James Scott, who played EJ DiMera, shocked fans by confirming that he will never return to Days of Our Lives, after his life changed since his departure.
In the world of soapies, a change in the actor playing a title character is not something new. But when a beloved actor leaves their role, many fans expect the actor to return to the character.
However, fans of Days of Our Lives were shocked to hear that James Scott, who was arguably the most memorable actor to play EJ DiMera, does not intend on returning to the role. His assertion resulted in the casting of Dan Feuerriegel replacing the beloved character in 2021.
How many actors have played EJ DiMera?
In total, five actors have played the character of EJ. First introduced in 1997, the child actors who played the character were triplets Avalon, Dillon, and Vincent Ragone.
The young actors played the character between 1997 and 1998. EJ then returned in 2006, portrayed by James Scott, who became a fan-favourite character due to the actor’s English charm and dashing looks.
After Scott left the soapie in 2014, when he confirmed that he would never return, Dan Feurriegel took on the role in 2021 and is currently still playing the character.
Days of Our Lives: EJ changes and James Scott’s departure
Before taking on the role of EJ DiMera, James Scott was best known for his villainous role as Ethan Cambias on The Young and the Restless, which he played for two years before taking on the role of EJ DiMera.
Joining the cast of Days of Our Lives in 2006, Scott played the character on and off for eight years. However, the decision from the actor was two years in the making.
After his exit, he shared, “I almost left the year before, I almost did. And then I thought, ‘No, I’ll stay for one more year.’ I wanted to give the writers time to be able to tie up the storyline. And you know, I’m glad that I did. I’m glad that I stayed one more year than I initially intended.”
At the time, Scott left the possibility of returning to the character in the air, as his initial reason for leaving the soapie was to take some time off before pursuing other acting and creative opportunities.
But it seems that in the time that he stepped away from Hollywood, Scott started dealing with his mental health issues that were exacerbated by working in Hollywood, as he has since affirmed that he will never return to Days of Our Lives or Hollywood, for that matter.
James Scott confirms that he is never returning to Days of Our Lives
After leaving Days of Our Lives, James Scott started working on himself.
His seemingly spiritual experience had him acknowledge the fact that he had achieved fame and success in 10 years as one of the most recognisable soap opera actors in the world, but he had not earned any acclaim that gave him “peace.”
He wrote in part, “In 2014, after a successful career in the entertainment industry, I found myself with everything and nothing.”
Scott subsequently confirmed that he will never return to Hollywood and the soapie, claiming, “…please know that I will never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Go back to Hollywood let alone (Days of Our Lives.) There is nothing interesting there for me.”
How did EJ return to Days of Our Lives?
When James Scott left the role of EJ DiMera, it was believed that EJ had died after being shot by his henchman.
But in the years that followed, viewers learned that he survived and was being hidden in a safe house, which almost blew up with him in it. After surviving this ordeal, he was shipped off to Europe to recover.
Therefore, in 2021, when Sami went to check on him, fans were ready to receive the beloved character back, but the return marked the introduction of Australian actor, Dan Feuerriegel as EJ DiMera.
Dan Feuerriegel on the pressure of replacing James Scott
Dan Feuerriegel has been playing the character of EJ DiMera for over a year now after he was introduced in June 2021.
While the character was a welcomed reintroduction, fans are still missing James Scott as EJ, which Feurriegel highlighted he had expected, but which was made easier to deal with as he had a “grace period” to settle into his role before it started airing on television.
The actor started on set in March 2021, and his first appearance on television was in June 2021.
Hence, he added, “By the time my first episode aired, I became more comfortable with the character. I was a lot more confident at that point, so I was less affected by any negative comments.”