It’s a reprisal forty-some years in the making. This December, actor Stephen Schnetzer returns to Days of our Lives in the guise of Steven Olson. This is a long time coming as his last scene was in 1980. Ostensibly, his alter-ego is back in Salem to provide his sister Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) solace as she mourns her late husband Doug — played for five decades by Seaforth Hayes’ real-life spouse, Bill Hayes, who passed in January. But given his less-than-savory background, will Steven prove a comfort or an irritant?

Stephen Schnetzer On Coming Back To DAYS

During a lull in the taping of the milestone 15,000 episodes, Schnetzer joined Michael Fairman in conversation.

On reuniting with Seaforth Hayes: “She’s a dream and she’s so bright. We ran lines yesterday and we ended up just visiting for about 45 minutes and just catching up and telling tales about each other’s career. She even dropped off the autobiography that she and Bill did. And being back here at DAYS, every time I turn a corner, there’s another familiar face. When I was on the show 40 more years ago, a bunch of the guys, played softball on a team together. This is really a trip down memory lane as I knew it would be.”

On his early DAYS: “My first episode was with Bill and Susan, as her long lost brother coming into Salem. They were so good to me. They were so kind. I had been doing eight years of classical repertory theater, never been in front of a camera…and they were very supportive at that time in my career. Coming back to honor Bill now in 2024, and to see Susan, I am just so happy to be here.”

On his decision to call time on his tenure: “I was never on contract. I was doing a day and a half a week and I got a Broadway play directed by Franco Zeffirelli starring Joan Plowright and Frank Finlay. I was able to it as I didn’t have to break a contract or anything. I cut loose and went back to New York for that.”

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