Getting to know DAYS’ Kyle Brandt
Soap Opera Weekly: You’re playing an ex-Marine. How did you escape getting a buzz haircut?
Kyle Brandt: As soon as I joined the show I said, ‘OK, when do I get sheared?’ But [the producers] told me that they wanted to make it look like I’d been off for a little while, so [my hair] grew out. So instead of getting sheared I got highlighted. I’ve never had highlights in my hair — ever! If they wanted me to get bright green highlights, I would have done it.Weekly: You’ve been doing a lot of I Spy stuff since you started. What has that been like?
Brandt: It’s awesome. I love my plot line, because it’s not just sitting around having conversations with a few people or just being with a girl. I’m dealing with weapons, machine guns, scuba equipment and spy cameras. I love it! Growing up, my favorite thing to do was playing army and cops and robbers. So this has been really cool.
Weekly: How does being on DAYS compare to The Real World: Chicago?
Brandt: There are massive differences. On Days, I’m under the comfort of a script and a director, and this is what I really enjoy doing. I was like a worm on a hook on reality television. The only similarities I can come up with [about the two shows] are a lot of the theatrics that come out it…a lot of the roller-coaster rides. Other than that it’s completely incomparable.Weekly: Which show do you get recognized from more?
Brandt: It’s a strange amalgam. Some of the audience is crossover. What I had with Real World were a lot of college and high school girls. With DAYS it’s college and high school girls, plus an older crowd and an even younger crowd. DAYS definitely spans a larger audience, which I’m excited about. Any opportunity to reach out to more people is cool.Weekly: Are you a reality TV fan?
Brandt: My biggest guilty pleasure, and I’m not even guilty about it, is American Idol. I am obsessed with it. I watched all the way to the end. I was an ardent Ruben supporter. I have AT&T wireless; we can text message [votes]. You know how Ryan Seacrest was always like, “Type the word ‘vote’ in.” I did it every week.Weekly: What were you doing before Real World and DAYS?
Brandt: I was in college. I went to Princeton University. My major was English and theater. I graduated two years ago. All through college I also played football — I was a running back — and did lots of theater. I had decided my senior year of high school that I was going to be an actor. That’s finally come to fruition.Weekly: Who in your life has influenced you the most?
Brandt: Definitely my parents (Robert Brandt and Georgia Goldberg). They are amazingly supportive. A lot of parents wouldn’t be psyched about their kid going to college and then going off to become an actor. My parents have always been unbelievably in favor of it.Weekly: Do you have a lot of family and friends who have become ardent DAYS fans?
Brandt: Everyone has DAYS T-shirts and coffee mugs, and they’re all watching and TiVo-ing the show. They’re all excited. I’m definitely going to be giving some tours of Salem in the next couple of months. All of my female friends from high school and college, who have always watched DAYS, are like, ‘Oh, my God! I can’t believe you get to do scenes with Lucas, and you’re Victor’s son.’ Their reaction has been great.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.