Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf: “Jen Lilley Leaving Is a Loss to Our Show”

Actress Jen Lilley exits Days of Our Lives as Theresa Donovan on Friday, November 18, and her leading man Eric Martsolf (Brady) believes her departure will leave a huge void in Salem.

“Jen leaving is a loss to the show,” says Martsolf. “She’s adorable, and nobody in the building works harder than she does. Jen just loves the industry. When she throws herself into a job, she takes everything and tosses it in the basket. She did a really great job with her last scenes.”

Theresa’s Tears
Those scenes, which facilitate Theresa’s exit from Salem, are highly emotional.
 

“I think the fans are really going to enjoy what Jen brings to the canvas… It’s intense,” promises Martsolf, noting that Lilley definitely rises to the occasion. “She has those big doe eyes. When they fill up with tears, pools of water come out of them,” says the actor. “You can’t help but get drawn in. I miss those eyes a lot.”

Never Can Say Goodbye
Those scenes, of course, were taped some six months earlier, due to DAYS’ advance schedule, after which Lilley departed the show’s studios for what seems like the final time.

Martsolf still remembers…continue reading on the next page —>

Continue reading on the next page…

Never Can Say Goodbye
Those scenes, of course, were taped some six months earlier, due to DAYS’ advance schedule, after which Lilley departed the show’s studios for what seems like the final time. Martsolf still remembers her last day, and his final words to his leading lady, which were accompanied by “a big hug.”

“I never say goodbye in the soap world,” shares Martsolf. “I always say, ‘Aloha… Until we meet again.’ Because there’s always that possibility. I’m a big fan of that revolving door in the daytime genre. Maybe that stems from growing up on Passions where people would come back to life the next week. I never sweated those words in the script — Oh! They’re gone. Or, Oh! They died. Because I knew they would come back, sooner or later.

Life Goes On
As for working without Lilley since that day, Martsolf explains that it’s pretty much been “business as usual. Whenever someone leaves, you feel the loss. You feel the void, but then the void is filled. It’s just how it’s done. It’s part of the way we have to work. As actors, we can’t dwell on the people that are leaving.

“We have to dwell on the possibilities that open up as a result of those departures and where can your character go from here,” continues Martsolf. “How do we make it interesting? How do we make it fun for the audience? Because they’re going to be sorrowful that their beloved character is gone. How we get through that journey is what makes it interesting for me.”

 

DAYS airs weekdays on NBC. Share your thoughts, leave a comment in the section below. Win exclusive member-only Days of our Lives spoilers, prizes, and more: sign up here!