Salem just hasn't been the same without Days of our Lives character E.J. DiMera causing his signature drama, but fireworks are coming now that Dan Feuerriegel has taken over the role and brought the fan-favorite character back to the canvas. The casting swap might be a bit of an adjustment for viewers, many of whom loved E.J.'s former portrayer, James Scott, but DAYS icon Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) says she's fairly certain that fans will come to love Feuerriegel in the role.
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, the actress admits that she herself had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the new E.J., but the hesitation quickly faded.
"It was actually really complicated for me returning to the 'EJami' storyline without James. Obviously, when you develop a relationship like that between two characters, it felt sort of overwhelming to try to tackle it with someone new, someone I'd literally met for five minutes," she shares. "Normally in a soap story, you have time for the characters to get to know one another and you sort of figure each other out. James and I had years of story together before it was really the 'EJami' we ended with, so to jump right into the deep end, so to speak, with Dan, I hadn't realized how hard that would be. But as I said, Dan is such a great scene partner and he has so much respect for the story, the history of these characters, and the show, that I know he's going to give the fans the E.J. they have been missing."
As for what viewers can expect in the weeks to come, Sweeney says that Sami's signature characteristics are going to be front and center as she holds onto E.J. as best she can in the wake of her indiscretions with Lucas (Bryan Dattilo).
"You know Sami: She gets going in one direction and she can't let it go," the actress teases. "She has worked so hard to help E.J., to heal him, to get back to that relationship they had before everything happened and he 'died'. And she isn't going to give up on that for anything. As this story unfolds, you're going to see that blind determination come to the forefront again and that is one of my favorite characteristics of Sami. I mean, in real life, I'm sure it would get you into a lot of trouble. But to get to play Sami, all grit and determination and conviction that she's right, or her plan is right -- even in the face of incontrovertible evidence... It's a hell of a lot of fun."
What are your first impressions of Dan Feuerriegel in the role of E.J.? How would you like to see the Ejami storyline play out in the weeks ahead? Do you prefer Sami with E.J. or Lucas? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
