Emily O'Brien is saying goodbye to her second Days of our Lives character in less than a year.
In 2023, Emily O'Brien made a quick switch on Days of our Lives when Gwen Rizczech boarded a plane and Theresa Donovan deboarded. O'Brien appeared in one scene with a British accent and her natural brunette hair. Before we could blink, she had adopted an American accent and donned a blonde wig as the new Theresa.
O'Brien took over for Jen Lilley, who originated the role of Theresa in 2013. Before that, she had spent three years bringing Jack's never-before-heard-of daughter, Gwen to life, morphing into Theresa in a flash. Now, 10 months later, O'Brien is leaving the soap altogether as Theresa is sentenced to prison for her role in kidnapping baby Victoria at Konstantin's behest.
The actress confirmed her exit to Soap Opera Digest and described her emotional last day.
"This is the announcement I made, actually, when I left," O'Brien said. "I was in tears, and I faced everybody on stage and I looked at the cameras. Then I just told everyone how incredibly lucky I am. I wasn't supposed to be on the show for as long as I was. I never thought that daytime would be something that was accessible to me again. And I not only got to play one amazing role, but I played two amazing roles."
O'Brien got her soap start in 2006 on The Young and the Restless where she played Jana Hawkes until 2011. She returned to the daytime scene in 2020 as a con woman who befriended Claire Brady during Claire's time in Bayview. Gwen went from being Jake's ex-girlfriend to Jack's retconned daughter trying to win her father's love but failing miserably as she couldn't leave her conning ways behind.
After Gwen skipped town following a disastrous marriage to Dimitri von Leuschner, Theresa appeared. O'Brien was grateful for a chance to play both flawed women.
"I ended up falling in love with Theresa and who she is and the circle that she's involved in...I just feel so grateful for that experience. It's been a crazy, wild ride -- just mind-blowing," she said.
With Theresa only sentenced to six months in Statesville, she could appear again, but for now, what happens next remains to be seen.
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