Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Freddie Smith Video Interview: Sonny's Return, PaulSon, Will's Death, Uncle Vic & Titan!
Photo: MF Soaps Inc
This week on NBC’s Days of our Lives, Freddie Smith made his on-screen return as Sonny Kiriakis.
Now, fans of the long-running soap want to know what’s in store for the beloved Sonny, now that he has returned to Salem after many months away in Paris following the murder of his husband, Will Horton. When viewers last saw Sonny it was at Will’s funeral. Now Sonny has come back to Salem to help his Uncle Vic (John Aniston) with his company, Titan. But will he rekindle a romance with his former flame Paul (Christopher Sean)?
Earlier this week, On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman sat down for this brand new video interview with the popular actor at the set of NBC soap. There was plenty to discuss in our first in-depth video interview in almost a year. From Will’s murder and his funeral, to what Sonny’s return means for others on the canvas and more, Freddie and Michael took the time to address several burning questions and more. Here are a few excerpts from the full interview which you can view below!
Photo: MF Soaps Inc.
When asked if he was surprised to find out he was coming back to DAYS, Freddie responded, “I was just glad they didn’t kill me off … they just sent me away. So, I was like ‘cool’. We left on really good terms, so I was just happy when I got the call.”
If he knew what his storyline would be this time out before he started taping, Smith revealed, “I knew the story, and I really liked it. I remember thinking if I am going to go back, I would really love if this is the story, and then four or five days later, I talked to the producers and the writers, and … that was the story. That was the story that I wanted.”
As to what viewers will see or the focus of Sonny’s return, Freddie said, “I know everyone wants to see Sonny in love and that’s also important, but it’s also important to see Sonny outside of his relationship, because a relationship is only part of who you are, as well. Yeah, Sonny ran the club, but not really. (Laughs) It was more of a backdrop. So now I really like where they are going with it. I think people are going to enjoy Sonny’s return.”
Fans had commented as to why Sonny was seated in the second row at Will’s funeral, when he was his husband, Smith expressed, “I just sit down and shut up and go where I am told to go. I was so emotional that day that I didn’t even think about it. We all on the set were super-sad all week. Everyone was crying even off set, so I wasn’t being technical about it. I was just sitting there thinking about what was happening.”
Courtesy/FSmithInstagram
On what he thought when he heard that DAYS was killing-off his on-screen other half, Will Horton, Freddie related, “It was definitely a shock, but I also like that they go there, too. I know that might upset some people, but you got to mix things up. They didn’t treat us differently, which was ultimately what we were going for this whole time. I was definitely shocked (that were killing Will), but I actually heard about it before I knew I was coming back for it. But, I remember I was just in shock, just like I am now re-thinking it. You don’t expect it to happen.”
As to where Paul and Sonny’s relationship is heading, Smith added, “We have been working together a lot. I think the fans are going to be surprised that there is something else going on between Sonny and Paul aside from their past, and their romance, and their friendship. There is another element to Paul and Sonny that you are going to see.”
If DAYS were to write a storyline involving Sonny about an an issue facing the LGBT community, how would he feel about it, Freddie said, “I think so. Yet again, if it’s organic and they want to shed some light on an issue I think that’s very important to do so, but I also think a lot has been done since five years ago where you could flip through the TV channels and there were not a lot of gay storylines, now it’s more common.”
As to what his fans are sharing on social media and their hope’s for Sonny’s return, Smith added: “People are rooting for Paulson, Paulson, Paulson. But at the same time they are wondering if Will is coming back. That would be an interesting twist to see, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
Watch Freddie’s full video interview below. Then let us know your thoughts on what Freddie shared, what you hope happens romantically and business-wise for Sonny, and how glad you are to see him back on DAYS in the comment below!
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Will ‘IS’ ALIVE!..ALIVE!…ALIVE!…lol
i was so glad that sonny is back im happy as can be hope they bring the old Will back and i hope sonny stays on for god with days love watching him so much he is so cute and handsome man very good actor .
Welcome back Freddy smith, I am so happy he is back on Days. Freddie is a wonderful actor. I am hearing rumors that Louise Sorel Vivian Alamain is coming back to Days. What I am hearing is that she has Brady and Theresa baby. I hope this is true. I miss my Madame lol.
On Freddie’S Q&A he mentioned Sonny moves into the mansion. But in today’s show Deimos said he was keeping the mansion. So how does that work if Sonny is living there when none of the other family members are there (besides Deimos)?
I hope the writers haven’t forgotten that he is Ari’s father. It’s bad enough that they bungled it by having him leave town, which never rang true to me. He loves that little girl & was a better father to her than Will. No way would he have just left.
How exactly is he Ari’s father? Ex-stepfather at best.
A better father than Will ? That’s complete bull! Sonny abandoned Ari right after Will died, disgusting!!
Yes, because the way Will had Ari’s best interests at heart when he didn’t care that he could destroy his family by cheating on his husband twice, wasn’t disgusting at all.
Will was Ari’s primary caretaker and always shown as a loving father. Sonny? Walked out on her when he was mad at Will and then when Will died.
Will loved her, yes. And he tried. But he was not even remotely her only primary caretaker, especially not at first, and he wasn’t always a good one, either. He admitted himself that he broke the trust between two of Ari’s parents (affecting her home life), he threatened people in front of her, manipulated people in front of her, made the decision to take her away from her imprisoned mother and second father in a matter of 24 hours to chase a Hollywood dream he’d never mentioned having before, then neglected to get Ari BACK to her mother (chasing fame… Read more »
Mad at Will??? Mad at Will, like he forgot to buy the milk. His husband cheated on him TWICE!!!!! But, of course it’s Will, so he’s allowed to do whatever he wants and all is forgiven, no matter who he hurts.
I hope they don’t ruin him. I’m very nervous about that.
He’s already ruined in my opinion. Asking his ex boyfriend to wait for him on his husband’s grave ruined him.. And i won’t mention him being a deadbeat father.
Yes, that scene with Paul at the gravesite was disgusting. I lost all respect for Sonny after that.
I agree with you John and also Kay. I couldn’t believe what the writes did with Paul & Sonny on top of Will’s grave. And then to have that photo of Will & Sonny blow away was despicable.
i am so glad to see sonny back i was praying that he would come back to days i wanted him to stay this tiem for real love having him back and he is a very good actor and love atching on days wish they would bring the old
This is a great interview Michael. I’m so happy Freddy discussed Sonny being seen as another member of the Salem community and not only as a gay character. I’m looking forward to seeing Sonny in the business world and his interactions with a wide variety of people.
LETS BRING BACK CHANDLER NOW !!!!!! LOve you Freddie so much <3
Great interview, Mr. Fairman!
Sunny/Sonny DAYS are here again!!
Great to have Freddie back as Sonny! Now make the people really, really happy and bring back Chandler Massey!!!!
Some of you live in La La land!! Freddie Smith obviously doesn’t want Will back, he wants to grab a little bit of the spotlight and that’s impossible with Will around ( he was always the driven force) ! He’s clearly rooting for (stupid) PaulSon.
I agree. I think Freddie really wanted it to be Sonny cheating on Will with Paul so the spotlight would be on him, but the writers made the focus on Will. Now with Will gone, the focus is on Sonny again, and that makes Freddie happy. He does not want Will on the show.
Could Freddie be any more tone deaf & clueless? He was okay with Sonny sitting in the second row of his own husband’s funeral and doesn’t even care that LGBT people were insulted & hurt by that? Sonny is a deadbeat father who is now working for his mobster uncle! That’s not the Sonny viewers fell in love with. Look, Sonny got the short end of the story stick the last time around, but Freddie not caring about the hurt Will’s death caused and how ugly and shoddy the story was is very disappointing. I fully expect Sonny to be… Read more »
Agree totally with every word, kiki.
If Smith is really so clueless as to the story he’s playing and doesn’t even consider his placement on the stage, that says SO much about the actor and his craftsmanship. Very disappointed. Time to let this character and story die its miserably written death. It just can’t be resurrected (much to the bigoted joy of many).
Oh my, reading way too much into a seating arrangement. Maybe the director intended it to be a way of showing Sonny having too hard a time sitting that close to the casket? Real life people handle things uniquely and a character on a show is no exception. And maybe Freddie was too engulfed in the sadness of the storyline to think much of it himself, he nearly said as much in this interview. Geez.
Thanks, Nate. You just proved my point as well as a lot of other folks’ points about the handling of the story, both in writing and direction.
How many times does Freddie insult viewers intelligence? He is glad the show made a blatant pander to anti-gay hatred in Will’s death? Of course that’s going to anger people. He comes off as clueless and tone deaf. And Fairman’s sucking up doesn’t help. I”m not stupid. I know they will bring Will back, but since Freddie clearly doesn’t care for the character of Will, there’ll be little chance of Wilson ever being what it once was. Will was clearly the only true father to Arianna, and that’s a shame because it’s in insult to gay fathers, adoptive fathers and… Read more »
You make some very valid points.
It’s not the first time Freddie has sounded totally clueless and tone deaf. It’s happened more than once. He just told Soap Opera Digest that he had a “great exit”. Please consider what happened in this “great exit”. First a good bit of dialog (the problem is with what follows it). After coming home after being told of Will’s death, Sonny tells him mom this: ‘You know I was planning on coming back here before this happened. Will left me this message, and I listened to it over and over again, and I started thinking “what the hell am I… Read more »
Someone needs to educate you about deaths on soaps, Art. The term “Bury Your Gays” doesn’t apply to DAYS! DAYS and soaps in general have buried many characters who turn up alive. Did DAYS bury Sonny? Did DAYS bury Paul? No on both counts plus a no for Will being buried if he didn’t really die! DAYS couldn’t tell the story they’re now telling if Will hadn’t been “buried” and it had nothing to do with being gay. The actor was weak. His costar chose to leave with the door left open to him. Knowing Sonny could come back to… Read more »
4ever DAYS you obviously are ignorant on what the term Bury Your Gays means because it does apply to Will Horton and no amount shilling for the show or attacks on Guy Wilson because you don’t like him is going change fact of what they did which was wrong on every level. Will Horton has many more fans on his own than either Sonny or Paul combined. The show lost many viewers because of them killing off Will Horton and because of them having the worst writers in soaps who caused other viewers to also leave the show because of… Read more »
You are ignorant, Art, for expecting characters to be treated differently because of their sexual orientation. It’s also ignorant to expect Freddie Smith to lay down and die because “Wilson” doesn’t presently exist. I suspect you’ll need therapy when Sonny and Paul get together. Good luck!
You are terrible for trying to use the character of Will against Freddie, the actor! Give me 25 push-ups and 50 sit-ups and SHUT UP!
I see 4ever DAYS is continued to be allowed to make personal attacks on other posters (whilst misrepresenting what they’ve actually said in their posts, and barking orders at them!). Same old, same old, it’s been going on 4ever! Hah! Hah! It’s funny though. 4ever and Maxie1215 are both entitled to their view on this interview – and 4ever trying to shout other people down speaks for itself. I can’t begrudge Freddie for appreciating opportunity to develop his character outside of Will’s story, because that’s not really happened before. *BUT* Freddie said he was glad they “go there”, regarding the… Read more »
A “blatant pander to anti-gay hatred…”? Really? I realize everyone has their own perception of things, but damn, that is out there, even for me. Holy crap.
Freddie almost seemed delighted that Will was killed and that “great exit” he got caused someone who had called him a friend to lose their job. I think someone needs to educate Freddie on why it was wrong to kill off Will and teach him about Bury Your Gays.
so excited that freddie is back on dool…………………
The writing on Days is so bad it’s funny. Case in point: turning Sonny into a deadbeat dad and criminal. I get that Freddie hates the character of Will but his smug cluelessness in this interview does him no favors.
Sonny’s return is not sufficient. Days writers have done so much wrong and are working overtime to literally destroy the character of Steve our Patch man. As such there will not be a single reason left to bother with this unrecognizable program!
They did succeed in making me so dislike Kayla I wish only that this time Steve left her once and for all and found someone new.
Her hypocritical self righteousness is alarming. MBE is not in any form of awarding winning storyline now!
Well, I can’ t speak for others, but as a Gay male viewer, I’ve been loyal through the last Five months of Days of Our Lives which have been dreadful. Horrendous writing, bland performances and lackluster characters. I miss the character of Sonny and glad he is back and I hope something happens with Paul, who literally has NOTHING to do on this show except buy hamburgers and look on the computer for clues for Theresa’s baby’s kidnapping. I suspect that if “Will returns” it may only be as the spirit of Will, telling Sonny it’s all right for him… Read more »
Sonny’s return won’t help the show.The show has ruined many characters or killed them off and the writing is just awful.
Great interview, Michael!
The show made a mistake by ending the gay storyline last year, I’m really happy that it’s coming back with Freddie’s return. Sonny is one of the best characters Days of our Lives has ever had. I’m excited to see what’s next for him, I hope he gets back together with Paul who is a great guy and I believe genuinely loves Sonny. I would be fine with Will not returning but since it’s a soap he probably will, once Sonny is completely in love with Paul.
I can’t see how anyone would be happy to see any favorite character return to be mauled by Dena’s poison pen. Josh was no better. Days is now a show where the “heroes” can commit any crime without consequence or care and hurt whomever they want. They are only heroes because the writers like them. How many of the show’s legendary heroes – starting with Hope – are now murderers or accessories to murder? They think this is “dark and edgy” but it’s just nasty and mean. Sonny went bankrupt because he didn’t want to take a handout from his… Read more »
I hope Sonny and Paul are a success who succeed in a sex session on Will’s grave!
Too bad that’s not going to happen
I’m so happy that Freddie came back & is finally having the story that he deserved! He’s an amazing actor & Sonny is a beloved character & many Days fans are so excited for his return. Can’t wait to see what’s in the store for him & for PaulSon 🙂
It’s clear he’s happy with being in the spotlight but lets see how long that lasts. This whole interview contradicts his character. Getting involved with Titan for example. And why not say anything positive about Will, the character that got him his popularity instead of being thankful it wasn’t him being killed off. I truly believe Will is coming back alive and not as a ghost. Freddie’s coming off really bad in this interview. I don’t think his return is going to help ratings that much. In fact there’s a lot of people not caring about the return at all… Read more »
I am so happy to see Freddie back. I love the character of Sonny, and I know Freddie will do great. Looking forward to the show more than ever now. I hope Freddie will be with us a long time.
Me, too, Nate. So handsome, charming, decent, sexy, and hopefully they’ll let his hair grow a bit. Can’t stand these buzz cuts. Looking forward to seeing what romance is coming for Sonny.
He is Ari’s father and the writers should let him adopt her. This would make Ari a Kiriakis which would not set to well with members of the Brady, Hernandez and Horton families who hate the idea for different reasons. He should move in with Gabi, and thus begin the storyline I’d like to see Gabi attempting to wreck his relationship with Paul. Sonny and Gabi have a connection but Sonny sees Gabi as a little sister and Gabi sees Sonny as the guy she should have married.
Obviously it was only a matter of time until Sonny came back from Paris.
After all, “once they’ve seen Salem, how ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm?”
Besides, Salem’s coffee is far too addicting.
Days Of Our Lives
Roark Critchlow on His Return to DAYS and Working With Cady McClain
It’s been 12 years since Roark Critchlow appeared on Days of our Lives as Dr. Mike Horton, the brother of Jennifer Horton Deveraux (Cady McClain). However, fans have been excited to see him back on their screens when the series teased his appearance in the extended fall preview.
Now with Jennifer spiraling downward (now that her pill-popping addiction is back), it seems like a good time for Dr. Mike to return to Salem to help his sis. (And if the promo for this week’s DAYS is any indication, it certainly looks like Jennifer is going to be involved in a car crash and need medical assistance or at least some brotherly love.)
Photo: JPI
Roark initially appeared as Mike back in 1994 and left the soap back in 1999. He returned in 2010 for a few episodes honoring the late Frances Reid (Alice Horton) who was Mike’s grandmother.
In an interview about his return with Soap Opera Digest on newsstands now, Roark talks about working with McClain as Jennifer, when he previously worked with Missy Reeves in the part.
Critchlow expressed on sharing scenes with McClain: “Her character is going through a lot. She and I dropped in really easily, I felt. It was a very nice, natural care for each other. It wasn’t difficult, that’s for sure. Obviously, Missy is a super-duper person. But you don’t compare people. Cady and I chatted. We got on good. In terms of story, I thought we pulled it off nicely as being people who’ve known each other their whole lives.”
Look for Roark to make his DAYS re-emergence on the upcoming October 3rd episode of the Peacock streaming series.
So, looking forward to seeing Roark and Cady sharing scenes together? Share your thoughts in the comment section, but first check out this week’s promo for DAYS below.
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