DAYS Exclusive: Galen Gering’s Arnold Throws ‘A Big Wrench’ Into Rafe’s Life

Identity Heft: Arnold (Galen Gering, r.) has assumed Rafe’s life again with an assist from EJ (Dan Feuerriegel).

While Rafe is being held hostage in the DiMera mansion’s secret room, Arnold has assumed his lookalike’s life, attempting to fool his fiancée, Jada, and the rest of the Hernandez family on Days of our Lives. Galen Gering, who’s been doing double duty as the two characters, weighed in to Soap Opera Digest about the assignment and what Arnold’s infiltration into Rafe and Jada’s lives means for the happily engaged couple.

Soap Opera Digest: This takeover was set in motion after Rafe and Arnold came face to face. Were there any challenges filming those scenes?

Galen Gering: It was kind of weird, because you have to actually recreate what the double does. If the double has some sort of physical mannerism, you have to match that if it’s in the frame [of the camera shot]. And it’s definitely weird having to double do your lines. It’s also funny to be in a situation, especially there where we’re working so quickly, to actually be doing both sides of a scene. It’s more like a film concept, where you’re recreating, going back, and doing the scene. We honestly didn’t do a lot of that. I think there was maybe just that one particular run-in. The rest of the scenes were separate.

Digest: After that encounter, EJ stashed Rafe in the secret room and Arnold began impersonating Rafe. What is it like playing Arnold pretending to be Rafe?

Gering: I will say that Arnold doesn’t do a great job of trying to be Rafe. I kind of made that decision this time around. I’m like, “He doesn’t give a sh*t. He doesn’t care.” He kind of wants to get caught or make EJ feel uncomfortable about the fact that he’s there. Arnold doesn’t want to be there. He wants EJ to be like, “All right, you’re way too much trouble. I’ll pay you to get out of here.” The more Arnold can make EJ uncomfortable, the better.

Digest: One of the people Arnold is trying to fool is Rafe’s fiancée, Jada. What has the dynamic been like between you, as Arnold, and Elia Cantu [Jada]?

Gering: It was fun. She was a little tortured by it, I’m sure. And Jada was like, wait, “Why are you acting like this?” And then somebody would say, “Remember, he was in a coma…” Elia was a good sport about it, but there wasn’t that much of a difference [working with] her.

Digest: Arnold’s first act as Rafe is accepting Chanel and Johnny’s invitation to the New Year’s Eve party at the DiMera mansion much to Jada’s chagrin. Yet he seems to get out of situations like this in his usual Arnold way.

Gering: That’s what Arnold does. He just says something like, “Come on, it’ll be fun. I want to see Johnny.” When something comes up, he just colossally brushes Jada off in a matter-of-fact fashion. He’s like, “Relax. Everything’s fine.” Trying not to make it a big deal.

Digest: Meanwhile, Rafe and Jada are engaged and planning their wedding. How is Arnold’s Rafe going to affect that?

Gering: Arnold definitely throws a wrench in that. A big wrench. That’s one of the first things he does.

Digest: Do you think it was time for the couple to face some adversity? After all, they’ve been happy for a pretty long time.

Gering: That’s basically how it works in the landscape [of daytime], isn’t it? Once you get happy, they’ve got to mix it up.

Digest: How do you feel about Arnold jeopardizing the first healthy relationship Rafe has had in a long time?

Gering: I thought that it would be fun to do no matter what. Obviously in the end Rafe and Jada can figure things out based on what’s happened. They can work things out in spite of all the ups and downs. So I didn’t see it as something that was necessarily terminal with regards to their relationship.