TV

‘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…

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Ken Corday, the executive producer of “Days of Our Lives,” knew John Oliver needed to make an appearance on his series.

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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.

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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.

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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…

Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/

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