Exclusive: Jen Lilley’s Return to Days of Our Lives as Theresa Takes a Jaw-Dropping Twist
Exclusive: Jen Lilley’s Return to Days of Our Lives as Theresa Takes a Jaw-Dropping Twist
At Soaps.com, we’ve interviewed Jen Lilley countless times over the years, but one thing we didn’t expect when sitting down to talk about her return to Days of Our Lives was the bombshell she dropped in our lap. We were anticipating a lively conversation about what it was like for Theresa Donovan to come back to Salem for Victor Kiriakis’ funeral, and maybe how she thinks her character is doing as a mom to Tate.
Instead… well, things went in an entirely unexpected direction.
But before we move forward, let’s take it back a beat. If you thought that Theresa’s appearance was an idea hatched in the writers’ room, think again. As it turns out, Lilley reached out to then-co-executive producer and director Albert Alarr, who told her that adding Theresa back into the mix for the memorial was “a great idea.”
But what she assumed would be a lovely-but-quick return for Victor’s memorial service turned into a 12-week storyline out of the blue — and that’s when things started to go in a direction we can’t even explain in words. Between Lilley’s busy schedule on Great American Family and raising four adorable tots, it became a mad scramble to make this opportunity happen. It was working out perfectly… until suddenly, it wasn’t.
What came next was so wild that even now, Lilley doesn’t quite understand how things went down. She went to Alarr for clarification as to why it felt a bit awkward on set and the scripts stopped coming her way. She recalled asking him, “Listen, you told me Theresa’s going to do X, Y and Z, and I haven’t gotten the scripts. I only have one more for Monday, and I have two weeks left [on set].”
According to Lilley, Alarr responded, “Oh no, Theresa is still going to do all of that… We’re going to do it with a different Theresa.”
It’s an absolute mic-drop moment that you won’t want to miss! To hear the entire story — and a tease as to who’ll be stepping into Theresa’s shoes — check out the video below.
