The actor revealed how he joined the Peacock soap as the fan-favorite Dr. Wilhelm Rolf.
Key Points
- Richard Wharton joined Days of Our Lives as Dr. Wilhelm Rolf in 2022.
- He auditioned via self-taped submissions during COVID and was surprised to replace another actor.
- Wharton has learned Rolf’s history from cast members, admitting, “I’ve been learning as I go.”
Richard Wharton Who joined Days of Our Lives in 2022 as Dr. Wilhelm Rolf, recently discussed his experience joining the long-running Peacock soap opera during a new interview.
In a conversation with host Jim Masters on The Jim Masters Show on YouTube, Wharton reflected on his career, his past roles, and his transition into daytime television.
When asked how the role of Dr. Wilhelm Rolf came about, Wharton admitted that the opportunity was unexpected. “It was kind of a surprise for me,” he said. “It was during COVID,” He explained.
Wharton explained that, like many actors during the pandemic, he auditioned through self-taped submissions rather than in-person meetings. “Instead of going out and meeting a casting director, you were just recording yourself at home and recruiting somebody to read lines with you. In this case, my wife,” he said.
Wharton said he went into the audition without knowing the full history of the character. “I auditioned for the role. I thought, ‘Oh, this is a nice part, this sounds great.’ I did not know that I was replacing another actor.
He didn’t learn he was stepping into a recast until he was already on set. “I had no idea. It wasn’t until I got in the makeup chair and people were talking about, ‘Oh, you kind of look like William Utay.” And I’m like, ‘Who?’ And it turned out that William Utay had done the role for 20 years in over 800 episodes,” Wharton said.
Wharton added that longtime cast members helped him understand Rolf’s complex history. “Different actors that I would work with would tell me their stories about their relationship with Rolf and interactions they’d had with him over the years,” he shared. “Drake Hogeystyn shared for example that he had been brainwashed by him. I’m like there’s so much I don’t know about my character.”
With that said, the actor has been open to the process and admits “I’ve been learning as I go.”
Days of Our Lives streams weekdays exclusively on Peacock.
