‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Dan Feuerriegel Weighs In on EJ & Belle’s Kiss

Michael Maloney June 15, 2022, 2:00 pm

Dan Feuerriegel traded in his Australian accent for a British one last year when he was cast in the role of Days of our Lives’ dashing EJ DiMera, who was raised in England. Prior to becoming a household name among soap opera fans, the actor was best known to TV audiences for his role as gladiator Agron in the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Vengeance, and Spartacus: War of the Damned.

Recently, viewers have seen EJ be a rock in the life of his attorney Belle Black (Martha Madison), who’s been devastated that her husband Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer) has fathered a son with troublemaking Jan Spears (Heather Lindell). TV Insider sat down with Feuerriegel to chat about his first full year in Salem, why he was glad he was taping for a few months before viewers knew for certain that he’d been cast, EJ’s relationship with Belle, and much more.

Congratulations on your one-year anniversary at Days!

Dan Feuerriegel: Thank you. It’s been one hell of a journey.

Did you know all along that you were coming onto the show as a character who has such a lengthy history?

I didn’t look too much into the character’s past, but I did know that EJ was a very coveted role. All I could do was do what I do and hope that people would accept it.

Your tone on Twitter is pretty easy-going. How did you adjust to the diehard soap fans on social media?

[For films and primetime shows], casting can get announced a year before actors even start filming. People already start judging them before they step on set. I was able to be on set for a few months before it got announced. There was a lucky grace period. I started shooting March [2021] and didn’t first air until June. So, I had a good period of time where I could warm into the character and feel happy with what I was doing.

By the time my first episode aired, I became more comfortable with the character. I was a lot more confident at that point, so I was less affected by any negative comments. I expected some push back. I saw all the predictions on who was going to take the role.

We saw a gentler side to EJ when he grew concerned over his hospitalized mother, Susan (Stacy Haiduk).

Most of those scenes were with Ari Zucker, who plays Nicole. I remember them well. It was a break from the norm of the direction EJ was going in. It’s always fun to go off and do a different route. It adds a more human, grounded element to the character. I love that kind of acting where I can just sit next to the person and talk. I related it to my own mother and brought that authenticity to it as much as I could. Sometimes it’s challenging with all the dialogue that we have to do in such a short amount of time, but I love it.

Did the show provide you with printed material of EJ’s backstory? How did you absorb it all?

When I finally found out the part I was auditioning for, I had a quick look at some scenes that James [Scott, the former EJ] had done, visited a few fan sites and then, I left it. I thought, “I can only be me.” I can’t copy him. I did think maybe I should play it a bit more “posh.” I didn’t want to do too much research. I just wanted to discover things on my own. The producers, writers, my follow actors would fill me in as we went along: “This is what this means.” That went on for a few months until all the catching up with the characters finished up and then, the [current] stories went into play. I don’t have to worry as much about backstory now, if that makes sense.

Perfect sense. You took a sound approach and it’s clearly paid off. Let’s talk about that kiss with Belle. Full disclosure: I think Martha Madison is “the bee’s knees.”

[Chuckles] Yes. She absolutely is. That’s the perfect response — “the bee’s knees.” She’s tiny, she’s adorable, and she has the sweetest heart and the sweetest disposition. There are some people you connect with chemistry-wise just almost instantaneously. She was definitely one of them and we clicked and got along well. We chatted and we got to know one another and we got to work together. She’s such a lovely actor to work with. What was kind of cool as well is that just as EJ and Belle in the courtroom were slowly developing a friendship, that coincided with Martha and me developing one as well. She’s lovely. I’d work with her any day of the week.

Belle is extremely vulnerable these days now that Shawn has fathered a son with her nemesis. Are EJ and Belle merely in the moment with that kiss, or is he thinking this could be long-term?

I think both EJ and Belle see that each couple is going through something fairly similar. I’m seeing how Shawn is disrespecting Belle. EJ doesn’t think Belle should be treated that way. She helped him [at his trial]. Now, EJ wants to help Belle. Conversely, Belle sees that no one is taking EJ’s side. Their relationship has evolved. They could be long-term. However, right now, they’re in the moment.

The potential for Sami’s (Alison Sweeney) response to all this — well, EJ might have to go into witness relocation. It’s something to look forward to the next time Sami comes back to Salem.

Absolutely. How can he not be thinking about that on some level? He may be thinking he hates her because of what she’s done, or this may be his way of coping with him losing her. EJ needs to find a connection elsewhere. He’s gravitating towards Belle. Of course, he is aware of the particular consequences when Sami comes back, but at the moment, he’s not thinking too much of it. But it may be in the back of his head.

She might try to sell Belle on the black market again.

[Laughs] I’ve heard about that.

Are you going to the Daytime Emmys on June 24?

Yes, I plan to. I want to see what it’s all like and cheer on my fellow castmates. I’m very much looking forward to it. I saw the Lead Actress category. That’s a tough one with both Marci [Miller, Days‘ Abigail] and Ari nominated. They’re both so [expletive] good. I actually know Kelly Thiebaud [nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for playing Britt Westbourne on General Hospital]. She’s lovely as well. I’m trying to catch up with her. I used to do coaching and taping of actors. That’s how I became friends with her. Whenever she came in to do scenes with me, she was always phenomenal.

You have a side gig now: You wrote a graphic novel, Fractured Shards, illustrated by Ricardo Faccini. It’s set in a dystopian future. What’s going on with that?

We’re in the process of sending out Volume Two. Once that gets out to everybody who was a part of the Kickstarter campaign, we’re going to launch into the spinoff of the graphic novel that focuses on one of the characters. Then, we’ll get into future volumes. It’s been an absolute blast. It’s been phenomenal. You pitch the story, you write it, and then you see the artist and colorist do their things. Stephen Kok helped with the writing. It’s such a fun collaborative effort.