{"id":426167,"date":"2024-11-29T08:30:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T08:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=426167"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Stephen-Schnetzer-on-Returning-to-Days-of-Our-Lives-as-Steve-Olson-After-45-Years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Stephen-Schnetzer-on-Returning-to-Days-of-Our-Lives-as-Steve-Olson-After-45-Years\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Schnetzer on Returning to \u2018Days of Our Lives\u2019 as Steve Olson After 45 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephen Schnetzer<\/a> will return to Days of Our Lives<\/em><\/a> as Steve Olson on December 2, 45 years after last appearing on the show.<\/p>\n

The actor, who made his daytime debut in 1978, was thrilled to be invited back to his first soap home. \u201cI was very enthusiastic about it,\u201d begins Schnetzer. \u201cThey had reached out on a couple of occasions to see if I\u2019d be interested in doing limited roles and stuff and it just didn\u2019t work out. But this time, I was really excited to go back and it was just great to see how many people were still there from when I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Julie Williams\u2019 (Susan Seaforth Hayes<\/a>) younger brother, Steve comes home to Salem for the memorial for Doug Williams, played by Bill Hayes,<\/a> who passed away in January. Though Schnetzer and Seaforth Hayes weren\u2019t in touch, \u201cas soon as I knew I was going back, I asked for her email address and reached out to her and we talked and chatted,\u201d he shares. \u201cI just reminded her how important she and Bill were to me. It was my first time on camera. I had done mainly classical repertory theater for eight years. That was the first time I did camera work and they were very gentle, kind, and supportive. It took me longer than any actor I\u2019ve seen to get used to working in front of the camera. I was still projecting to the back wall of a 1,000-seat theater, but they were always very gracious, supportive, friendly, and warm and that didn\u2019t change when I returned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Stephen<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Susan Seaforth Hayes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The on-screen siblings fell into an easy rhythm and Schnetzer reports that the character came back to him quickly, even though it had been over four decades. \u201cIt was like getting on a bicycle,\u201d he relays. \u201cSteve was a charming rogue, a schmoozer, a charmer, a manipulator, but there was a heart there and the heart showed up in the relationship with Susan\u2019s character, Julie. It was so sweet to work with Susan again, and I really love that they gave me a couple of interesting episodes to play. I really appreciated that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schnetzer is coy about whether his alter ego has changed since the \u201870s. \u201cWell, that would remain to be seen,\u201d he winks. \u201cThese two episodes will still have question marks about him and it will demonstrate people\u2019s suspicions about him. Julie will remain steadfast in her feeling about his integrity. I don\u2019t want to get any more specific than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Brandon<\/a><\/p>\n
Related<\/div>\n

Brandon Beemer & Martha Madison Return to ‘DAYS’ and Promise ‘Great Drama’ to Come<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As for Seaforth Hayes, Schnetzer marvels at her skills during the taping of the funeral scenes. \u201cSusan gave such a great eulogy at Bill\u2019s real memorial that they asked if they could build an episode around that and she gave the same eulogy [on camera], with minor tweaks, and she killed it,\u201d he raves. \u201cI mean, that woman has a mind like a steel trap. Totally impressed. One-take Seaforth Hayes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also has high praise for the scripted goodbye to Doug. \u201cThey did it right,\u201d Schnetzer opines. \u201cThey brought a lot of the legacy people back. Those are tricky episodes, especially when it\u2019s a big cast, but the head writer and writing staff did a terrific job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Stephen<\/p>\n

Reconnecting with old pals when the cameras weren\u2019t rolling was another high point for Schnetzer. \u201cI love our business,\u201d he reflects. \u201cI love what I do. I have the greatest affection for most of the people I\u2019ve worked with. I\u2019ve been so blessed, cast after cast, so it was just warmth and love. When you\u2019re still standing decades after you first worked with someone, there\u2019s a commonality, there\u2019s a bond that doesn\u2019t need to be spoken and that\u2019s what it felt like. It was great to see Deidre [Hall<\/a>, Marlena Evans] and Suzanne [Rogers<\/a>, Maggie Horton Kiriakis]. Josh\u2019s [Taylor<\/a>, Roman Brady] face lit up, he was so happy to see me. I didn\u2019t know he cared [Laughs<\/em>]. And then all the ghosts in the place \u2014 Bill [Hayes] and Jed Allan<\/a> [Don Craig], Mac Carey<\/a> [Tom Horton] and Frances Reid<\/a> [Alice Horton].\u201d<\/p>\n

He also found some familiar faces who he worked with at his other soap homes \u2014 One Life to Live<\/em><\/a> (as Marcello Salta from 1980-82) and Another World<\/em><\/a> (as Cass Winthrop from 1982-1999). \u201cIt was great to see Judi Evans<\/a> [Bonnie Lockhart; Paulina Cory, AW<\/em>] and Matt Ashford<\/a> [Jack Deveraux; Drew Ralston, OLTL<\/em>]. Matt was on One Life<\/em> for a moment when I was there and Judi, she hasn\u2019t changed a bit. She brought her pet chicken by and it was great! She wants me to be on the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schnetzer, who is based in Florida, wouldn\u2019t say no to another go-round in Salem. \u201cI would certainly be interested in doing it,\u201d he allows. \u201cA 3-to-6 month story would be a lot of fun and I definitely would do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Days of Our Lives<\/em>, Weekdays, Peacock<\/strong><\/p>\n

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