DAYS Taps Disney Channel Alum Peyton Meyer As Doug Williams III
There’s a new face on the Salem scene starting next week: Peyton Meyer will be making his Days of Our Lives debut as Doug Williams III, grandson of the late Doug Williams (Bill Hayes).
Timing Is Everything
The actor is best-known to TV audiences for starring opposite chart-topping pop star Sabrina Carpenter on Girl Meets World, where he played Lucas Friar, or his previous Disney Channel series, Dog With A Blog. He also appeared in Netflix’s He’s All That and had a recurring role as Trip on ABC’s American Housewife.
In an interview with TV Insider, Meyer explained that in recent years, he had taken a break from acting and relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, but after deciding he wanted to resume his acting career and moving in with some buddies in L.A., and a mere four days later, he booked his new DAYS gig. He told the publication, “it worked out perfectly; the timing was unbelievable.”
He’ll be playing a character who is not only named after Doug, but will be reminiscent of what the late Doug Williams was like when he was himself new to the canvas back in 1970. While the original Doug Williams evolved into a devoted family man, he was a con man in his early days. In his chat with TV Insider, Meyer noted, “When we first meet Doug, he’s a mischievous guy…. No matter where he goes, chaos comes with him.”
Meyer has had a blast at DAYS thus far, calling his time on the show “one of the best experiences I’ve had in my career.” But his first day at DAYS was especially memorable, for not only was it the show’s milestone 15,000th episode, but the action revolved around the memorial for his character’s grandfather, and the mood was somber, given that the cast was saying good-bye not only to a fictional character, but to his beloved portrayer, Bill Hayes, who had passed away in January. He recalled to TV Insider, “When I got on set, it was really down. The energy was really low and I had no idea what was going on.” After he shot his first scenes, though, a crew member explained the real-life significance of what was being filmed and praised him for bringing a positive energy to the set.
The actor has already become a huge fan of the actress who plays his character’s step-grandmother, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Hayes’s real-life widow, noting that watching her work “so effortlessly” under such difficult and emotional circumstances “was something that I’ll carry with me forever. She was so professional.”
Meyer’s DAYS debut will take place on Tuesday, December 3.
Here Comes The (Grand)son: Meyer as Doug opposite Bryan R. Dattilo as Lucas and Susan Seaforth Hayes as Julie.
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