Chad DiMera has come a long way since his introduction to Salem as EJ’s cocky little brother, and so, too, has his portrayer, Billy Flynn. His eight years on the show — 2014-19, 2020-present — have been a learning experience and lesson in contrasts, while Flynn himself has undergone a personal maturation.
“My first run, I was younger and definitely filled with a lot more fear about performance,” reflects Flynn. “I didn’t really understand myself or how I worked very well. I kind of acted based on my raw talent. I was very hard on myself to get to places emotionally. I would beat myself up for scenes I didn’t think went well, and I was also constantly afraid of losing my job.”
Flynn admits there was “a flip side” to his tentative younger self. “I was filled with a lot more ego,” he says. “When I came in, EJ and Sami were on their way out. I didn’t really know the soap world. You come in and Chad and Abigail take off. You just assume that you’re part of this huge couple. There’s never been a couple like this before. You don’t realize, ‘Oh, this is what the show is like. There was one before you, there was one before that, and there will be one after you.’ ”
Eventually, that reality set in, as Flynn “made a lot of life changes. I grew up a lot. Hopefully, I’m a little bit more humble, a little bit more experienced on how I do the work,” he notes. “I have an understanding that, ultimately, it’s not my show. It’s important to know who my character is and what he’s about, but it’s not my character. It’s the show’s character. The story is what it is, and I’m not going to always be happy with it. The first time I was more vocal about story and stuff. Now it’s just, ‘It’s their world, and I’m living in it.’ You learn what the business is. I’m just doing my best to play a character and hold up my end of the bargain. I show up early, say my lines, and do what I’m paid to do.”
One thing Flynn has mastered is incorporating himself into his DAYS alter ego. “In the beginning, I tried to play my idea of what [the writers] wanted Chad to be,” he explains. “Over the years, I’ve let who I am run more who Chad is. I think that’s where the sense of humor comes from. Chad’s an incredibly emotional character, and I’m an emotional person. When Chad gets sad, it’s because the scene makes me sad.
“There was a scene I shot with Marci [Miller] before Abigail left for Boston,” Flynn continues. “It didn’t necessarily have to be an emotional thing. But I’m such a fan of love stories, like The Notebook and old romance movies, that the idea of accepting that somebody needs to go because it’s better for both of you was an incredibly sad thing to me. And I’ve lived through it.”
Flynn’s embraced the “Chabby” relationship from the get-go. “The way they introduced Chad and had Abigail save him from his family, it was Shakespearean in how that whole story was told,” points out Flynn. “To me, it’s the last couple I’ve been a part of that truly had a slow build. I was on the canvas six months before they even had their first kiss. You need that. Also, the characters didn’t have to change. They fell in love with who they [each] were. They faced everything they possibly could together. Things were always being upped. They haven’t had that in a while, but they were built as a classic couple.”
Of course, the unusual thing about the coupling is that it’s continued to thrive despite the soap repeatedly alternating between Kate Mansi and Marci Miller in the role of Abigail. “It’s not surprising, because both actresses are amazing,” contends Flynn. “They both bring a different energy, and I work really well with both of them. For one reason or another, I just got lucky.”
However, truth be told, Flynn isn’t exactly keen on the constant swapping. “In the beginning, my take on it was that it was interesting, because the fans had somebody they knew and were comfortable with,” shares Flynn, who’s since gotten to the point of, “How how many times can you do it? For me, as an actor, I just wanted to stick with one, because you want to build some story. It’s hard to do that when they’re both popping in and out. They’re different actors, and they’re going to be written differently. So you can’t really plan for Chad and Abigail when you don’t know what’s going to be happening with that character.”
Nevertheless, Flynn’s fondest memories from his tenure on DAYS all center around his Salem soul mate. “They told some really good story with Chad and Abigail,” recounts Flynn. “The entire run of the Chad/Abigail/Ben stuff was great, too. They actually took the time to tell the story; the buildup and downfall of Ben and all the stuff that Chad and Abigail had to overcome. It was a huge story arc that was told really well. Everything is a lot faster now.”
Throughout it all, Flynn’s forged a strong friendship with current Abigail, Miller. In fact, Miller, who recently welcomed her first child, has shared words of wisdom with expectant parents Flynn and his wife, Gina. “That’s been great,” says Flynn. “I love Marci. Gina and I both love Marci. She’s a forever friend. She has helped in a lot of ways and given us advice about what to expect, sleeping, things you need, things you don’t need…. Just knowing that she’s there, no matter what, means a ton to us.”
The prospect of becoming a father has been all-consuming for Flynn. “I feel all of the emotions. I’m very excited. I’m very nervous,” he confides. “It’s going to change every fiber of my being. Things that were important before won’t be important any more. Since I found out Gina was pregnant, I knew [becoming a father] was going to be the most special thing that I’ve ever done.”
Flynn plans on being a hands-on dad, right down to the diaper-changing. “I would hope any father would want to be as involved as he possibly can,” he enthuses. “I grew up around a lot of babies. There are certain things I feel pretty comfortable with and other things I know will be a lot different than what I expect them to be.”
When it comes to parenting, Flynn anticipates that he and his wife will operate in accord. “I’m sure we’ll have different strengths and different weaknesses,” he concedes. “But, ultimately, we’ll have similar philosophies on how we want to raise our child and the ideals that we’ll instill in him. We’ll want, especially if it’s a son, for him to be kind, empathetic and caring. Strong in the right ways and soft in other ways … respectful and present. All the things that are very important to us. The world could use strong, kind men.”
Just The Facts
Birthday: May 29
Hometown: Born and raised in Minneapolis, MN.
School Days: Attended St. Cloud State University, where he earned a degree in Finance and majored in Economics.
Wedded Bliss: He married actress Gina Comparetto on October 1, 2016.
Favorite Food: “Pizza. Classic pizza. Pepperoni and cheese.”
Must-See TV: “I’ve been fascinated with EUPHORIA. The DP, the cinematography and lighting and way they use music and way they tell the story is so interesting. At first I thought I wouldn’t even like it, because it’s about a bunch of crazy high school kids, but how they tell the story is very fascinating.”
Page Turner: “There’s a poet, a philosopher named Kahlil Gibran that I enjoy reading. There’s one book he wrote called The Prophet that’s really good.”
Home Improvement: “We’ve been remodeling our kitchen, so we’ve been ordering out all the time, because we don’t have a place to cook anything in. I’ve got to get back in the gym, because I’ve definitely gained some weight.”
