Exclusive: Casey Moss Dishes About His Return To Days Of Our Lives As JJ Deveraux

Family Reunion: Billy Flynn (Chad, l.) was one of the people Casey Moss (JJ) was happiest to see again on the DAYS set.

Casey Moss returns to Days of our Lives for a special occasion and assignment on October 17: His character, JJ Deveraux, is set to officiate Chad and “Abigail’s” wedding in Paris.

Happy DAYS Are Here Again

“It’s been absolutely amazing… a blessing to say the least,” says Moss of his Salem comeback. He originally played JJ from 2013 to 2020 and last appeared on the show in 2022, when JJ attended his sister Abigail’s funeral. Muses the actor, “It’s interesting, because I kind of grew up on that set. I think I booked the show at like 18, maybe going on 19 years old, and I was on it until I was about 26 or 27. So coming back is like visiting family. It’s been very special.”

The upcoming wedding, not so much. Viewers know that it’s all a scam: “Abigail” isn’t really JJ’s miraculously resurrected sister, but rather a woman forced into posing as Abigail by Clyde Weston. Yet, JJ’s instincts don’t seem to relay that things are seriously amiss.

“The soap world is definitely different from the real world,” notes Moss. “So I didn’t necessarily go about my choices as if I was living in the reality that we live in. I went about it like [JJ was feeling] warm and fuzzy [toward ‘Abigail’], but also a little bit skeptical, but also weirded out, but also that these are kind of how things go in this reality that we’re portraying. The main feeling that overcame all the hesitancy was probably just JJ going, ‘Well, I think I have my sister again.’ That’s kind of the way JJ is. He really leads with his heart and doesn’t necessarily think about logistics when it comes to family.”

One on-screen family member that Moss was happy to share the screen with is his DAYS brother-in-law, Billy Flynn (Chad). “I’ve always loved working with him,” shares Moss. “He’s a great actor and always on his game. He and I never have a slip-up. He’s easy to connect with. He definitely makes you listen. He does things that aren’t predictable on the page. I feel like when you work with the actor like that, it sets an anchor in the scene.”

Moss’s return stint at DAYS was set in motion by Casting Director Marnie Saitta. “I got a text from her saying, ‘Hey, would you like to come back for a few episodes?’ ” recounts Moss, whose response was a quick yes. “I was stoked to come back. And that was eight, nine months ago [as the show tapes many months in advance]. All I can say is that I’m very grateful to be doing what I love every day for however long that lasts. Time will tell. It’s been absolutely great. It’s been kind of arc after arc after arc.”

As for what the JJ fans will see when the character resurfaces this week, Moss sums him up quite succinctly. “He’s become a man,” says the actor. “When you go through trials as a person, you start to become more accustomed to things not going your way. It’s very similar to what I experienced in real life. So I kind of brought that to the table, because I know JJ throughout his teen years was kind of affected by everything. And that’s what kind of led to his [almost] ending [his life] with that big episode back in 2017. When you go through such heartache and such loss, it can either bury you or you can harden from it. So what the fans will see with JJ is he’s just a much more hardened individual, and he’s actually using his brain. He’s smart, and I really appreciate the writers’ support in that.”

During his years away from the soap, Moss has kept busy with different gigs in the entertainment industry. “I’ve been doing a lot of behind the camera work for different productions around L.A.,” he explains. “I’ve actually been a site rep with a few different big movies, which is basically a liaison between production and the site that they’re filming at. I’ve also been a part of maybe six or seven short films. I’ve acted in them and produced quite a few. I’m also trying to get a production company up and going. What we’re doing right now is basically developing a really colorful business card. So say you have seven or eight shorts and all these different kinds of dramas, then you can actually go to people, whether it be in distribution or certain types of producers, and go, ‘Look, this is what we can do on this budget to make a short film. We can do it for little to no money, but also create a really good product.’ ”

For Moss, continuing to work in the medium he loves has been a true godsend. “I don’t have a bad thing to say about working in the entertainment industry, when you’re working,” he proclaims. “When you’re not working is when it gets frustrating. As long as you are working and as long as you’ve got your hand in some sort of pot, it feels like you’re moving things forward.”

Meanwhile, on the personal front, Moss is still happily engaged to former DAYS co-star True O’Brien (ex-Paige Larson), who he met on the set back in 2014 and proposed to in 2022. “We’ve been together for a decade,” beams Moss, admitting that he prefers to spend time with his fiancée to the Hollywood nightlife scene. “I just hang out with the love of my life. We’re very tight, and we have a tight-knit friend group. It’s funny, once you start getting older and people have kids. The going out and partying days are over.”

Moss and O’Brien prefer to focus on each other and their careers. “True actually just did a movie in Canada,” reports Moss. “She booked the lead in a little rom-com called Sweet on You. So she’s been working. We’ve both been working, and, you know, working as an actor doesn’t always come. So you’ve got to try to move and pivot and network… Keep it moving forward.”

While Moss continues to move forward, he’d definitely welcome taking a step back should DAYS ever call and request his return to the show full-time. “Absolutely. I’d love to be there,” says Moss. “That set really warms my heart, and you can’t say that about every production. I’ve been lucky on the productions that I’ve worked to be able to make some really good friends, but there’s something just special about DAYS. When I walked on the set my first day back, just about every director and producer and people that I’ve worked with in the past said, ‘Welcome home.’ That’s super-special.”