John Oliver did not come to Salem looking for a polite little cameo. When the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver host landed a guest stint on Days of Our Lives as the wonderfully named Devlin St. John, he apparently wanted the entire daytime package, right down to the hair and physical altercation. Dan Feuerriegel revealed that Oliver arrived ready to embrace every marvelously excessive soap tradition the show could throw at him.
Key Takeaways
- John Oliver wanted the full soap experience, including a wig, an outrageous name, and a slap.
- Dan Feuerriegel confirmed that both he and Oliver got to slap each other.
- Feuerriegel said Oliver’s Devlin St. John was an intellectual match for EJ.
- Oliver impressed Feuerriegel with how prepared and professional he was despite the heavy dialogue.
- Feuerriegel was most surprised by Oliver’s height when they met in person.
Dan Feuerriegel Says John Oliver Wanted the Full DAYS Experience
Feuerriegel (EJ) spoke to Soaps about working opposite Oliver (Devlin St. John) after the comedian publicly asked for a daytime role. According to the EJ actor, Oliver did not have a modest wish list once DAYS made it happen. “He wanted the whole thing. From my recollection, he wanted a wig. He wanted a ridiculous name, and he wanted to slap or be slapped,” the soap star shared.
Fortunately, Salem was happy to accommodate him. Feuerriegel confirmed that Oliver got the physical confrontation he requested, saying, “We did all the things. Everything you would think cliché in a soap, we did. I got slapped. I slapped.” Apparently Devlin St. John did not need much time before learning Salem’s preferred method of conflict resolution.
Oliver also proved capable of matching EJ where it mattered. Feuerriegel said, “So, I think intellectually, absolutely. Devlin St. John was a match for EJ, but EJ was sick.” That gave Oliver’s character a slight advantage, although going toe-to-toe with EJ DiMera under any circumstances is hardly beginner-level soap work.
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John Oliver Impressed Dan Feuerriegel Behind the Scenes
The appearance required DAYS to make room for Oliver in episodes that were already filmed, no small feat for a show that works so far ahead. Once he arrived, Feuerriegel found Oliver ready for the workload. He praised him for handling a huge amount of dialogue while remaining warm, friendly, and thoroughly professional.
What caught Feuerriegel off guard had nothing to do with Oliver’s performance. It was simply his height. “When I saw him in person, when I first met him, he had the wig on. So it was kind of like a character of John Oliver.”
Seeing him without the costume finally made the whole thing register. Feuerriegel recalled realizing, “Oh, that’s John.” By then, Oliver had already secured the ridiculous name, the wig, the dialogue, and the slap, which is a fairly efficient way to earn honorary Salem citizenship.
