“Days of Our Lives” has stunned fans with the shocking recast of character Theresa Donovan. The soap opera opted to switch up things during actress Jen Lilley’s return to the show. Fans know that Theresa is a legacy character, brought to life as an adult by Lilley. However, after she agreed to return for a new stint on the sudser, the show shocked her by recasting her character with a controversial replacement.
Jen Lilley speaks out about her Days of Our Lives recast
Jen Lilley tells People Magazine that she totally understands the need to recast the character of Theresa. The actress doesn’t want to return full time, and if “Days of Our Lives” wants Theresa around, a recast is in order. However, what Lilley doesn’t like is the way they recast her character in a shady way with an already established “DOOL” actress.
That’s right, Theresa has been recast with none other than actress Emily O’Brien. Fans will recognize O’Brien as the woman who plays the character of Jack Deveraux’s long-lost daughter, Gwen. To make matters worse, Lilley is currently blonde and O’Brien has dark locks. However, the show told Lilley that they were simply going to put O’Brien in a wig when she begins tackling the role of Theresa.
Lilley feels bad for Emily O’Brien in the shocking situation
“That’s not cool to do to Emily,” Lilley says. “I think Emily drew the shortest straw, honestly. I was like, ‘That is the worst thing you could possibly do to a recast is be like, we’re going to wig you and make you just walk through fire for eight weeks.'” Lilley added, “I don’t know whether it was a budgetary thing or a scheduling thing where they just couldn’t work the schedule out so everybody could do it. It’s a little befuddling, but I still am really grateful that I got to go back,” she told the outlet.
Jen Lilley went on to reveal that sometimes “Days of Our Lives” and other soap fans don’t handle recasts well. So, she hopes that Emily O’Brien will be treated well throughout the process. Sadly, fans will truly miss Lilley’s portrayal of the iconic character.
Days of Our Lives has done this before
It’s surprising that the show would opt to recast Jen Lilley’s role of Theresa Donovan with current star Emily O’Brien. However, the show has made similar moves in the past. Josh Taylor went from playing Chris Kositcheck to Roman Brady. Meanwhile, Robert Scott Wilson played Ben Weston before stepping into the role of Alex Kiriakis.
“Days of Our Lives” viewers might disagree with the move. However, Theresa will soon have a new face, and fans will be forced to wrap their mind around the surprising recast.
Image Credits: YouTube, YouTube.
Kendra Quinn