Already have an account?
Get back to the

Jay Kenneth Johnson's Five Greatest DAYS OF OUR LIVES Moments

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Jay Kenneth Johnson took over the role of DAYS OF OUR LIVES’s Philip Kiriakis. Philip started out as a spoiled, rich high school kid, but ultimately emerged into a smooth, suave ladies’ man with a serious head for business. Johnson reflects on his fondest memories from his years in the Salem fold.WHEN PHILIP MET STEFANO
“There were so many little things I remember about starting out on the show, like learning all the ins and outs of the business. But [this is] what stands out most about my first day on the show: I was walking down the hallway. I’d watched DAYS before. I remember Joe Mascolo (Stefano) was walking toward me. I was kind of frightened (laughs). He said, ‘Hello. Hello, Jay. How are you doing?’ I think I was actually hugging the wall, until he walked away. I thought he was going to hurt me.”
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
“The first Last Blast Dance, when Philip had blood spilled all over him, definitely stands out. I was covered in corn syrup for about 12 hours that day. Pure sugar. So I was all sticky and uncomfortable. I probably wouldn’t sit in corn syrup for 12 hours now, but at the time, I was so new on the show. I didn’t say anything. I remember trying to take a nap. I put my hand under my head, and it just stuck there. It was pretty bad.”
WET AND WILD
“We had a location shoot in Catalina one summer. I remember Jason Cook (ex-Shawn; now Matt, GENERAL HOSPITAL) was like a fish in the water. Everybody was diving in and going to the bottom of the ocean. But I was fighting it the whole time, and only getting about 3 feet underwater. I was like, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ The whole shoot was very bad for my self-esteem. [I then found] out everyone else had weights on them. I guess when you’re diving, you have to have weights on your belt. But they had forgotten to give me any.”
COVER BOY
“I remember when Days used to be on the cover of Soap Opera Weekly all the time. Maybe we can revisit that or something (laughs)? It was just fun. It was obviously a special time. Something was working and people were really responding to the show. They were divided over Broe (Brady and Chloe) and Phloe (Philip and Chloe). I have great memories of all that.”
DÉJÀ VU
“Coming back to Days as Philip (in 2006) was another day I’ll never forget. I was driving back onto the lot and taking it all in. There was that memory of, ‘I used to do this every day.’ It brought back memories of so many things — all the people I’d worked with at Days, all the girls Philip has slept with over the years….”

Comments