of Our Lives Cast Tease "Whole Year of Surprises" at Major Fan Event
Our favorite daytime actors are not shy about spreading the love in real life, as seen at the red carpet at a fan event for Days of Our Lives.
The stars of Days of Our Lives came out to shine!
The beloved daytime drama streaming on Peacock was renewed for its 61st season on November 1. The day after the news dropped, more than 30 cast members stepped out on the red carpet for an annual interactive fan event at Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, and the enthusiasm was infectious.
“I’m excited for a whole year of surprises coming up,” said Days icon Susan Hayes, a 50-year-veteran of the show, while Galen Gering, who plays Rafe Hernandez, quipped, “There’s gonna be wild twists and turns, murder, mayhem, weddings, whodunits."
What will happen on the new season of Days of Our Lives?
On December 2, Days of Our Lives will reach its 15,000th episode, but the show creators know how to keep fans — and the actors — guessing thanks to a few clever tricks up their sleeves.
For one, the actors are just as surprised by the plot twists as the fans are.
“I look forward to the next script because it’s all a secret. You open it, and you discover you’re in love. You discover you’ve been kidnapped. You discover you’ve been set on fire!” Hayes revealed to NBC Insider.
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For the momentous upcoming season, Days of Our Lives brought new scriptwriters into the mix, promising a “bigger turn to romance and families and villains, and all the stuff that made the show so great,” revealed Martha Madison (Belle Black).
Cherie Jimenez, who plays Gabi Hernandez, looks forward to new storylines spotlighting the show’s many badass female characters: “They do such a beautiful job of writing for the women on the show; there’s no weakness, it’s all strength and power, about rising up and continuing to move on despite all the crazy things that happened.”
Elia Cantu, (Jada Hunter) agreed, adding there will be more “girl time” and “fun” GNOs coming up on the show, too.
Is the Days of Our Lives cast friends?
With hundreds, if not thousands of hours spent together on set, it’s no surprise there’s serious bonding going on behind the scenes. The cast is like “close family,” said Leo Howard, who often finds himself chatting up veteran cast members in the hallways and dressing rooms.
“It’s funny we make a living yelling and crying to each other, but as soon as we step off stage, we’re hugging and laughing … it’s an interesting dichotomy,” reflected Eric Martsolf (Brady Black), who walked the carpet with his character’s “baby mama,” Kristin DiMera (played by Stacy Haiduk).
Martsolf likened their off-screen relationship to siblings. “We’re like brother and sister that are constantly tugging at each other’s toys to let go. But there’s a lot of love underneath all that.”
Wally Kurth and Judi Evans — who have been married four times on the show — walked arm in arm down the carpet, reminiscing about their first fictional wedding in 1987, which was filmed on a Greek Island.
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“It was magical. You serenaded that character,” Evans fondly remembered. “I was the nicest guy [as character Justin Kiriakis], and all the guys hated me. I had friends back home who were like, Wally, my wife thinks I’m supposed to act like you."
Nearly every cast member agreed: It's this sense of camaraderie that is the show’s secret sauce. Even self-described “new guy” Al Calderon has found his niche. Calderon joins the cast as Javi, Rafe's cousin, and credits fellow actor Gering for taking him under his wing.
“He’s like a big brother. We have the most fun. I said, if we were in school together, we’d get into the most trouble because we’re like two goofballs,” he told NBC Insider. “He’s taught me that although this is a professional environment, you can also have fun as well, and that’s been one of my favorite things.”
Days of Our Lives is produced by Corday Productions Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television.
Don’t miss past episodes of Days of Our Lives, available to watch now on Peacock.
