On November 8, 2025, Days of Our Lives marked its 60th anniversary with a star-studded red-carpet celebration. Among those covering the event was Justin Lee Howard of Dishin Days, a long-running YouTube series dedicated to the Peacock soap. Howard spoke with members of the cast and crew, including Dan Feuerriegel, who plays E.J. DiMera.
During the interview, Feuerriegel looked back on his first days filming Days of Our Lives. “My first ever day on the show was the door being opened up on me. I was very nervous,” he recalled, referencing an episode that aired on June 14, 2021.
The actor joined the soap opera as a recast. The role of E.J. DiMera was originally portrayed by James Scott, who left the show in 2014. E.J. was “killed” off, only to later be revealed to be recovering in Dr. Rolf’s lab. His recovery wasn’t a fast one, as E.J. had lost the ability to speak and care for himself. He remained in a private facility for years until the role was recast with Feuerriegel.
Feuerriegel went on to describe his second day on set, saying, “I had to do scenes with Alison Sweeney and Bryan Dattilo. I was very nervous because, during the casting process they kept telling us to keep going through, even if you screw up, keep going through the scene.”
“So, I thought that was what was expected of me,” Feuerriegel continued with a laugh. “However, Ali and Bryan screwed up a lot,” he said. “They were laughing and kidding around and that immediately eased my nerves”
“I went okay, alright, it’s not as strict and ridged as they make it out to be during the auditions of course it is but I think they just wanted to see if you could do it,” he explained. “Four years on, I’m very grateful to be a part of 60 years and to be part of it’s legacy.”
