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Leo Howard as Tate reunites with Ashley Puzemis’s Holly.
Although a seasoned young actor – he made his television debut at age 7 on MONK, was the lead in the Disney XD series, KICKIN’ IT, and has appeared in the films Conan The Barbarian and G.I. Joe: The Rise of The Cobra – Leo Howard is delving into new territory as DAYS OF OUR LIVES’s Tate Black.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in my life on a set, but never have I been on a soap,” says Howard. “It’s a very new experience. This was a culture shock for me. It took me about two weeks to really settle in and find my groove. It’s a pace that I’ve never experienced before, but I feel like it’s making me a better actor altogether.”
Hired to replace the popular Jamie Martin Mann, who left DAYS to focus on college full-time, Howard went through the usual audition process. Then he was summoned back to test opposite potential leading lady, Ashley Puzemis (Holly).
“I made a point to talk to her and get to know her right before the chemistry read,” recounts Howard. “She’s lovely, and we had a great conversation. It helped us connect a little more so that we were familiar by the time of the read.”
Afterward, Howard exited the studio with no expectations. “I always say the same thing. I just leave it at the door and try not to think about it,” notes Howard. “The way I think about doing my job is, I’m presenting my version [of a character]. It’s sort of like a painter. I’m painting something here, and then you go look at it. So I try to forget about it. But then I got the phone call. DAYS called my reps, and my reps called me, and I was very excited to be a part of this show.”
Within a week, Howard was filming his first scenes. “There’s sort of an adrenaline buzz that happens the first day on any set,” he recalls. “But my goal was to try and make myself feel as comfortable as possible because my best work comes from being relaxed. So there was a buzz for sure, but I was putting a lot of effort into staying relaxed. And I had a good time.”
Fortunately, he had the support of his TV parents, Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Emily O’Brien (Theresa). “Eric was very helpful in the beginning,” contends Howard. “I’ve done a lot of stuff, but I will be the first one to admit when I’m out of my wheelhouse. I came to him the first day and said, ‘Hey man, if I’m doing anything that’s not right for the tone of this, please come up to me. Feel free to talk to me about it, because I’m trying to learn it.’ He was lovely. He gave me the spiel of how things are done on this set, and it helped me settle in much quicker. Eric’s awesome, and I love working with him.”
O’Brien did her part too, simply by playing his mom so convincingly. “She filled those shoes very well,” says Howard. “It felt so easy to fall into [a relationship] with her. I’m a little bit older than Tate is. So it helped me settle into the teenage dynamic because she was very motherly. As actors, it’s not a one-man show. It takes multiple people to find the chemistry and dynamic. The combination of Emily and Eric on set really helped me find Tate.”
Playing the teen has been an interesting experience for Howard. “It’s fun because I can give myself permission to be immature,” he delivers with a laugh. “As a teenager, everything is a little more serious. The stakes are a little higher. Things that are very small things as adults are very large because we don’t have any perspective as teenagers. We don’t know what it’s like to not be a teenager. And we have hormones pumping through our bodies that make us angsty and a little spicy. So that’s really fun for me to play.”
Howard hasn’t given much thought to replacing another actor as Tate. In fact, he admits, “I forget sometimes. I mean, historically on soaps, this is a thing that happens. People are very opinionated about it, but I don’t have any control over what they think,” rationalizes Howard. “All I can do is present my version of who this character is and, like I said, kind of leave it at the door. I try to do the best job I can do [and deliver] the most accurate portrayal. Obviously, it is kind of intimidating, because when people like a certain character, I’m the kind of new guy that people just want to hate. But I’m all right with that.”
In the interim, Howard is committed to giving his all to Tate, a character he describes as “a really good dude. Tate really tries to do the right thing, and he always tries to not hurt anyone, which is a very admirable quality,” declares Howard. “He’s a very chivalrous, kind young man. I’m proud of him, and I like him.”
Howard also enjoys portraying the blossoming young romance between Tate and Holly, which takes him back to his own teen years. “I remember trying to date, not being allowed to, and trying to sneak dates,” remembers Howard. “Anyone who’s experienced that can relate to the buzz and the excitement of it all. You can’t wait to see the person. You’re sneaking around and maybe lying sometimes and getting caught.”
In real life, Howard’s love life is a lot less complicated. He proposed to actress Natasha Hall, who recently filled in for Jessica Serfaty as DAYS’s Sloan, last July. “That was three-and-a-half years into our relationship,” he says. “We’ve been together over four now. It’s really exciting [being engaged] because I spent my life wondering, ‘Who am I going to marry?’ Now here she is.”
The couple plan to wed this September. “The other day I was like, ‘Wow, it’s five months away.’ Five months. That’s crazy to me,” gushes Howard, noting that the nuptials will take place in his native California. “We’re going to elope up in Big Sur. I am so over the moon about it. It’s very surreal.”
