Billy Flynn (far right) poses with his “Days of Our Lives” castmates Camila Banus, Robert Scott Wilson and Abigail Klein at the “Day of Days” event Nov. 12, 2022.
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Billy Flynn (far right) poses with his “Days of Our Lives” castmates Camila Banus, Robert Scott Wilson and Abigail Klein at the “Day of Days” event Nov. 12, 2022.
This weekend, many couples will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s around this time that TV writers start sharing their thoughts about TV’s best couples. And you can’t have a good couple without strong chemistry.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with someone who knows a lot about chemistry — Billy Flynn, who plays Chad DiMera on “Days of Our Lives.” Flynn is the type of actor who meshes well with everyone, so I was shocked when he told me that fans were saying they didn’t see any chemistry between Chad and his potential new love, Stephanie (Abigail Klein). Flynn’s thoughts were confirmed for me a week later in a “Soap Opera Digest” poll regarding with whom Stephanie was more compatible.
Flynn believes some fans are making the mistake of comparing Chad and Stephanie with Chad and his deceased wife, Abigail. “The chemistry is, and should be, a slow build. That’s the arc that people are missing,” Flynn said. “When you’ve lost the love of your life, it’s never going to be that again. You want there to be love, but it’s never going to be that love. If people are comparing Chad and Stephanie to Chad and Abigail, they’ll always be let down.”
After our conversation, I watched the Chad-Stephanie scenes a little closer and though I have always thought there was chemistry there, I could see what the fans were thinking. But I also saw why. Flynn was doing such an amazing job of playing Chad’s awkwardness at potentially moving on that it appeared he had limited chemistry with Klein. As Flynn told me himself, “It’s my job to hold back. I just lost my wife.” Fans were looking for sparks to fly, but Flynn chose the authentic route, admitting to me that he even sometimes played against the writing.
It’s acting choices like these that make Flynn the most talented actor in the soap genre. That was on full display last week when Chad finally confessed his feelings to Stephanie. The stumbling and bumbling through the whole thing was not only sweet, but incredibly real. And I have to believe that the fans feel better about the chemistry between the duo once Flynn made the choice to allow Chad to be more comfortable around Stephanie.
Ironically, the soap actor that makes the best acting choices on a weekly basis doesn’t like to watch himself because he’s sometimes “cringed out” by his choices. Extremely deserving of this year’s Best Actor Daytime Emmy, Flynn admitted it’s difficult for him to put together his Emmy reel for award consideration. He jokingly asked me for advice on scenes and I couldn’t resist sharing with him one of my favorites. So, you read it here first. If Flynn doesn’t get nominated, it could very well be my fault.
Next week, I’ll share more of my fascinating conversation with Flynn as he defends the genre and explains why he believes it’s his fault if you don’t find a storyline believable.
“Days of Our Lives” streams weekdays exclusively on Peacock.
Angela Henderson-Bentley writes about television for The Herald-Dispatch. Contact her at ahenderson-bentley@hotmail.com.
