‘Days of Our Lives’ EP on Bringing John Oliver’s Dream Soap Opera Role to Life: ‘He Wanted to Be Slapped’
Ken Corday, the executive producer of “Days of Our Lives,” knew John Oliver needed to make an appearance on his series.
The host of the Emmy-winning HBO series “Last Week Tonight” publicly declared his desire to star in a soap opera during a March episode of his talk show, and Corday immediately got to work. Creatives came together the next morning and drafted a storyline, ensuring the material was both strong for Oliver and propelled the story forward. “This is not a one-off,” Corday tells Variety.
Oliver starred as Devlin St. John, Salem’s “nerdy” chief water inspector, across a three-episode arc that played out in early August. The script was tailored to bring Oliver’s voice and comedic timing to the character while still honoring his stipulations. “He wanted to be slapped, or someone slaps him. He wanted to be someone’s long-lost something and a dramatic close-up of his face,” Corday says.
It wouldn’t be a true soap experience if his character didn’t go poking his nose in all the wrong places, which he ultimately receives comeuppance for. The late-night host shared scenes with “Days of Our Lives” stars such as Susan Seaforth Hayes, Daniel Feuerriegel and Maggie Carney, and even butted heads with mayor Paulina Price, played by Jackée Harry.
“He is not the John Oliver you see on his talk show. He’s in makeup, hair, wig — very much a different look and certainly a different persona than you see on his TV show, which was fun,” Corday shares. “It was fun for him. It was fun for us.”
Although he’s largely recognized for his comedy chops, Oliver arrived on set as a “serious actor” and seamlessly matched the rapid cadence of the show, which films roughly nine episodes a week at “lightning speed,” Corday says. The chief water inspector delves into serious territories, which Oliver came ready to tackle.
“He’s just a consummate professional. He was wonderful. He had a lot of dialogue over the course of a few shows and knew everything cold,” Corday says. “He’s just a great actor. He was able to handle his character deftly.”
“Days of Our Lives” will celebrate its 61st anniversary in November, and the possibility of future guest stars isn’t completely off the table. Corday shared an interest in working with Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling (yes, he saw the “Project Hail Mary” star accept Deidre Hall’s invitation to visit the soap’s set).
“You never know what’s going to happen when you wake up and come to the Disneyland of daytime every day,” Corday says.
Oliver previously guest starred on “General Hospital” as Z, the head of the World Security Bureau spy agency, in June.
“To be clear: soap opera-acting is not my Plan B,” Oliver previously told Variety. “I simply offered my hypothetical acting abilities to any soap that would meet my terms, which were: I wanted to play a character with a ridiculous name, I wanted a juicy storyline like murder or slapping and I wanted a dramatic close-up of my face.”