What’s the best compliment you can pay an actor, who’s stepping into an old familiar role? You nearly forgot he was a recast. That was definitely the case with Zach Tinker, who debuted as the new Sonny Kiriakis in the Peacock spin-off, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem.
Tinker, who replaced Freddie Smith, had daytime experience under his belt. He previously played Fenmore Baldwin on The Young and the Restless. So he was used to the medium’s fast pace and abundance of dialogue. With those two adjustments off his “to do” list, Tinker was able to totally zero in on the essence of Sonny Kiriakis, and he did so with simplistic ease.
Tinker’s opening scenes as a man wrongly believing his husband was cheating on him were poignant and real. You could feel Sonny’s deep disappointment in Will Horton (Chandler Massey) while relating to his anger and jealousy. Tinker totally captured Sonny’s insecurity and vulnerability, and, above all, heartache.
Later, upon following Will and coming face-to-face with the sleazy Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart), Tinker was spot on depicting Sonny’s shock and repulsiveness, while doling out sarcasm like a pro. Ultimately, learning it was all a huge mistake — Will was on an assignment and Leo was simply his informant – Tinker’s reaction was perfectly contrite. His initial scenes with Massey were strong and solid. It was as if the two actors had been working together for years.
Tinker and Massey continued to connect throughout the mini-series, their chemistry growing more palpable along the way. With every scene, they cemented their status as a revamped supercouple.
Tinker deserves a large chunk of the credit, having joined DAYS in a pivotal role and quickly making it his own. He mastered everything from love to anger to comedy in his short but sweet Beyond Salem debut. In the process Days our Lives has scored big with their Sonny recast, and Zach Tinker has won over fans.
Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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