Days Of Our Lives
DAYS John-Paul Lavoisier Talks on Philip’s Return and Upcoming Love Story, His Co-Stars, Final Scene with TV Dad, John Aniston, and If Ever a OLTL Reboot 3.0 Were in the Making
On Days of our Lives, Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) recently arrived back in Salem, and this time he wants to take over the Titan empire permanently and run it the way he thinks his late father, Victor Kiriakis (the late John Aniston) would, plus have the legacy that he sees as his birthright. This has puts him at immediate odds with his half-brother, Xander (Paul Telfer), and the story has taken off from there.
John-Paul Lavoisier re-emerged on the DAYS canvas last month reprising the role of Philip for a third time. The former One Life to Live alum (where he played Rex Balsom from 2002-2012), first played Philip from 2015–2016, then returned for a brief run in 2023, and now is back on the Peacock streaming soap opera for a much longer run in 2024 and into 2025, and possibly beyond.
In a new sit-down conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Lavoisier opened up about Philip’s machinations, his upcoming love story, his memories of working with his TV dad, John Aniston, and co-star, Drake Hogestyn (John Black) who passed away back in September of this year from pancreatic cancer.
Photo: JPI
In addition, Lavoisier gives his thoughts on his DAYS co-stars from: Paul Telfer, Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), Lauren Koslow (Kate), Louise Sorel (Vivian), Abigail Klein (Stephanie) and more. Of course, any interview with Lavoisier would not be complete with discussing his time in Llanview, wrapping up Rex’s final moments and if he would be on-board for a One Life to Live reboot 3.0.
JP recalls working with the TV legend John Aniston who passed away on November 11, 2022 at the age of 89. “Anytime he invited me to come to his room to run lines, it was good,” he shared. “It’s chaotic in the hair and makeup room and in the hallways and things like that. But anytime I was gifted the time to be in his (dressing) room, and just sitting there talking man to man, telling stories with a closed door, and then we get to our lines, was good. John’s the greatest. He felt like my dad. You can’t hate John Aniston. So, any anger that Philip would ever have towards Victor, that was acting.”
Blindsided by the news when he learned of Aniston’s passing while at a social gathering, JP expressed, “Unfortunately, I was in a room with 200 people, and a stranger told me. I was speechless. It was just shocking. It just punched me in the face. I went home and I thought about it a lot. Then, of course, I was like, ‘What’s the show going to do?’ There’s such a big gap between writing and filming and shooting and all that, and airing all this stuff. But, I’m so lucky. We meet a lot of people in this life. He really is one on that short list of, ‘I’m so glad I got to know him, at least for a little bit.’ I’m just so happy with the memories.”
Photo: JPI
In an emotional moment, Lavoisier recalled his final scenes with Aniston. “The last time I worked with John (was a scene where) Philip is saying goodbye to Victor. I’ll probably get a little teary (telling this). We were having a heart to heart in a doorway and we hugged. I remember for some reason, we had to hold the hug much longer than you would normally hold a hug ever on set, and that was the final time that I saw him. The scene was something along the lines of, “I love you. I love you, too. You’ll always be my son. Thanks, dad.’ It was kind of a nice closing instead of just like seeing somebody and saying ‘Bye.'”
Photo: JPI
Lavoisier also shared memories of his time knowing Drake Hogestyn, which paralleled the experiences of so many of his co-stars. “When I had come back for Victor’s memorial, there was a scene where actors were rehearsing in the Brady Pub, and Drake looked up and he walked past everybody and came over to me and said, “Hey man. Thanks for coming and playing with us again’. He shook me and gave me like a bro hug. That was my last interaction with him. It was cool because I hadn’t been here in a while and he made me feel welcome.”
Photo: JPI
As for how Philip views Xander and if he would like there to be some kind of brotherly love, JP answered, “I think Philip wants it there to be. It’s a Ying and a Yang. I think that if Philip could wave a magic wand, he would wish Xander would be a little more like him and levelheaded. In a perfect world, Philip would like Xander, genuinely. But for the sake of story, hopefully not!”
Photo: JPI
Coming up in the new year, it has been teased that Philip and Stephanie will reignite their former relationship and seemingly fall back in love. JP shared, “When I learned about the past that Philip had with Stephanie (in the way I portray it) I decided that Stephanie is the one that Philip really wants to be with, like ‘I really have the hots for this one. I really want to make this one work again.’ And I mean, to put it bluntly, like ‘I want us to have babies.’ That was the decision that John-Paul made for Philip going into our stuff.”
Photo: JPI
According to JP, working with TV ‘mom’, Louise Sorel, has been one of the greatest experiences he has had thus far on DAYS. He shared what happened when Sorel and him met for the first time. “We had never really spoken. And long story short, we have so much in common. I didn’t know that she was a New Yorker. We know a lot of the same people in real life. My second favorite all-time show is The Golden Girls, and her (late) husband, (Herb Edelman) was on the show, which I had no idea. Louise is one of my favorite kinds of human beings to spend time with. We ran our lines over and over, and it was just so pleasant and wonderful. When she told me where she lived, my mind immediately went to Robin Strasser (ex-Dorian, OLTL, ex-Vivian, DAYS) because Robin kind of lived in that area. So, when Louise told me where she lived, I went, ‘Do you know Robin Strasser?’ Swear to God, and we went from there, and then there you go.”
Photo: JPI
In January of 2012, One Life to Live aired its final episodes on ABC, and, in story, Rex and his family, wife, Gigi (Farah Fath), and son Shane (Austin Williams), decided to move to London, thus ending Lavoisier’s 10-year run on the ABC soap opera. JP opened up on if he felt closure for him and the character that made him soap-famous. “I will say in hindsight, now I’m satisfied, I’m fulfilled. I’m good with closing that book. However, if there wasvolume two, I would absolutely be intrigued. l’ll tell you, a table read with 25 of the One Life to Live people, I would be grinning from ear-to-ear. It would be so fun. We wouldn’t be able to get through, like sitting around and you just have all the memories coming back.”
Photo: JPI
As to what DAYS fans should look forward to with Philip’s story as the months roll on, Lavoisier previewed, “I would say it’s going to be quite exciting, and it doesn’t stop. It keeps going, and going, and going …”
Check out our full conversation with John-Paul Lavoisier below.
Now let us know, are you enjoying JP back as Philip? Do you hope he takes down everyone in his path and Philip takes over Titan for a long time? Are you here for a Philip/Stephanie redux romance? Would you like to see a One Life to Live reboot somehow, somewhere? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
I’ve never watched him on Days, but I so enjoyed him as Rex on One Life To Live! One gorgeous guy! I miss One Live so much- my all time favorite!
I like him on both shows. But don’t want him to take over Titan and don’t want him with Steph. I’m a Zander and Alex fan Love those two. Only watch the show because of them
I like Steph n Alex and Phil is ok but not being an ass and taking over the family business it’s Zander let it alone let him be Kate problem
Philip needs to Go don’t care for him. End Body & Soul. And Step & Alex get back together. Joy also needs to go and Clyde
I like Phillip for the most part but not the crooked, a**hat Phillip. I do not want him with Stephanie, she needs to be with Alex! I wish he wouldn’t be so smarmy. Let Xander have the company, you had your turn and screwed it up, do something else.
I will miss doig, Roman, and John. GOOD GUYS. They have been on Days.Of.Our lives for decades, will be Soley missed.
Glad Hope is returning wish Eli would stay and his wife. Hope Alex get with.tjw new.girl andchanel.and Johnny stay.together and.chamel not.find out.what Johnny did.
Days Of Our Lives
Sydney Malekeh Joins the Cast of ‘Days of Our Lives’ in Mystery Role: Who Do You Think She’s Playing?
There’s a new gal coming to Salem, or is she new and a recast? That’s what inquiring minds from Days of Our Lives fans have been trying to figure out since the Peacock soap opera dropped an Instagram video heralding actress‘ Sydney Malekeh’s arrival in Salem.
The soap did confirm that viewers will first see Malekeh on the September 9 episode. In the video, Malekeh is seen going set to set from her dressing room and in to the halls of Days of Our Lives studios.
What we do know id that Sydney has been acting professionally for 6 years and had appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, Apple TV’s Shrinking and the HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Plenty of Malekeh’s DAYS castmates jumped into the comment thread with positive emojis symbols or written excitement including: Paul Telfer (Xander), Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), Sal Stowers (Lani), Conner Floyd (Chad), Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Christie Clark (Carrie) and more now that fans will finally see her on-air. Since Days of Our Lives tapes 10-11 months in advance, Sydney would have started taping the show sometime back in 2025.
DAYS fans think perhaps because the actress’ name is Sydney that she might be playing the grown-up daughter of Sami and EJ. That character hasn’t bee on the canvas since 2021.
So, who do you think Sydney Malekeh might be playing on Days of Our Lives? Drop your casting director thoughts via the comment section below.
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Days Of Our Lives
Peacock Hikes Subscription Rates for Fourth Time in Four Years; ‘Days of Our Lives’ Fans Sound Off
While recently the streaming service Peacock reported turning a profit for its first time since its infancy, now comes word that the company is raising their prices for all customers, and in some cases it stared today on August 18.
The news of the subscription rate increases marks the fourth time the NBCUniversal streaming platform has done so in four years. So, on August 18, Peacock is increasing the prices for new or returning subscribers and customers, while current subscribers will see the rate increase on or after September 17 depending on their billing cycle when they initially signed up.
Here is the new pricing to follow along: Peacock Premium (which includes ads) will be $12.99/month, up two dollars from $10.99; Peacock Premium Plus will be $19.99/month, up three dollars increase from $16.99; and the Peacock Select tier (which includes current and past seasons of NBC and Bravo shows but excludes movies, live sports and Peacock originals) will increase a dollar from $7.99 to $8.99/month.
Photo: JPI
SUBSCRIBERS CONTINUE TO PAY MORE ACROSS THE STREAMER LANDSCAPE
It was back in June that the streamer reported that aid subscribers were up to 48 million adding a 2 million net gain during Q2 in of 2026. The subscription price hikes are rampant now in the entertainment streaming industry where over the last two years for example, Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, Paramount+ have all raised their fees to consumers.
Peacock’s tier-levels feature not only Days of Our Lives, but reality hits such as The Traitors and Love Island USA, Bravo series, and a vault of Saturday Night Live, Law & Order, The Real Housewives franchise, and Below Deck episodes as well. Pecock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers have access to sports and live events, as well.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES SUBSCRIBERS HAD A FEW CHOICE WORDS FOR PEACOCK
As Days of Our Lives fans know, the soap opera moved from NBC to the streamer back in September of 2022 after 57 years on broadcast television. When the news hit X on the price increase, DAYS fans had a lot to say about it. Here are just a few of the comments below:
“I can’t believe Peacock and can’t come to a deal with Cordya to air old episodes of #Days. That alone would bring a ton of subscribers,” to If Peacock actually cared about #Days of Our Lives, gave the show the budget it needs for better sets, cameras, background actors and enough time to tell proper stories, I wouldn’t mind paying more. If the money actually showed on screen, the higher price would be worth it,” to “I will continue to pay for a Peacock subscription as long as #Days is on it, but did we know there was another price increase coming?” and more.
So, what do you think of the new price hike increase to watch Days of Our Lives and your other favorite shows and events on Peacock? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
In the upcoming indie feature Veronica & Julian from director Otoja Abit, two former Days of Our Lives stars, Nadia Bjorlin (ex-Chloe Lane) and Kyler Pettis (ex-Theo Carver), headline the drama feature in this story of a May-December romance that faces challenges along the way.
Veronica & Julian centers on a confident and successful marketing executive (Bjorlin) who winds up falling for a younger aspiring architect (Pettis). From there, a journey of desire and self-discovery is set against the backdrop of present-day New York City.
The cast also includes: Blake Jenner (ex-Glee), Erin Cummings, Chrystee Pharris (ex-Simone Russell, Passions and Queens of Drama), Robert Lee Leng, Mark Famiglietti and Jennafer Newberry.
Photo:
LIVE CHAT WITH NADIA AND KYLER PLANNED
Now, Michael Fairman TV can share exclusively: the key poster art below, and that current plans that call for Veronica & Julian to be released and made available late this holiday season.
In addition, Nadia and Kyler will join us for a very special livestream conversation on the Michael Fairman Channel (Monday, Aug 24 – 3PM ET/Noon PT) to chat about their roles in the film, their time on Days of Our Lives, life post-soap opera, and much more. Fans can join the live chat and pose their questions to the actors as well.
Courtesy/Bright Leicht Content LLC
THE THEMES BEHIND VERONICA & JULIAN
Director Otoja Abit shared this statement on the feature film, “Veronica & Julian is about the right people who have a chance meeting at the wrong time. It’s a look at two people who don’t grow apart—they just grow up. This film is an authentic exploration of an imminent ending and how two people deeply in love got there. It aims to be quiet while telling a relatable story about modern-day relationships.”
Abit continued, “As a society, mainstream romantic films are often delivered through fantastical aspirations. I created this film believing that viewers who have experienced a breakup can relate to Veronica and Julian, depending on their perspective. They’re a couple navigating some of the most familiar obstacles in love: miscommunication, timing and pride.”
He concluded, “It’s a story about endings told through the small moments we often don’t recognize until they’re gone. With the support of the Panavision New Filmmaker Program, I approached the story with a deeper sense of visual control while maintaining the naturalism that defines each character.”
Photo: Bright Leicht Content LLC
NADIA AND KYLER GOT THEIR FIRST BIG BREAK IN SOAPS
As Days of Our Lives fans know, Bjorlin is best known for her long-running role as Chloe Lane. Nadia played the part from 1999-2023 with various runs in Salem. She is also known for her role as Lara in the Venice the Series since 2009. Nadia’s other TV and film credits include: A Murder Between Friends, NCIS, Two Broke Girls and more.
Pettis played Theo Carver on Days of Our Lives from 2015-2018 and earned himself a Daytime Emmy for his work in the now defunct Outstanding Younger Actor in a Daytime Drama Series back in 2019. His other TV credits include roles on: The Rookie, All American: Homecoming and Ray Donovan.
Veronica and Julian is written, produced and directed by Abit and produced through his Willful Productions alongside Kory Apton and Ian Phillips. Executive producers include: Nick Leicht, Gregory Sinche, Shelly Sinche, Torsten Sippel, Tim Freydberg, Ryan Schulke and Matthew Conlin.
So, intrigued to see Nadia and Kyler as a romantic couple in the film Veronica & Julian? Miss them on Days of Our Lives? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)
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Sydney Malekeh Joins the Cast of ‘Days of Our Lives’ in Mystery Role: Who Do You Think She’s Playing?
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