DAYS Exclusive: Cherie Jimenez on Gabi’s ‘Spiral Into Revenge Mode’

Best Served Cold: Cherie Jimenez’s Gabi is out for revenge against EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) on DAYS.

Gabi Hernandez takes justice into her own hands and confronts her former fling, EJ DiMera, with a gun, determined to make him tell her where Rafe is and make him pay for abducting him and switching her brother with Arnold. It’s not the first time the fiery Days of Our Lives character has reacted rashly and dangerously. (Remember, she killed Nick Fallon back in 2014 and served time for his murder.) Actress Cherie Jimenez weighs in on what led her character to take such drastic action, her worries about her character heading back to prison and more to Soap Opera Digest.

 

Soap Opera Digest: What prompts Gabi to return to the DiMera mansion with a gun?

Cherie Jimenez: Once Gabi realizes that everything is a lie, that an impostor [took Rafe’s place] and that EJ had something to do with it, it brings out that “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” against him. It brings out some fire, some anger. This situation just sends her over the edge and really has her spiral into revenge mode. Her showing up at his house with a gun is going to create chaos, as well. It’s going to spiral into a set of circumstances and it’s going to create a situation where Gabi’s going to be put in a really interesting position as far as where everything leads.

Digest: As longtime viewers know, Gabi has killed before. When you see this turn in the script do you start worrying that your character could be heading back to prison?

Jimenez: Anytime I see something where I’m in a situation where somebody’s being kidnapped, someone’s dying, something’s happening and I’m involved, I’m always like, “Oh God. Please don’t send me back to jail!” But at the same time, EJ has to pay for what he’s done, because everything is going to seem as if it’s being swept under the rug and going back to life as usual, and Gabi doesn’t understand why that’s the case. Also, it’s very personal to her, because Rafe is her brother. So I don’t put anything past Gabi. I also stay out of Gabi’s way.

Digest: Working with a gun can be tricky. Have you ever handled one before?

Jimenez: Yes. Actually, I played a guard in a short film called Bad Sons, which, funny enough, Linsey’s [Godfrey, Sarah] boyfriend, Kevin Ryan, was also in. It’s an end-of-the-world apocalyptic film that was really well done and beautifully shot. I played somebody who had no problem taking a gun and using it, if she had to. So thankfully, because of that, and also taking stage combat in college, I understood [how to use the gun].

Digest: Was there any special prep work involved for that scene between Gabi and EJ?

Jimenez: The gun safety [people] were so on it. Anytime a gun appears [on set] they make sure that every person in the scene, whether they’re holding it or not, sees that the barrel is empty. I always get well acquainted, as well, when I have to work with a gun to make sure that I’m holding it correctly. I don’t want to be holding it recklessly.

Digest: How did you think the scene played out between you and Dan Feuerriegel (EJ)?

Jimenez: I really love working with Dan. He’s such a great actor and very present. We just play really well as far as EJ and Gabi are concerned. With the relationship that they’ve had from the beginning – they got close, now they’re not again – there’s always been a really wonderful chemistry there. So Dan and I just have fun and go for it.

Digest: Of course, JJ comes to Gabi’s rescue, bursting into the DiMera mansion with news that Rafe is okay. Do you think Gabi was happy to see him or annoyed that he got in the way of her revenge plot?

Jimenez: She’s caught off guard, because in that moment when he walks in, there was a part of her that was ready to pull the trigger. So, of course, there probably is a sense of relief, because he stops her. But, at the same time, there also isn’t, because she’s there demanding answers and EJ is not giving her what she wants. So, basically, JJ coming in may have ruined any chance of her finding out any more information about what EJ did to Rafe. However, because JJ comes in with [the news] that Rafe has been found, she lowers her gun knowing that if she did shoot EJ she would probably go back to prison.