Alison Sweeney On DAYS Return As Sami: ‘I Felt Such A Responsibility’
Alison Sweeney on the DAYS set with Carson Boatman (Johnny, c.) and Dan Feuerriegel (EJ).
Fan fave Alison Sweeney is heading back to Days of Our Lives as Sami Brady, and her return is poised to kick off next week — on April 10, to be exact. In a new inteview with TV Insider, the star opened up about the dramatic twists in store for her character.
Going Home Again
A cast member from 1993-2014, Sweeney has made multiple return trips to Salem since first exiting the show, but hasn’t appeared since 2022. Sami’s comeback is instigated by the recent shooting of her ex-husband, EJ DiMera (someone she just so happens to have shot in the past!). EJ’s fragile health isn’t the only drama Sami will be reckoning with, given that her sister, Belle, has been sleeping with EJ — and that Johnny, Sami and EJ’s son, has recently learned that he was conceived via EJ’s 2006 rape of Sami.
Sweeney shared with the outlet that DAYS’s decision to mine the long-ago story of Johnny’s conception for a new wave of storyline “definitely caught me off-guard, adding that she liked the idea, it just hadn’t occurred to her that Johnny had yet to find out the truth. When Sami and Johnny come face to face, they will discuss the painful topic of the rape. “I felt such a responsibility to honor the storyline,” Sweeney said of the decades-in-the-making mother/son conversation. “I worked really hard on the material and worked with the writers about the material.”
Sami also gets a crash course in just how deeply involved Belle has become with EJ. “She’s not surprised, but she’s upset,” is how Sweeney described Sami’s reaction, noting, “Sami does think that EJ is with Belle just to piss off Sami — and it does.”
Expect to see Sami interact with another returning star — Louise Sorel, who will be back as Vivian — and her ex-husband Rafe, as well. Sweeney teased that their encounter is “a treat for the Sami and Rafe fans” and gushed, “Working with Galen [Gering, Rafe] is such a blast; I really enjoy that.”
Even though 11 years have passed since Sweeney made the decision to step away from the show as a full-time cast member, the actress said she is always delighted when DAYS asks her back. She marveled, “I didn’t really imagine how fun it would be and how creative they could get building whole moments for me in these short little returns. That really brings me a lot of joy, and it’s fun to play.”
Are you glad that Sami is back in Salem? Let us know in the comments below!
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