Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

It’s been quite the rocky road for Chad (Billy Flynn) and Abigail (Marci Miller) on NBC’s Days of our Lives.  After Abby’s mental breakdown and disappearance, and while Chad believed she had “died” only to find out she had some help from his brother to fake her death, and then was back in Salem and did not immediately reunite with her husband, the stage was set for these two lovebirds to continually be torn apart while circling in each other’s orbit.

For Billy Flynn, who has become one of the most popular, critically-acclaimed and engaging stars of the genre, 2017 has already brought him a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for his riveting performances, while on-screen Chad is currently conflicted while embroiled in what many see as a rebound romance with Gabi (Camila Banus), and has been acting out in ways uncharacteristic of the young DiMera.

Next week on DAYS, things look to become even more complicated for Chad.  After Gabi and Chad had sex on the Island before being rescued, once back in Salem, Chad learns Abby wants to marry Dario (Jordi Vilasuso). But could fate intervene when Deimos’ (Vincent Irizarry) heinous plot throws Chabby together in an unsuspecting way?

In this candid and enlightening interview with On-Air On-Soaps, Flynn opens up about: the ups and downs of making Chad’s more recent story beats come to life, his hopes for the future of Chabby, and his excitement over new DAYS head writer, Ron Carlivati’s upcoming debut.

Reflecting back on his powerful Emmy-nominated scenes, Billy takes us through what happened and how he crafted his final emotional scenes with the iconic Joe Mascolo as Stefano DiMera, and what it meant to him, personally.  With more on the life and times of Chad DiMera, here’s what Billy Flynn had to share.

Fans first had to accept Marci Miller in the role of Abigail which was one big hurdle, then you as Chad with her on-screen, because the audience was used to you being with your former on-screen partner, Kate Mansi.  Looking back now, do you and Marci feel that you got through that adjustment period pretty much unscathed?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:  I think when you have someone as talented as Marci it makes it easier. Also, I think the Chad and Abigail relationship, and fandom, and the people who support that couple were such fans based on what Kate Mansi and I had done which was really great.  We kind of fell into this thing … it was never supposed to be this thing called “Chabby”.   Kate worked hard, and I worked hard, and we had chemistry and that couple was created.  I think fans really latched on to them, and for some time it was still one of the only rootable couples on the show that was growing into a potential supercouple. Chabby is always going to have their struggles, but they have their foundation, and it’s in stone and cement already.  I think as fans watched Billy Flynn grow as an actor and grow as a person, I started to put more of myself into Chad, and so the audience saw Chad grow.   It became something where I think fans were able to be a part of a transition and a change, and they felt they were included in my personal journey, and with Kate. As a result what we were able to execute with what the writers had given us grew into this quite amazing thing.  Then Kate decides to leave, and this is very much like the theatre in a sense that different people are going to be in the play.  I just happen to be playing Chad now, as Casey Deidrick did before me, and he did a wonderful job.  Marci Miller came in and I don’t think there was anybody that could have filled the shoes of Kate Mani better than Marci.  I believe that 100%.  The actress has changed, but I don’t think the heart between Chad and Abigail has changed.

When Abigail returned to Salem in the form of Marci Miller, it was very hard for the audience to watch her hiding in the attic, instead of going straight to her husband and telling him that she is alive after all that he grieved.  What did you think of that story set-up?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:  We are actors, and we get material.  It’s our job to make it work and to play it, otherwise they can get someone else who can.  That being said, it’s our job to try and create the most natural justification for what that character is doing and try to hold true to what that character is.  Abigail was stuck in an attic one way, or the other.  I know it may have seemed kind of ridiculous, but whatever justification there was for it, Marci hit the ground running.  There is no easy way to come in to what was happening after Kate Mansi left.  I think Marci did it as well as she could.  I got lucky.  I had it much easier when I entered the canvas.  My character has been off the canvas for a year sipping mai tai’s with papa in Boston, if you will.  But what I chose to do was almost make people hate Chad in a sense, because then they could take the small journey to grow to like him, and that was what I did.   That was my intention.   Good television and good acting is about that there is something that the audience latches on to and resonated with.  The fact that I came on to the canvas as this young jerk with a bone to pick, and then slowly grew into a man, and falling in love, and changing the way he viewed his family and life, was such a great metamorphosis to play.  The one thing that I have always tried to do is keep Chad’s integrity intact.  When the Ciara (formerly Vivian Jovanni) storyline came around … I fought it.  I could see it coming and I played against it.

What was your reaction at first when they’re-introduced Gabi as a romantic interest for Chad, and setting up of a potential triangle between Gabi/Chad/Abigail?

BILLY:   When Kate left there was this huge void.  That’s the nature of what we do here.  Things are going to be rushed and things are going to drag out.  They have to let my storyline drag for a bit in order to catch up another one, or we are going to move quicker to another one.  I will say this, we as actors often times get frustrated with story as the fans do,   I can only speak for me personally, and you know the way I work.  I put my heart into everything I do.  I care deeply about his relationships.  I think Chad and Abigail are an important duo.   They focus on each other and it’s love, and it’s simple in that way – it’s everything that is broken down to the human characteristics that it should be; to live as well as you can, and to love as much as you can.

Courtesy/NBC

As far as compelling young couples on daytime, Chad and Abigail have the components to make them star-crossed lovers with longevity on the soaps, in the true sense of the genre. And then there is Gabi!

BILLY:  What I will say with Gabi (Camila Banus) is that there was the time where Chad offers her a job.  It was never about needing a stylist.  He didn’t need her styling.  He just wanted someone around who he could talk to.  My justification as a man who lost somebody he loved, it was about having some company, and to see someone in the same age range of his wife, and someone who had the same lease on life.  They had a history that was different, yes.  But when you lose somebody the minimal stuff from the past is non-existent – that’s how I justified it.  It wasn’t about falling in love with Gabi, or any of that stuff.

Does Chad love Gabi?

BILLY:  I think it grows into a love, but I think they have a history.  The way I play Chad he leads with his heart and he doesn’t want to hurt anybody.  Now that being said, Chad and Gabi had this thing before Abigail comes back, and he didn’t know what to do.  It was hard for Chad fighting with Ben (Rob Scott Wilson) all of the time and with all of that.   If you look at it from a real life example, and as much as losing his soul mate was the end of him, I think it was his own little breakdown he was having. I think that may have gone over people’s head.

So, Chad was having his own breakdown through the “loss” of Abigail?

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

BILLY:  Yes, it was part of his grieving process.  I think he was lonely.  It was just nice for him to have Gabi around, and then he realizes life doesn’t have to be so hard.  Then we get to Abigail coming back and she is in the attic!  For Chad, I remember the moment she said, “I didn’t come back for you.”  If any real couple has been through everything those two had been through, what is the chance of them making it?  I think we tried to play that as honestly as we could.

Many times on soaps writers come up with contrived situations to keep popular soap couples apart.  Have you felt that at all over the last several months with the story on-air?

BILLY:  I think that it’s important that we are talking about it, because when you move as fast as we do, we can’t always tweak a piece of the material the way we should.  We do 8 episodes a week.  You can do a take over, let me be clear.  The type of actor I am there is the written scene, and then as the type of actor I am in a scene the emotion takes over.  Sometimes when that happens it’s hard to go with how the dialog is written, because you are trying to get everything right in such a small amount of time.  Maybe I am not experienced enough, but sometimes it’s hard for me to stop what I am feeling and go with just the dialog.  So for me, it’s about making sense of everything and connecting the dots honestly.  That’s what we do in story overall; connect the dots.  So for me as an actor, when I have to go from: Abigail passing away, to then Gabi, to Abigail coming back, to all of a sudden I still have feelings for Gabi, which doesn’t make sense, because why wouldn’t I just be back with Abigail?  That can be tricky!

That’s what was also hard to understand.  I am sure some viewers felt the same way as well.

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:   Then let me explain that little piece, because I think that is important, too.  There were some very childish-like feelings displayed by Chad.  He wants to be with Abigail, but the last time he saw her she was in the hospital, she lit the place on fire, and she wasn’t fine.  Chad does not know who he is getting back as his wife.  He is thinking, “You say you are OK, and you look the same, but who knows?”  I think a lot of people thought that Chad was trying to double-team her, or he was not willing to give his wife a chance.  What I was playing was that he was unsure of who he was getting back.  He had his son to worry about at the same time.   He doesn’t want to hurt anybody. Chad knew Gabi had feelings for him.  I think he found himself in this really odd position, and instead of dealing with everything as he should have, or have had an honest conversation, or a huge fight, or had some sex with Abigail, it was just too much.  This terrible thing happened to Abigail with this mental illness, and how do you deal with that as a man? Maybe, it was his fault.  I think Chad is starting to begin to want to run away, because he feels like maybe he is the problem and he is scared, and he is not showing it, because he is a DiMera. So him being one foot in and one foot out with Abby isn’t crazy … he is terrified.  He loves her so much that he is so afraid if he says the wrong thing, or does the wrong thing, she is going to break.  A part of him has been running away, because if he can do that he can begin to heal without her and he can move on.  Chad doesn’t have to worry about causing these problems again, and that leads him to Gabi.  Chad cares about Gabi. With Gabi, it’s not about running to another woman, its more about running away from his situation and realistically he is being a child.  He has lost his dad, he has lost everybody, he is scared to death, and all he wants to do is not feel it.  What is left?  Part of him died when Abby left, and whatever part came back, he can’t find it, or doesn’t know what it is, or how to deal with that.

Is Gabi then, in a way, being used by Chad?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:  In the long run I will say, maybe.  I think that is going to become apparent down the line in how this all plays out.   He is just simply running away and he is not just doing it with Gabi, he is doing it with his business, and this is where it gets a bit crazy.  Abby wanted him not to go after Deimos (Vincent Irizarry), so instead he is going to do it, because he says to himself, “You left me!  That gives you the right to tell me what to do?”  Chad thinks if he can cause as much chaos as possible then he thinks, “I don’t have to sit here in what I actually feel, and that is … I love you, and you hurt me, and I don’t know how to move forward with you.”  I think that is beautiful at its core.  What you have been seeing on-air tells a different story than what I was playing which is unfortunate.  It looks like I am leaving Abby, because I would be better with Gabi.  It plays like he is trying to get laid by two women and that is unfortunate, because that is not the way it’s played.  There are going to be moments in the future where I have to apologize to the audience.  I have done my best to make it all work and sometimes you get stuff and you don’t know how to do it honestly.  I’m sorry for judging it.  That’s not my job to judge it, necessarily. It was such a character shift in everything I worked for to build Chad that it seemed like it was a complete 180 degree turn.

You have obviously been working with more recent scripts from new DAYS head writer Ron Carlivati.  What are your thoughts on him taking over the lives of the characters of Salem, and in particular writing for Chad?

Courtesy/ABC

BILLY:   His track record speaks for itself.  I have had conversations with him and from what I can tell he knows how important Chad’s character is, and how important he is to the show.  Chad is the moral center of the DiMera family, and I think Ron gets that. I think Ron likes dark families and dark emotions, and Chad has been both good and bad.  I know I have always wanted to see Chad’s dark side and what that is.  But not at the expense of losing who he is, and not at the expense of losing his heart, which I think is crucial.

In soaps after a “bad boy: comes on to the canvas there is usually a shift to humanize them and to show their more sensitive or emotional side.  This seems to be a key formula in the soaps.  You have sort of followed in that pattern, but in your own unique way of doing it.

BILLY:  For me, that was two years in the making not two weeks.  You will see some things coming up that will change things around.  I am excited about Ron’s material, because he knows what Chad and Abigail are.  I think for me in that storyline that’s great.  I think Chabby will be a huge focus for the 18-49 demo, as well they should be moving forward.  You will see some things out of character for Chad.  Normally, I would never talk about this process, but we have been asking fans to hang in there for six months.  Thanks to them, and NBC, we got renewed.  Chad is going to be provoking people and chasing Gabi, and causing conflict for business.  But when you look at what he does it’s a distraction from everything that is important to him which is Abby, and his son.

Recently, Chad has been stranded on an island with Gabi and some of his friends.  What have you thought of that storyline?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:   I have always been so good at maintaining and protecting my character.  Chad and Abby have a fan base that I cannot sell short. Chad and Abby did not need a triangle to make their story interesting; they had a lot going on.  You are fan of This Is Us.  Why can’t we tell the simple stories that happen in relationships, and what happens?  I am not writing the show, nor am I am the producer.  I would be terrible at those jobs.  We are doing everything we can to stay on the air for the fans.  There have been be some weird transitions on-screen over the last several months, and pivoting back and forth, but from my part it is always about wanting to tell the fans good story.  I will apologize for moments you can see on camera, or maybe you can’t, where it might have looked like I checked out a bit, and that’s on me.  But as fast as we move, you are in here every day shooting sometimes scenes from 3 different episodes a day that sometimes you are going to have that look on your face of “WTF?” (Laughs)

We must talk about your final scenes with Joe Mascolo (Stefano) when Chad envisions his father and sits and talks with him.  It was in your Emmy-nominated reel and performance. What can you say about the experience of taping those scenes with Joe, and working with him one final time?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:  My great-grandparents were a huge part of how I was raised along with my mother.  My father wasn’t in the picture.  So in essence, my great-grandfather was my father.  It was a lot of personal stuff with Joe in that scene that made it close to my heart.  I was told that was going to be our last scene together and I took that with a lot of weight on my shoulders.  It was about this man who had been around for so long, and now I am honored, and felt responsible for his final scene on the air. As an actor, and as Billy, I thought, “How can I encompass all of his years, and be a fan in a scene and be Chad at the same time and be Billy Flynn, and give him all of that?   The scene is after Stefano passes away Chad has vision or whatever it is of his father, which is why I chose not to touch him so it gave it that feeling that it wasn’t real.  The original blocking of that scene was just for me to walk around and be talking.  It didn’t make any sense to me.  So I said, to the producers, “Let me just sit at his feet one last time like a little boy, like his son, and have this conversation.”  This was the Billy part to my great-grandfather and just let me ask this man some questions.  Then the fan part of this was; if I could take any fan and sit them in front of Joe, what kind of emotion would they display just to be there in that moment?  Then there was the Chad part, and so it all connected and it was a beautiful thing.  The emotions were all there in each moment and in each question.  The hug at the end of the scene was not scripted. It was for the fans and for me as a fan, to thank Joe for everything he has done.

How was Joe during the scene with you?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:   He had never been better than in that scene.  Joe read cue cards at the end, and the fans noticed it, but in our scene he didn’t read cue cards once.  He was so present in the scene with me.  I remember watching the scene back and when he said, “Did you ever feel that I loved you?”  He was so good in that scene.  I know it was my scene and it was written for me, but if you watch that scene up against the previous scenes, he was there with me.  And what a treat for me!  And as everyone knows I used that scene for my Emmy submission this year, and how could I not?  And then what happens in soaps is when they think it was so good, the producers and writers want to see if you can do that again! (Laughs)

Was the day you taped that emotional scene, the last time you saw Joe prior to his passing?

BILLY:  The last time I saw Joe was when he came back when they found Stefano.  I wish Lauren Koslow (Kate) and Thaao Penghlis (Andre) had a chance to have goodbye scenes with Joe, too.  They deserved that.  Joe is legend man.  The best thing about Joe is no matter how is health was he wanted to keep coming back and playing Stefano.  I felt so lucky to have known Joe, but those scenes as much as I enjoyed having them; I think someone else who had more tenure year should have had them.   I would have traded mine so Lauren and Thaao could have had the chance to work with Joe, so I took the situation very seriously.

You also included what we now call “the renovation scene” in your Lead Actor Emmy reel. That was another huge emotional moment for Chad.  What do you recall about “the making of” that performance and that scene?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:   Yes, and I had re-written that scene.  Originally, I went up to our producer and I said: “There is no way that Chad is going to sit in this house that is wife hated after she has ‘passed away’ and with the things that she despised.  If you are going to be in that little den get rid of everything but the chair, get rid of all the furniture, and all the books.  I don’t want anything in there.”  So they wrote the scene where I trashed it, but the scene was about everything except why he would be trashing it.  The whole thing was about “the renovation”.  Chad promised Abby that he was going to renovate and so I re-wrote the scene word for word.  Talking to yourself scenes are near to possible, and I thought this was one worked out all right.  I loved the moment, but I will say I felt I never looked uglier, because I wanted Chad to look like he was going through s**t.   I had gained some weight back then which was unfortunate, because I kept some of it on for awhile! (Laughs)  You know both my Emmy-nominated scenes were about loss and thanks to everyone at DAYS they helped me do that.  The scenes left me drained.

You have been branching out and doing more feature film roles of late.  Recently, you went on location for your part in DOA Blood River.  How was that experience?

Courtesy/DOABloodRiverTwitter

BILLY:  I loved working on a film, but when I left ‘DOA’ I remember thinking I can’t wait to get back to DAYS.  Here I feel comfortable and I am still challenged, but I know how to tackle the challenges of the medium now.  Doing that film was tough.  We were shooting fast.  I think I had this false sense of my range as an actor.  I have lived with Chad here for awhile and the emotions I draw upon are real that I put into the character.  It’s not hard to look at Abigail again and know what to feel, because as the character I have lived through these things with her. The film was a test with how they shoot and controlling my emotions.  I learned a lot about preparation that I can’t wait to use on the next project I do, I will say that.  I have another movie coming out called Escape Room and it’s a horror film.

Actors mostly say when working on a movie that they sit around all day on set, and have to wait and wait for their call or their scenes to be up.   Did you find that true?

BILLY:  We didn’t sit around at all on ‘DOA’.  We were shooting a big film with a lot of material in it, and over three weeks.

You have been a married man now since October of last year.  How is married life with your wife, Gina Comparetto?

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

BILLY:  I love it.  I have no regrets with her.  Gina is amazing. I am fascinated on a daily basis by her.  Even when she is mad, she cracks me up and is amazing to me.  “Love Hard” that’s what I always say.  I said to her “I am going to love you hard if you let me.” Gina is also a super talented actress and she is stunning!

Does Gina check out your performances and who Chad is with romantically in story on DAYS?   Does it make you uncomfortable if she watched your work, or knows about your storylines?

BILLY:   I think she watches sometimes, but it does not make me uncomfortable.  We move so fast and sometimes I forget to talk about it with her.  I will admit, I am not good about talking about work.  Gina will have to sometimes pry it out of me sometimes of what is going on with my storyline, or on set, etc.   The reason for that is: a lot of the time I am just not happy with my work.  If it’s more about the daily grind, she has a way of getting it out of me and making me talk about it.

One of the most compelling attributes about you is that you have such an analytic mind and approach to your acting.  How do you feel that has served you, or how might it hinder you as you go through your career in front of the camera?

Courtesy/NBC

BILLY:  Sometimes that gets in my way a lot.  I constantly want to know things. I like to learn and I am very curious by nature.  So if something happens in story, I want to know why Chad is doing it, and if I see that it doesn’t make sense, I want to know why they (producers) think I should be doing it, because it is important to their storytelling. During DOA Blood River I was going, “Why don’t you let me try this … and look over there … and that and that”   I realize sometimes I just need to shut my mouth, and just do what my job is. (Laughs)  All that to say, I think being an analytic thinker is what will be the most difficult thing for me, and for people to work with.  I have to apologize on a daily basis, because the work is really important to me and I get so invested in it.  If I could get rid of the analytic part of my brain, I think I could be a much better actor, because I wouldn’t judge things so harshly.  I still get terrified when I go into an audition.  The reason is why I am there I am over-thinking things.  Now if I had the job, I could do my work and know that is what I need to be doing, but in an audition I am still constantly in “trying to figure it out mode.”  It’s hard to try and be perfect in your acting.  That is why one of the best lessons I have learned are from Marci Miller and Kate Mansi and that is: “Keep it simple.”  What the audience has seen me do over the last several months, if I am not sure what to do with the story; I tried to do as little as possible.  I approached the material trying to be as fluid as possible, and that’s my job.  You will see me making choices.  I am going to play things close to the vest, and you are not going to understand, why or how, but sometimes you will see why I am doing what I am doing, but other times I am keeping it simple, which is something I think we should do more of, and let the audience decide what is going on.  My motto is: “If you want to know what happens, watch the show!”  I want to thank the fans for watching and continuously putting up with us, and I mean that in the greatest sense, because the fans are the only reason we are still on the air, so thank you!

So, are you rooting for Chad and Abigail to finally get back together?  What should happen to Gabi in all of this? What did you think of the sentiments shared by Billy in this interview? Are you looking forward to see what happens with the characters under new head writer, Ron Carlivati?  Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. But first, watch the latest promo from NBC for next week’s DAYS were Deimos is murdered, drugs the party guests, and Chad, Abigail, and Gabi are all put into, shall we say, some intriguing or comprimising situations!