Days of Our Lives’ Dan Feuerriegel Explains EJ’s ‘Cheeky’ New Direction — Plus, Why the Character Could Be Looking Different in the Weeks to Come
Thursday, October 7th, 2021
The look and attitude of Salem’s recently returned DiMera is evolving.
When EJ returned to Salem after seven years, he had a new look. That was inevitable due to the role being recast in the form of Dan Feuerriegel. But even since then, his appearance has slowly been evolving on Days of Our Lives, and it sounds like there are more alterations to come. And it’s not just the physical, as the actor hinted at changes already being made to the character.
In a recent podcast interview with Soap Opera Digest, EJ’s current portrayer recounted his first days at Days.
“The first couple of weeks were brutal for me,” he said. “Getting used to the amount of dialog. Getting used to the speed of the show. I was very nervous as well, but Alison [Sweeney, Sami] made me feel awesome.”
After praising his co-star, Feuerriegel recalled taking about two months to settle into the style of the soap. Now that he’s more comfortable in the role, that’s where the changes come in.
More: EJ’s life, loves and misdeeds in photos
Pointing to the “more irreverent” choices he’s been making onscreen, he said, “I’m having a bit more fun, making EJ a little more cheeky or a bit more, bit more of a dick in these situations rather than just the stern kind of grumpy dude.”
If EJ’s quips and barbs during his recent interactions with Lucas, Brady, Chad and Xander are proof, we’d say he’s definitely succeeding.
As for his appearance, a scruffier EJ is emerging and, from the sound of it, it’s a trend that could continue, especially if the native Aussie’s Instagram feed is any indication. Populated with photos of a more bearded look, the actor’s real-life look seems to be bleeding into his reel life.
“How I am now, with the stubble,” he said during the podcast, “that’s how my character looks on the show now. At the moment, I think, he doesn’t have a beard. Or, he’s slowly getting stubble.”
“For some reason, I just hate myself clean-shaven,” he shared. “I’m just not used to it and I don’t really like it.”
More: Could Sami be stranded with other missing Salemites?
The former Spartacus star also indicated a change in physique could be on the way.
Recalling a Days of Our Lives producer’s comment about getting back into his former character’s shape, Feuerriegel, who played warrior Agron in the Starz series, recalled with a laugh, “I was like, ‘Oh man. Oh, no.’ Because he wants me, in some scenes, he probably wants me to get shirtless and be all manly. I’m like, ‘Dude, it takes so long to get to that shape.’”
Noting he shed a few pounds from when he first took over the role of EJ, Feuerriegel, who is refocusing on a workout regiment, said with a laugh, “Maybe next year, I’ll be like in that shape.”
What do you think? Are you ready for a Spartacus-style EJ? Are you enjoying his more “irreverent” tone? Look through our photo gallery below of soap actors who’ve changed their looks and tell us what you want to see for EJ in the comments.
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<p>Well-played, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em>. In the fall of 2021, the show gave Hope sleek bangs, which — if they grew even a smidgen — the character could use as an excuse for not being able to see through dad Deacon and his latest round of How Much Trouble Can One Guy Make.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI (2)
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<p>Do blondes really have more fun? Maxie was about to find out after a trip to the salon left the <em>General Hospital</em> heroine experiencing the most stylish of “brown-outs.”</p>
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<p>When the fan favorite returned to <em>The Young and the Restless</em> after Hilary’s demise, she was given bangs to distinguish her old character from her new one, Amanda. But after a while, everybody kinda seemed to decide, “Eh, they’re twins; so what if they look exactly alike.”</p>
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<p>Whether <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> has Thomas sporting a goatee and longish hair or a baby face and close cut, shirts are optional. And thankfully, the character rarely exercises that option.</p>
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<p>In the spring of 2023, <em>Young & Restless</em> gave Lily a new look that made it all the easier to wash that man (Billy) right outta her hair — and make room for a new one (Daniel).</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI, Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>Aw, they grow up so fast. Just look at the well-coiffed leading man that <em>Bold & Beautiful</em>’s Liam grew into after he bid adieu to not only <em>General Hospital</em> but Dillon’s adorably untamed head of hair.</p>
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<p>In the fall of 2021, the Emmy winner generated a whole new kind of “buzz” with his close-cut new ’do.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI (2)
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<p><em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Lani not only ushered into the world twins — who were, per Salem rules, immediately kidnapped — she reverted to the former look that unbraided her hair and framed her portrayer’s face in a beautifully soft way.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot (2)
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<p>When the Emmy winner who plays Sonny on <em>General Hospital</em> altered his appearance, it was for storyline reasons. Amnesia not only caused “Mike” to forget who he was, it stripped him of any interest in a close shave or Grecian Formula.</p>
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<p>When a 2011<em> Young & Restless</em> storyline necessitated that Sharon go on the lam and hang out with a veterinarian, her blonde-bombshell portrayer went all in, dyeing her hair auburn and making like Dr. Dolittle.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI, Aaron Montgomery/JPI
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<p>Though the <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> dynamo hasn’t altered her image much in all the years that she’s played Steffy, she <em>has</em> lightened up and gone dark now and then — with her hair, that is. (As you can very well see.)</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI, John Paschal/JPI
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<p>There was also that brief period during which the Emmy winner chopped off her trademark long locks and convinced her hair to become the living embodiment of Ricky Martin’s hit, “She Bangs.”</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI, ABC, CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2), Sean Smith/JPI
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<p>Much like the only thing you can predict about the Emmy winner’s performances — whether as Carly on <em>As the World Turns</em>, Diane on <em>The Young and the Restless</em> or Ava on <em>General Hospital</em> — is that they will be riveting, the only thing you can predict about her hairdo will be that it will be tres chic.</p>
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<p>OK, maybe it isn’t <em>so</em> shocking that the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> vet would have mellowed out his spiky ’90s hairdo over the years. He has, after all, grown up before our eyes as bad boy-turned-family man Lucas.</p>
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<p>If ever we need a reminder that<em> The Young and the Restless</em>’ Chelsea has a dark side, all we need to do is refer to these images — a glorious memento of the spell during which the schemer applied almost-black magic to even her hair.</p>
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<p>There are key cutters who don’t change locks as often as this <em>General Hospital</em> leading man, whose former <em>One Life to Live</em> character Todd went from shaggy to shorn before indulging Franco’s blond ambitions and adopting a ’do that was as serious as Drew, the old pal whose memories he temporarily housed in his head.</p>
Image: Monty Brinton/CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Sean Smith/JPI
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<p>Dimples for days? Check. Million-dollar smile? Check. OK, some things <em>never</em> change. But over the course of his long run as <em>The Young and the Restless</em>’ Nick, Joshua Morrow <em>has</em> altered his look, going sexily scruffy and transforming himself from the boy next door to a man among men. (Yes, along the way, the show also switched Victorias, from Heather Tom to Amelia Heinle.)</p>
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<p>The Emmy winner didn’t so much “go dark” in 2003 as take on a whole new role. That was the year that <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> minx Amber discovered that she had an identical twin with a very different colorist.</p>
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<p>We call this pair of images “Long Story Short.” We also call it not the least bit surprising that the actress who plays<em> Days of Our Lives</em>’ vengeful Eve looks as striking with a pixie cut as she does with shoulder-length locks.</p>
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<p>At last! Proof positive that the Emmy winner who plays Jason on <em>General Hospital</em> hasn’t <em>always</em> had the same hairstyle. As the photo on the right illustrates so beautifully, it does, occasionally, grow out. #mindblown</p>
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<p>Whether working her trademark long hair or locks that are as short as Phyllis’ fuse, the <em>Young & Restless</em> Emmy winner is always red-hot. Well, technically, kinda <em>strawberry-blonde</em>-hot, but you know what we mean.</p>
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<p>As<em> The Bold and the Beautiful</em> progressed, Stephanie more and more dropped the pretense that she was going to tolerate any BS. As she did, her portrayer shed inch after inch of her glorious hair.</p>
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<p>Never let it be said that only Audrey Hepburn can pull off her iconic pixie cut. Not only does the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> leading lady pull it off as Sarah, she pulls it off <em>beautifully</em>. Then again, with cheekbones that enviable, Godfrey could probably even rock a mullet!</p>
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<p><em>The Young and the Restless</em> veteran set the Internet ablaze over the summer of 2020 when he revealed that when next we saw Michael Baldwin, his lush brown locks would be gray — and he himself would be epitomizing the term “silver fox.”</p>
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<p>As far back as her stint as Cassie on <em>Guiding Light</em>, the Emmy winner has been occasionally cutting short her voluminous mane. But even now that she’s playing Carly on <em>General Hospital</em>, it still takes us a minute — sometimes even a hot minute — to adjust.</p>
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<p>After <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> exposed Thomas for the demented rat fink that he is, he supposedly slunk off to do some work on himself. Unfortunately, all we could tell that he’d done was grow out his hair and sprout a sexier-than-we-wanna-admit-it-is beard.</p>
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<p>Soap fans had seen the actress as a blonde before, as wiggy Patty on <em>The Young and the Restless</em>. But we were more accustomed to her brunette self (as Patty’s alter ego Mary Jane and shrink Emily). As a result, it was a revelation to see her lighten up as <em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Kristen.</p>
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<p>Death becomes him. But then, what doesn’t? After <em>The Young and the Restless</em>’ Malcolm was presumed doomed after a fateful drive over a rickety bridge, his portrayer returned to the soap with a radical new look that really did little to hint at the chip he’d begun affixing to his shoulder.</p>
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<p>Unlike most soap stars, the <em>Young & Restless</em> and <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> Emmy winner often changes her look, bobbing her hair and growing it out, going blonder than blonde and then dark again. So in a way, her style is a lot like her performances as Victoria in the past and Katie in the present: She always keeps us guessing what she’ll do next.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, John Paschal/JPI, Dee Cercone/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
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<p>Nobody ever had to tell the <em>General Hospital</em> Emmy winner who played Robin that change was good. Length… color… cut… the hairdo- and redoer switched it <em>all</em> up over the years, as she took her beloved character from the cutest kid in daytime to a heroine for the ages.</p>
Image: Lisa Rose/JPI, Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>Now <em>that’s</em> commitment. Despite the quality and quantity of amazing blond hair that the Emmy winner had always rocked, he shaved his insanely well-shaped head to accurately play out JR’s cancer battle on <em>All My Children.</em></p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI, Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>Soap viewers accustomed to seeing the actress fill in for Kirsten Storms as <em>General Hospital</em> fashionista Maxie were stunned to discover what a brunette bombshell she was after she joined <em>Days of Our Lives</em> as Theresa.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI, Tammie Arroyo/JPI
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<p>Usually, it’s the director on a soap set who yells, “Cut!” So fans of <em>The Young and the Restless</em> were taken aback when Ashley’s portrayer did so, shedding what looked to be what? Pounds and pounds of luxurious blonde tresses.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>Nothing short of a paper bag could detract from the magnificence of the<em> Days of Our Lives</em> alum’s fancy face. Nevertheless, we were all like, “Wait, what, <em>whoa</em>!” when Hope’s portrayer bobbed her legendarily long locks.</p>
Image: Brian Lowe/JPI, John Paschal/JPI
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<p>Over the decades, the <em>Young & Restless</em> Emmy winner has gone from strawberry-blonde to pretty-darn-blonde to red-hot with her hair. Yet nothing prepared us for the instance in which Lauren’s portrayer chopped off the tresses that had for so long framed her face. She was still gorgeous, of course. But c’mon! </p>
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<p><em>The Young & Restless</em>’ Christian Jules LeBlanc got all the credit for going au naturel with his hair color, but hello?!? The <em>Days of Our Lives</em> leading man who plays John distinguished between black (well, brown) and white well before him.</p>
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<p><em>The Young and the Restless</em>’ Elena lost more than a boyfriend when Devon showed her the door to his penthouse; shortly after, she also lost several inches off her hair, resulting in a mod pixie cut that was never short of enchanting.</p>
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<p>There’s literally nothing you could do to <em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ former Bo Brady that would make him any less handsome. But we can’t deny that we were always a little taken aback anytime he shaved off his character’s trademark scruff.</p>
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<p>Though when the soap-hopper began her daytime career (as Robin on <em>All My Children</em>), she’d done so as a blonde, she’d been a brunette for so many years that we thought we were meeting a long-lost Logan sister when she returned to <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> in 2018 as a suddenly blonde Taylor Forrester.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot, Jill Johnson/JPI, ABC
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<p>When the going gets tough, the tough get… scruffy? So it seemed on <em>General Hospital</em> when Dante returned to Port Charles saying, in essence, “Now beard this!” (right). Later, though, after a lifetime of metaphorical close shaves, Sonny’s firstborn got one for real (left).</p>
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<p>“Wait, did Elizabeth Taylor suddenly start playing Nikki Newman on <em>The Young and the Restless</em>?” We couldn’t help but ask when, a decade ago, her portrayer briefly darkened the golden locks that had made her one of television’s most legendary blonde bombshells.</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
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<p>For years, <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> had portrayed Brooke Logan as the quintessential California girl, with her long golden locks serving as a sun-kissed frame for her lovely face, when she yelled, “Cut… them off!” and adopted a tres-chic short ’do.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2)
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<p>OK, after all these years, it’s not so much of a jaw-dropper anymore when <em>General Hospital</em> lets Scotty Baldwin shake up his look by modifying his amount of scruff. But you’ve gotta admit it changes his appearance as much as having, say, Heather Webber on his arm instead of Lucy Coe.</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Sean Smith/JPI
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<p>When the actor left behind his <em>The Young and the Restless</em> role of Brad Carlton, he also left behind the gardener-turned-exec’s clean-shaven look. When he was subsequently introduced to the canvas of <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em>, he sported the devilish goatee that’s since become Dollar Bill Spencer’s calling card.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI, CBS screenshot
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<p>As if to signal the new beginning that <em>Young & Restless</em> was giving Chelsea after her very-bad, no-good, terrible 2022, her portrayer had a fresh look smoothed out at the salon just in time for February sweeps 2023. Bangin’, wouldn’t you say?</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI, Howard Wise/JPI, NBC
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<p>Consider this soap-hopper a gorgeous chameleon. During her run as Caroline Forrester on <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em>, she went from long to short tresses, and shortly before joining <em>Days of Our Lives</em> as Sarah Horton, she went dark. In her hair color, that is; Sarah’s a dyed-in-the-wool good girl.</p>
Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2)
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<p>When <em>General Hospital</em> struck pay dirt with the pairing of Laura Webber and Luke Spencer, his portrayer became almost as closely associated with his iconic, frizzy hairdo as he was with… well, his leading lady. So we practically needed smelling salts when he took on the new role of Luke’s cousin, Bill Eckert — and gave the character an altogether different ’do. It made sense, of course — they were entirely distinct characters. Still, it took some — er, a <em>lot</em> of — getting used to. Eventually, after Bill was killed off and Luke reintroduced, Geary ditched the perm for good.</p>
Image: CBS, Rob Flate/Fox
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<p>The <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> leading lady made two big changes at once in the spring of 2021, not only leaving her role of Zoe to star in primetime’s <em>Fantasy Island</em> reboot but cutting off her long locks to start rocking a super-stylish pixie cut.</p>
Image: Touchstone Television/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, ABC
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<p>Every new look was a “mane event” for the <em>General Hospital</em> icon, who went from hair so long, it barely fit in one photo, to shorter, lighter locks as Anna’s twin sister Alex on <em>All My Children</em>, and finally, her original character’s no-nonsense style.</p>
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<p>Whether working tresses lush enough to turn Rapunzel green with envy or a shorter ‘do that’s long on stylishness, the Emmy winner who plays <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Summer is always “the most beautiful in the land” in the eyes of on-screen mom Michelle Stafford (Phyllis).</p>
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<p>Given how often <em>Days of Our Lives</em> dropped Jack in “hairy” situations, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his portrayer looks as handsome with as without a beard.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI (2)
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<p>Doesn’t much matter if the <em>Guiding Light</em> vet (as Christina) is letting loose her crown of curls or going straight with her hair (as in photo No. 2, from her run as Maya on <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em>); either way, she kept viewers wrapped around her finger.</p>
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<p>Actors have to be chameleons, with the ability to evolve and vanish into any role. Here, the soap-hopping veteran of <em>Guiding Light</em>, <em>Days of Our Lives</em> and <em>General Hospital</em> shows how beautifully he transitioned from boy next door to sun-kissed surfer to smooth operator.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI (3)
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<p>Much like <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Chloe can go from sweet to scheming in the blink of an eye, so can her portrayer alter her image, shaking up her look like an especially stylish master of disguise.</p>
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<p>Aw, kids — they grow up so darn fast. And in the case of <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> influencer R.J., they go from being the squeaky-clean boy next door to edgy man about town in the blink of an eye.</p>
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<p><em>General Hospital</em> may have had Portia marching toward disaster as she marched down the aisle in early 2023, but at least her portrayer’s sleek new look ensured that she’d make a radiant, if troubled, bride.</p>
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<p>It was with mixed emotions that we tuned in to the February 2022 episode of <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> in which the new Taylor was finally able to ditch the wig that she, we, <em>everybody</em> had had such a good time laughing over. On one hand, we’d miss the chuckles. On the other, c’mon! Au naturel was a definite, major improvement.</p>
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<p>What’s the difference? Dreamy in the “after” photo on the left, dreamy in the “before” photo on the right. Oh, riiight. <em>Young & Restless</em> gave Noah’s hair an edgy remix to start 2023.</p>
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