On Days of our Lives, EJ finds himself in a precarious position. It’s feeling like the entire town is against him…for good reason. At this point, Salem’s residents are more willing to empathize with Gwen and Kristen than with him. But with everything the dastardly DiMera has been up to, it’s only going to get worse. Dan Feuerriegel, who plays EJ, recently talked to Soap Hub about the love-to-hate aspects of EJ and the current state of his character.
Key Takeaways
- Dan Feuerriegel enjoys balancing EJ’s ruthless side with moments of vulnerability.
- EJ and Johnny’s opposing moral compasses could push their relationship to a tipping point.
- EJ’s attraction to Cat stems from the traumatic past they unexpectedly share.
Keeping EJ DiMera Balanced Between Love and Hate
EJ DiMera (Feuerriegel, who praised fans for his recent comic book success) happens to be one of those characters that fans love to hate. But at the same time, they secretly (or not so secretly) root for him. He and Dr. Rolf (Richard Wharton) resurrected Lexie (Nikki Crawford), only to lose her. But not before she asked him to forget his grudge against his sister Kristen (Stacy Haiduk).
He solved the Mrs. Choi (Shi Ne Nielson) lawsuit problem for Holly (Ashley Puzemis). And in the next breath, he planted pills in her bag, framing her as an addict. All so nobody would find out about the DiMera Pharmaceuticals blunder — the arsenic-laced Coriseal that they buried on Smith Island.
Fans routinely root for EJ even when he’s doing his worst. “We are in a, let’s say, nihilistic era, where people love the bad guy,” Feuerriegel says. “They love…oh yeah, keep doing what you’re doing because it creates drama and people want to watch Days of our Lives for drama. They can escape in his craziness.”
It’s a kind of craziness where he can justify the horrible things he does one second. And then the next, he shows remorse, hurt, or another form of vulnerability. For example, he loved Lexie, and seeing his sister fade away has been incredibly hard on him.
“I enjoy when they make EJ balanced. When it’s in one direction, it can get a little repetitive. When it goes in the other direction, you can get the same. So I like a nice mix.”
EJ’s Complicated Relationship with His Son
Aside from the battle over the hospital and the desperation over keeping the tainted Coriseal a secret, one of EJ’s biggest complications is his fragile relationship with Johnny (Carson Boatman). While things have thawed between father and son, Johnny has recently had to do things on his father’s behalf that don’t sit well with him. And he’s already having to answer for his decisions.
“The major conflict between EJ and Johnny is that Johnny is a good soul. He wants to do the right thing always, whereas EJ does not necessarily want to go down that road,” Feuerriegel explains.
Ultimately, EJ likes working on his shady agendas with his son. “EJ wants his son, his flesh and blood, to follow in his footsteps. Johnny doesn’t want to do that. And EJ also knows that Johnny does not necessarily want to go down that road. And so I think that obviously will reach a tipping point. “
EJ’s Fascination with Cat
Another story that’s adding depth to EJ is this romantic dynamic he has with Cat (AnnaLynne McCord). They share a strange past at the Italian hospital where they both recovered from devastating injuries. In the present, the two work together but are also growing closer. The unfortunate thing for EJ is that he has no idea that Cat’s an ISA agent investigating his numerous misdeeds.
“EJ is very attracted to Cat because they both went through something very traumatic,” Feurriegel says. “And while he was healing, she was actually very giving of her time and was basically trying her best to connect to him.”
There’s something about her attempts to connect with him in the hospital that is drawing him to her in the present. “He can’t just shake the idea that they might very well be meant to be together. There’s some pull. Some kind of thing going there.”
Is EJ Trying to Become Stefano?
The Aussie actor doesn’t think that EJ strives to become his father, however. It’s a little more nuanced than that. “Based on everything that I’ve done, I think maybe a part of him would like to be in the same position of power as Stefano, but I think deep down it’s just about a son wanting to make his father proud,” Feuerriegel speculates.
“He wants to not necessarily be in his father’s shadow, but he wants to be by his side,” the Daytime Emmy-nominated actor continues. “I guess it’s the age-old thing of a son wanting his father just to be proud of him.”
