Days of Our Lives’ Stephen Nichols on Original Steve Storyline: “I Was Supposed to Die” originally appeared on Daytime Confidential.
Who would’ve thought when Stephen Nichols debuted on Days of Our Lives four decades ago that his character would still be in an integral (and upstanding) part of Salem life? Not the actor himself, as it turns out!
Nichols celebrated 40 years of playing Steve “Patch” Johnson on June 13 of this year. To celebrate, he looked back at Patch not originally being meant to be a long-term character. Nichols told Soaps.com that the part was originally recurring and intended for a two- to three-month stint. He clarified:
I was supposed to die, and I had actually been dealing drugs in the Merchant Marine. nd one of his little friends got ahold of some drugs and died. That’s why Bo [Peter Reckell] and I fought. And I lost my eye.
Thankfully, after getting involved in a big umbrella storyline with lots of other Salemites, Patch fit in just fine, and The Powers That Be saw potential for a redeemed character. Now, of course, he’s a beloved part of the exteded Brady-Johnson clan.
