Days of our Lives

Rating the Replacement: Is Cady McClain’s Jennifer Working on DAYS?

Published by

Janet Di Lauro

3 years ago

Cady McClain stepping into Melissa Reeves’ shoes as Jennifer Horton Deveraux on Days of our Lives, a role she debuted back in 1985, could have been daunting for many an actress.

Cady McClain As Jennifer

Fortunately, the soap found someone who could handle the assignment with ease: daytime veteran, Cady McClain.

Emergency Recast
After Reeves opted not to commute from Tennessee to DAYS’ California studios due to the on-going pandemic, fans were understandably concerned. Could anyone, would anyone ever be able to embody the Jennifer they knew and loved off and on for over three decades?

Then the soap announced that they’d secured her replacement, McClain. Having previously appeared on a trio of soaps, and winning Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on two of them – namely, as All My Children’s Dixie and As the World Turns’ Rosanna, McClain had an impressive resume. Plus, there would be no intimidation factor for the actress. She is a refined daytime pro.

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Fitting the Bill
It turns out DAYS has struck gold with the recast. From day one, Cady McClain strongly grabbed hold of the role. She never tried to imitate Reeves’ Jennifer. She simply connected with the words on the page and made them her own.

In the process, her version of the character is different in some ways. It’s a tad quieter and self-contained. But, at the core, she’s grasped the essence of Jen; a do-gooder, who believes in doing what’s right and expects the same back in return.

Making Connections
Helping the process along has been McClain’s instant connection with her TV kids, Marci Miller (Abigail) and Casey Moss (JJ). From the moment they shared their first scene together, they were family. And while she lacks the years of acting shorthand that Reeves shared with Matthew Ashford (Jack), McClain is slowly building her own rapport and relationship with her onscreen husband, not to mention the rest of the DAYS cast.

Tasked with a tough job, Cady McClain has come up golden. And you can credit it to her strong reserve, determination, and talent. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.