Playing the man everybody hates isn’t easy, but Days of Our Lives‘ Dan Feuerriegel makes it look easy. His EJ DiMera is dastardly, devilish, and devious. In April, EJ learned his actions have consequences when someone entered his home and shot him directly in the chest. Before the shot heard around the town, EJ allegedly made Rachel Blake disappear, he thwarted Belle’s plan to entrap him, and he dealt with the fallout of his son hating the very ground he walks on. And Feuerriegel did it all with depth, strength, and even a sinister smirk.
April 2025 Performer of the Month
The Top Spot
Honestly, Feuerriegel’s EJ DiMera spent much of the month in a coma. But you have to honor an actor who can play a character who smiles his way through kidnapping a rival in favor of letting his doppelganger loose. He feigned ignorance after his sister’s mother suddenly disappeared. And then crumbled in the wake of his son turning on him after finding out what he did to his mother.
And then EJ was shot. Once he emerged from the coma, fans were treated to EJ 2.0, a kinder, gentler version. Feuerriegel’s considerable talents had us wondering if EJ’s about-face was for real, or if it was all an act. We still don’t entirely know. What we do know is that EJ did so much damage, yet he’s not a completely unlovable entity. Belle (Martha Madison) sat by his bedside, declaring his love. And he, in turn, declared his love for her.
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Whenever EJ thinks or talks about Johnny (Carson Boatman), he clearly feels angst over his son hating him. He wants to make it up to him, but how can you wash away such a horrid act? Feuerriegel doesn’t have to say the words; we see the devastation on his face and actions. He is so good at playing his character’s villainous tendencies, but he’s also great at showing the other side of EJ. The side that shows that maybe, buried deep, deep down, he does have a soul.
Most recently, we’ve seen EJ check himself out of the hospital to check out what was on that memory card. He saw his son pointing a gun at him, which Feuerriegel played with fear and concern.
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Feuerriegel also showed that EJ will do anything to prevent people from discovering his feelings. In front of Johnny and Susan (Stacy Haiduk), he didn’t let them see a man in pain. But once he was alone, his body contracted from all the pain he was truly feeling. He should never have checked out of the hospital AMA. That was such a fascinating moment in a sea of captivating moments, Feuerriegel constantly delivers.
This recognition is as much for the incredible job he’s done during this entire “Who Shot EJ” storyline as it is for what he did in April.
