{"id":6171,"date":"2026-08-19T05:36:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T05:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6171"},"modified":"2026-08-19T05:36:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T05:36:39","slug":"days-of-our-lives-ep-on-bringing-john-olivers-dream-soap-opera-role-to-life-he-wanted-to-be-slapped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6171","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Days of Our Lives\u2019 EP on Bringing John Oliver\u2019s Dream Soap Opera Role to Life: \u2018He Wanted to Be Slapped\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tKen Corday, the executive producer of \u201cDays of Our Lives,\u201d knew John Oliver needed to make an appearance on his series. <\/p>\n

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\n\tThe host of the Emmy-winning HBO series \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d 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. \u201cThis is not a one-off,\u201d Corday tells Variety<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tOliver starred as Devlin St. John, Salem\u2019s \u201cnerdy\u201d chief water inspector, across a three-episode arc that played out in early August. The script was tailored to bring Oliver\u2019s voice and comedic timing to the character while still honoring his stipulations. \u201cHe wanted to be slapped, or someone slaps him. He wanted to be someone\u2019s long-lost something and a dramatic close-up of his face,\u201d Corday says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt wouldn\u2019t be a true soap experience if his character didn\u2019t go poking his nose in all the wrong places, which he ultimately receives comeuppance for.\u00a0The late-night host shared scenes with \u201cDays of Our Lives\u201d stars such as Susan Seaforth Hayes, Daniel Feuerriegel and Maggie Carney, and even butted heads with mayor Paulina Price, played by Jack\u00e9e Harry.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe is not the John Oliver you see on his talk show. He\u2019s in makeup, hair, wig \u2014 very much a different look and certainly a different persona than you see on his TV show, which was fun,\u201d Corday shares. \u201cIt was fun for him. It was fun for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlthough he\u2019s largely recognized for his comedy chops, Oliver arrived on set as a \u201cserious actor\u201d and seamlessly matched the rapid cadence of the show, which films roughly nine episodes a week at \u201clightning speed,\u201d Corday says. The chief water inspector delves into serious territories, which Oliver came ready to tackle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s just a consummate professional. He was wonderful. He had a lot of dialogue over the course of a few shows and knew everything cold,\u201d Corday says. \u201cHe\u2019s just a great actor. He was able to handle his character deftly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDays of Our Lives\u201d will celebrate its 61st anniversary in November, and the possibility of future guest stars isn\u2019t completely off the table. Corday shared an interest in working with Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling (yes, he saw the \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d star accept Deidre Hall\u2019s invitation to visit the soap\u2019s set).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou never know what\u2019s going to happen when you wake up and come to the Disneyland of daytime every day,\u201d Corday says.<\/p>\n

\nOliver previously guest starred on \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d as Z, the head of the World Security Bureau spy agency, in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo be clear: soap opera-acting is not my Plan B,\u201d Oliver previously told Variety<\/em>. \u201cI simply offered my hypothetical acting abilities to any soap that would meet my terms, which were: I wanted to play a character with a ridiculous name, I wanted a juicy storyline like murder or slapping and I wanted a dramatic close-up of my face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Supergirl\u2019 Star David Krumholtz Posts and Deletes Plans to Retire From Acting: \u2018And Now, New Life\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The host of “Last Week Tonight” made a guest appearance on “Days of Our Lives” after publicly declaring his desire to star in a soap opera.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[2626,1082,1083],"class_list":["post-6171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-days-of-our-lives","tag-john-oliver","tag-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Days of Our Lives\u2019 EP on Bringing John Oliver\u2019s Dream Soap Opera Role to Life: \u2018He Wanted to Be Slapped\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6171\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Days of Our Lives\u2019 EP on Bringing John Oliver\u2019s Dream Soap Opera Role to Life: \u2018He Wanted to Be Slapped\u2019 - 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