By: Lindsey L.
What is Days of our Lives? You may just know Days of our Lives as a TV show on NBC, but in this essay we will explore Salem and the Days of our Lives characters and history. We will also get a look at the complex system of creating the show and a look at behind the scenes. The last thing we will learn is about the actors and actresses in days of our lives.
Days of our Lives is a daytime soap opera that airs almost every weekday. It is the second longest recorded TV show in the entire world and the longest in the United States. It airs on all continents except for Antarctica. The first episode played on November 8, 1965. There is a variety of characters that live in a town called, Salem. Some of the main characters in the Brady family include, Roman, Sami, Eric, Hope, Kayla, Sierra, and Bo. In the Horton family there is, Jenifer, Lucas, Maggie, Allie, Will, and Arianna. The Dimera and Kiriakis families are a little smaller and include, Stephano Dimera, E.J. Dimera, Kristain Dimera, Chad Dimera, Sydney Dimera, Johnny Dimera, Victor Kiriakis, Justin Kiriakis, and Sunny Kiriakis, Victor Kiriakis. The other characters include, Nicole Walker, Cameron Davis, Adrianne Johnson, Daniel Jonas, Rafe Hernandez, Gabi Hernandez, Nick Falon, Marlena Evens, Kate Roberts, Abe Carver, Theo Carver, Theresa Donavan, Chloe Lane, J.J. Devero, and Abigail Devero.
In the history of Days of our Lives there has been a variety of events. Days of our Lives covers topics that other soaps wouldn’t dare to cover. This is why it is the number one soap opera in the United States. Since the days that Days of our Lives started it had received the following awards and honors: 25 daytime Emmys, 1 environmental media award, 4 people’s choice awards, 2 prism awards, 99 soap opera digest awards, 15 soapy awards, 2 TV guide awards, 1 writers of guild America USA award, and 9 young artist awards. Days of our Lives was originally created by the Corday family, and that family still owns Days of our Lives today.
A normal day at work for a Days of our Lives actor or actress starts sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning. At 8:00 everyone starts preparing to film. They set up the scenes and go over their lines. At around 1:30 setting up for the day is done. The actors and actresses go to fitting if they need to, and then on to dressing, hair, and makeup. At 3:00 the filming begins. The actors and actresses start with a rehearsal and then do the final film after that. This will last at least 3 hours. The days of work will end sometime between 5:00 and midnight (or sometimes even like 2:00 in the morning). The actors and actresses are expected to go home and memorize the script for the next day.
This is a busy lifestyle, but it is a fun day at work for everyone. As Alison Sweeney (who plays Sami Brady) says in 2004, “I have been serenaded by that opening mantra of days of our lives for more than ten years now-and loving every minute of it. Since that January morning in 1993 when I walked onto the set of Days for the first time, I’ve taken a wonderful ride that is as exiting today as it was a decade ago.” (All the Days of my Life (so far))During the day the actors and actresses get many breaks and they get plenty of time to chat and laugh with each other about funny scenes and their daily lives. Most all of the cast members have made lifelong friends with each other and spend time with each other off the set of Days of our Lives as well.
The children and teens that work on the set of days of our lives have on set teachers. They usually have to miss 1-2 days a week of school for the show, but some miss up to 3 and ½ days a week. When you miss that much school, you basically have to have an on set teacher. The producers of Days of our Lives care about the kids and teens education so when they are at work they must squeeze in at least 3 hours of school whenever they can so that way they don’t get behind. They have plenty of time for this since much of the time they are laughing with the other cast members.
While the cast members are not at work they spend their time with their families and at the gym trying to stay fit for their time on TV. Most of The actors and actresses of Days of our Lives are married, but only 3 have children. These include Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) with one girl (who is in her teens), Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton), with 1 boy (who is a preteen), and Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) with 1 boy and 1 girl (who are under the age of 6.) They dedicate most of their lives to the show, but it’s not really a chore, it’s what they want to do. They may sound very busy, but everywhere you look, the cast members are saying that are a family off-screen too. They are allowed to bring their kids and families to work with them and they all understand each other the way a family would. The actors and actresses on the show see each day as a day to make the show better than the last. They take acting classes and try to make an improvement to their acting every day.
Now you know all about Days of our Lives, behind the scenes, and have learned a little bit about the show on TV. When you think of being a soap opera actress, you may think, oh, I probably know who they are because their famous. But, the truth is that soap opera actresses and actors aren’t famous and they’re not celebrities. You’d be surprised how few of them you know of. They live lives that are just like all of ours. They chose their career, and with being said, a tough one, but it’s really no different than a regular career. It’s just the same as being a teacher, artist, or a mailman, except for it’s what they want to do. So, being a soap opera actress really is no different than being whatever you are or want to be, except, if you’re going to be a soap opera actress, you should probably have a really good short term memory. J