Alison Sweeney Teases Sami Brady’s Epic ‘DAYS’ Return Brings Unexpected Twists

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Alison Sweeney returns to Days of our Lives as Sami Brady on April 10 for an impactful visit that shifts the dynamic on the canvas.

The actress, who last appeared in 2022, says she wasn’t expecting to see the story that was scripted — Sami’s son, Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman), recently learned that he was conceived in 2006 after his father, EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel), forced Sami to have sex with him.

“It definitely caught me off-guard that they were playing out the story, just because it felt like it was in the past,” admits Sweeney. “I liked the idea, but it seemed to me that it was common knowledge. I never thought about the idea that, right, people wouldn’t have told Sami’s kids.”

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When Sami arrives in Salem, she heads to the hospital, where EJ, who has been shot, is in a coma. She finds her sister, Belle Black (Martha Madison), pledging her love to him. “Sami had been told that there was something between Belle and EJ,” notes Sweeney. “She’s not surprised, but she’s upset and immediately looking to cause friction. She and Belle are never going to be friends. Belle’s never been on Sami’s side for anything, and this is just another example of that. But Sami does think that EJ is with Belle just to piss off Sami — and it does — but she’s also a little egocentric about it and thinks that she should tell Belle that.”

Belle leaves Sami alone with EJ, and Sami speaks tenderly to her ex. “She professes her underlying feelings that she’s willing to admit when he’s unconscious,” previews Sweeney. “Maybe he’ll hear her and want to wake up. She wants him to fight through, she wants him to be OK. She doesn’t want this to be how it ends.”

Johnny enters and is stunned to see his mother being so cozy with EJ. Mother and son then have a difficult talk about his conception. Though 19 years have passed since she did the original tale, Sweeney had total recall. “Having played all those scenes, I remember it all,” she says. “In some ways, it isn’t hard to walk back into reliving those moments or dealing with those things because I have real feelings about how it was to play them. I remember all the backstory and the stuff leading up to it, and a lot of other storylines before and after that I played about it.”

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Nevertheless, she had some trepidation about the material. “I felt such a responsibility to honor the storyline,” she explains. “I have so many conflicting feelings because there are so many Sami fans who have stayed with me and post on my social media, so I feel very connected to them. I remember what a huge uproar this storyline caused when it happened, and how all the different fan bases felt about it. I know a lot of them still watch the show, and I felt immediately like I was neck-deep trying to tackle a Days of our Lives fan controversy, never mind the real-life controversy of this particular issue. I worked really hard on the material and worked with the writers about the material. I hope I put our best foot forward in regard to the scene.”

Sweeney appreciates that the writers scripted an evolution for Sami off-screen. “Part of what they wrote for the storyline is that she’s been going to therapy and talking it out with someone,” she shares. “I thought that was a really interesting choice. I do think Sami can use some therapy, and working through some of those issues is probably very healthy for her. So, in some ways, she’s really tackled her feelings about what happened then and gotten some perspective on it.”

She enjoyed working with Boatman on the emotional material. “Carson is delightful, always a lovely actor to work opposite,” Sweeney praises. “But it’s a lot of Sami monologuing to her son, so I had a lot of dialogue, and Carson was like, ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ He was very sweet.”

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Sami crosses paths with other people close to her, including ex-husband Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering), with whom she falls back into familiar territory. “That was really fun and funny and surprising,” Sweeney relays. “Definitely an unexpected turn for the storyline, and a treat for the Sami and Rafe fans. Working with Galen is such a blast; I really enjoy that. We’ve had a great history together — so many great storylines and fun times. For Galen and me, it was really an opportunity to showcase that Sami is going through this transition where she’s coming to terms with a lot of stuff from her past and has a much healthier perspective.”

Sweeney also connected on camera with Louise Sorel, who is reprising the role of Vivian Alamain. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, who’s playing Vivian?’ and they said, ‘Louise Sorel,’” she recalls. “And I said, ‘Wait, really?’ That was such a delight to see her, and she looks exactly the same. It was so fun. She goes way back at Days, and I remember her in the very beginning when I first started, burying Carly [Manning, Crystal Chappell] alive.”

Sweeney appreciates that 11 years after leaving the soap she first joined in 1993, she is given so much to do when she comes back to visit. “I never wanted to close the door entirely on my time at Days,” she reflects. “But I just imagined being in a church with 15 other characters at a wedding. I didn’t really imagine how fun it would be and how creative they could get building whole moments for me in these short little returns. That really brings me a lot of joy, and it’s fun to play. I get a kick out of it, and I enjoy getting to see everyone. It always puts a smile on my face, and I always look forward to it.”

This is just the first of Sweeney’s upcoming visits. She’ll be back soon for the memorial for John Black (Drake Hogestyn), and for the 60^th anniversary celebration that will air in November.

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