Ed Marinaro (BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE, HILL STREET BLUES, SISTERS) makes his daytime debut as DAYS OF OUR LIVES’s Leo on Jan. 7. The actor talks about working in daytime after a long career in prime time.
Soap Opera Weekly: How did the role of Leo come up?
Ed Marinaro: My agent called and said I had an offer to do it. It was the last thing I expected. I thought about it, and there was absolutely no downside to doing it. I haven’t really talked to anybody about it, so I’m just guessing, but I think all those folks from DAYS were following Darin Brooks (ex-Max) on BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE, and when the role of Leo came around, they said, “Hey, what about Ed Marinaro?”
Weekly: How is Darin Brooks?
Marinaro: He’s great. Darin’s a very talented guy, hard-working and focused on what he’s doing.
Weekly: What was your perception of working on a soap before joining DAYS?
Marinaro: Many years ago — I might have been in high school — I was home sick for several days, and I remember watching GENERAL HOSPITAL. In the few days that I watched, I kind of got hooked. They’ve been a staple in our culture forever.
Weekly: Did you know anyone at DAYS before starting on the show?
Marinaro: Kristian Alfonso (Hope) is an old friend of mine. I met her doing charity events. It was nice to say hello to her again.
Weekly: IMDb.com lists EDGE OF NIGHT as one of your credits. Were you ever on EDGE?
Marinaro: That has been in my bio for about 20 years. I don’t know how it got in there. I was never on EDGE OF NIGHT. DAYS is the first soap opera I’ve been on. If I did appear on EDGE, they didn’t pay me!
