Kevin Spirtas is reprising the role of Dr. Craig Wesley for the first time since the LAST BLAST REUNION on the DOOL App in 2019 and on the network series in 2009. His comeback started with a phone call.
“I was in the car late last summer and I saw Marnie’s [Saitta, casting director] name pop up,” he recalls. “And I immediately knew because they don’t just call me from that casting office unless there’s something going on. I knew people were coming back to the show and we said our hellos and then Marnie said, ‘We’d like to bring you back on the canvas for a while,’ and I said, ‘Great!’ And she said, ‘It’s a great story.’ I mean, why not go back and have some fun? It’s a blessing that the work is still there for so many people and I feel grateful for that.”
Once he arrived at the set, Spirtas was reunited with some familiar faces, including Patrika Darbo (Nancy) and Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe). “We’re like a family,” he smiles. “I got to see a lot of people and got to catch up with a lot of people; however, we were doing it through the veil of Covid-19. We’re not allowed to mingle and not allowed to hang out together. You sit in your room and find a way to rehearse outside of the studio. But we made it work and I loved seeing everybody.”
Spirtas did quickly notice some other changes, as well. “They do so much content in a day,” he says. “That was new to me. I remember having to put the lines in my head years ago, but not this many and not at this rate! It was a new muscle to build, but I loved it. And there were some new faces walking through the makeup room, which was fun to see, as well.”
Of the tale, which is groundbreaking to say the least, Spirtas teases, “It’s a very uncommon story to see in daytime, but not in the world today. What’s so interesting about playing this particular turn in Craig’s life is that it’s not a difficult choice to navigate. What’s amazing to me is that they were able to create this story out of a 30-year relationship between Craig and Nancy. We’ll see Craig moving through this story and showing off his commitment to himself, his peace of mind and his integrity. So that’s something I’ve really gotten to enjoy playing a lot.”
For the actor, to be back as Craig nearly 25 years after creating him is significant. “It’s been a good role; it changed my life,” he sums up. “It changed the trajectory of my life. It brought me into a world of creativity. At the time, I was being acknowledged again after having not worked for so long and I am so appreciative to everyone at DAYS for that. I’m thrilled to be back.”
