Daytime Soap Opera
Actor Of The Week

Tyler Joseph Andrews (Theo, Days Of Our Lives)

It always seemed weird to me that Theo and JJ went into business together in South Africa when back home in Salem, JJ, a cop, had shot Theo, leaving him comatose and JJ suicidal. I’m glad the newish writing team at Days decided to revisit this story, showing that a moment like that doesn’t just evaporate from a person’s mind, not only will this hopefully lead to better material for Casey Moss than the actor has had thus far in his return to the soap, but it’s a fantastic entry point for newcomer Tyler Joseph Andrews to right off the bat have such meaty, emotionally charged scenes to play. This week, JJ, tasked with policing Horton Square’s mandated curfew, confronted a man whose back was turned to him, and in that moment, that man, Theo, was brought back to the shooting, the way the actor tensed up, the movement of his hand on his chest, you could see the chill running through him. Then, when Theo had recovered as much as he could from such a scare combined with the PTSD it triggered, he lit into JJ, not only with anger, but with disappointment that someone he considered a friend would go back on his word to leave the police force, would step back out on the street again, seeming, to Theo, like he had learned nothing from the past. It usually takes me a fairly long time to get used to new actors, especially new actors in recast roles, but Andrews is showing so much promise already, I am really looking forward to the further exploration of this difficult story, and to see Theo in fun stories, too, like asserting his position in the DiMera family, going toe-to-toe with the likes of EJ while still trying to be the man his dad raised him to be. The skill this actor has exhibited this early on, tells me we’re in for great things with this character (if he’s written for; unfortunately soap fans know that’s not always a guarantee no matter how obvious the talent).