Jen Lilley. Archuleta/Getty Pictures
Days of Our Lives’ newest casting shakeup caught longtime star Jen Lilley abruptly — and followers are reeling by who they picked as her alternative.
Through the credit for Peacock’s Monday, October 2, episode of the cleaning soap opera, the community introduced that Emily O’Brien could be taking up Lilley’s position as Theresa Donovan for the rest of the season.
Devoted viewers already know O’Brien, 38, as she’s been portraying Days’ Gwen Rizczech (now von Leuschner) since 2020. Lilley, 39, in the meantime, has been starring as Theresa on and off since 2013.
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“High to backside, it was simply not dealt with the correct manner,” Lilley instructed Soaps.com in August, claiming she realized she’d been recast on set. “Everyone was mad as a result of everyone was form of lied to.”
Lilley, who was final featured on the cleaning soap in 2018, referred to as the expertise a “horrible state of affairs,” explaining she reached out to former co-executive producer Albert Alarr about reprising her position this season. (Alarr has since been fired following a separate nine-week inner investigation into misconduct allegations.)
Based on Lilley, she advised she deliver Theresa again to Days for Victor Kiriakis’ (performed by the late John Aniston) funeral. Lilley negotiated coming again to shoot 12 weeks’ price of scenes in 4 weeks’ time. Nonetheless, throughout her shoot, she realized one thing was off.
Lilley claimed she spoke with Alarr, 67, and stated, “Hear, you instructed me Theresa’s going to do X, Y and Z, and I haven’t gotten the scripts. I solely have yet one more for Monday, and I’ve two weeks left [on set].”
Alarr allegedly responded, “Oh no, Theresa remains to be going to do all of that … We’re going to do it with a special Theresa.” Lilley was then reportedly instructed that O’Brien could be taking up the scenes. “Oh yeah, we’re simply gonna put her in a wig,” Lilley recalled being instructed by Alarr as to how they’d remodel a brunette O’Brien into the long-lasting character.
Emily O’Brien. Chris Haston/NBC
Lilley confessed to Soaps.com that she is satisfied that the community was “bluffing” once they instructed her they’d written a 12-week arc. She famous that O’Brien being forged as Theresa simply confirmed her suspicions, as a result of she was able to movie all 12 weeks of scenes if the workforce might do it in her 4 weeks of availability.
Regardless of being upset by the change, Lilley revealed that she has “no laborious emotions” towards O’Brien.
“That poor woman has needed to have conversations with me [on set, knowing she was going to replace me]. How horrible she should have felt!” Lilley instructed the outlet.
The Christmas Waltz actress mirrored on her time as Theresa the next month. “Final week of me exploring this woman’s shenanigans on display. Taking part in Jeanne Theresa Donovan on and off for the final 10 years has taught me a lot about empathy and style,” Lilley wrote by way of Instagram on September 19. “I’ve loved each second of her hilarious sass and ferocity, layered with brokenness. To the forged and crew at @dayspeacock, I like you without end. You’re my household.”
She concluded: “And to one of the best followers a woman might ask or hope for: keep in mind there isn’t any pit so deep you may ever end up in the place God’s love can not discover you continue to. You’re by no means past redemption. You’re referred to as by grace and marked with love. Thanks for supporting me on this decade-long journey. #Days #RIPJohnAniston #ripvictorkiriakis #DOOL.”
