Owen Kent is not a garden-variety villain on Days of our Lives. In 2009, he worked as a gardener, fixated on Stephanie, and eventually kidnapped her, stashing her in a morgue before getting caught. Now he is back, and the timing is not subtle. Stephanie currently has a stalker who has also threatened Alex’s life. Owen has a history. Draw your own conclusions. As Wes Ramsey returns to Salem after 16 years, he is not pretending the character is soft around the edges. In fact, he seems to enjoy that Owen isn’t.
Key Takeaways
- Owen Kent previously kidnapped Stephanie and is now back in Salem as she faces a new stalker threat.
- Wes Ramsey returns to DAYS after 16 years and calls the opportunity a meaningful compliment.
- Ramsey said revisiting Owen’s darkness came easily and embraced pushing the character further.
- He described dark, morally complex roles as the most enjoyable and creatively rewarding work.
Back to Salem, Back to the Shadows
Ramsey spoke with TV Guide about stepping back into Owen’s shoes after more than a decade away. “Being asked to reprise a role that I played 16 years ago is something I’ve never done before,” he said, calling the invitation a gift and a compliment he did not take lightly.
He described walking onto the set as stepping into another era. He remembered standing in the hallway while Alison Sweeney (Sami) showed people what a “tweet” was. Twitter was brand new back then, and Salem felt smaller and simpler.
Reconnecting with Owen, however, did not require much effort. Once Ramsey read the material, he leaned in. “How far can we go? How much fun can we have? How much is too much?” he said. For him, the darkness is not a burden. It is fuel.
The Thrill of the Edge
Ramsey did not describe Owen as a cartoon menace. He talked about tapping into a man who wants to love and be loved, even if that desire curdles into obsession. That tension is where he lives as an actor.
He has played a morally gray character before, most recently on General Hospital as Peter August. The appetite is the same. “As an actor, we love to take risks,” he said, explaining that performers crave roles that sit closer to the edge.
For Ramsey, those edges are where the work gets interesting. The danger is not just the plot. It is psychology. Owen returns with unfinished business, and Ramsey sounds ready to explore every uncomfortable corner of it. In Salem, that rarely ends well.
