JokersUpdates.com: Days of Our Lives - John Oliver’s First ‘Days of Our Lives’ Set Photo — How He Landed the Role... Yep, Days and GH...

On the June 28 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the Emmy-winning host revealed that he would be appearing in upcoming episodes of General Hospital and Days of our Lives.

John Oliver‘s first stop is Port Charles, where he’ll appear in a “significant guest role” across three episodes airing July 2, 3 and 6. He’ll then head to Salem for a short story arc airing August 11, 12 and 14.

Sunday’s announcement marked the payoff to a campaign Oliver launched earlier this year, when he publicly appealed for a daytime drama to cast him in a cameo role. At the time, he said, “I have a genuine love for soaps; I want to be part of that world…. Write me a role, and I will be on your set so fast, it will make your head spin…. Call me, soaps, I am available. I’m willing to travel, and I want this more than you can possibly understand.”

During Sunday night’s segment, Oliver reminded viewers how the campaign began. “You may remember back in March, we discovered that Stephen A. Smith has been politely playing the role of Brick on General Hospital for the last 10 years, which filled me with, in equal measure, immense confusion and scorching hot jealousy,” Oliver explained. “So, I did the only thing any sane person would do in that situation: I offered myself to any soap opera that would create a role for me…. I wanted to play a character with a ridiculous name, I wanted a juicy storyline like murder or slapping, and I wanted a dramatic close-up of my face.”

It didn’t take long for Smith to embrace the idea. Responding to Oliver’s plea on Instagram, he said, “You sure you ready for that? You gotta be willing to be that bad guy. You gotta wear that scowl…. You gotta welcome being disliked,” he explained, then added, “Being a soap opera guy is pretty cool…. I’m gonna make a call to General Hospital about you, buddy.” GH commented on Smith’s video, winking, “We may have just the part for him. Our DMs are open.”

As it turned out, they weren’t kidding. “When John Oliver publicly threw down the gauntlet and said he wanted to appear on a soap, we didn’t hesitate for a second,” said executive producer Frank Valentini in a statement. “He was everything you’d hope he’d be: prepared, professional, funny, and genuinely kind to everyone on set. He plays an integral character in the story, and I can’t wait for fans to see who he crosses paths with in Port Charles.”

Viewers also got their first look at Oliver’s mysterious GH character, with the host sharing a photo of himself, hair dyed, suited up and looking serious. “Yes, that is me, surrounded by men with guns, and yes, my hair has been dipped in an ink well, and if you cannot tell from my face there, I’m acting really hard,” he noted. “I’m acting my hardest. In fact, I don’t want to brag, but they did say that of any guest star they’ve ever had. I used the most takes.”

Days of our Lives was equally eager to make Oliver’s soap dream a reality, even adjusting its production schedule — which typically films up to 10 months in advance — to tape his scenes earlier this month. “When John Oliver said, ‘Call me soaps, I’m available and willing to travel. I want to be a part of that world,’ our world, we had to heed the call!” enthuses executive producer Ken Corday.

Oliver was just as thrilled to join the list of famous names that have also made their way to Salem. “It’s been home to some of the most renowned soap opera actors, like Deidre Hall [Marlena Evans], Susan Seaforth Hayes [Julie Williams], and John Aniston [Victor Kiriakis],” he pointed out. “It’s also featured guest appearances from legends like Dick Van Dyke [Timothy Robicheaux], Betty White, and now me. The only other time you’d hear my name alongside those two would be if someone were trying to answer the question, ‘Name three celebrities you could reasonably guess were born in the 1920s.’”

Oliver also unveiled a photo of his Salem alter ego, who wears a wig and works in scenes with Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera). “What I love most about that photo is that even though you can only see the back of the other actor’s neck, you can tell how much I visually don’t belong anywhere near him,” Oliver mused. “His back is an L.A. 10, and my front is a Middle-earth three.”

Oliver wrapped up the segment by expressing genuine appreciation for both soaps, while poking fun at tabloid reports suggesting that turning to soaps was a “desperate Plan B.” “I genuinely cannot wait for everyone to see what these two soaps have done,” Oliver concluded. “I am so grateful that they played along with us…. Does this look like a desperate man to you? Not to me, it doesn’t. That’s the face of a man living his f**king dream.”

https://www.tvinsider.com/1272502/john-oliver-days-of-our-lives-photo-role/