Emily O’Brien Confirms Days of Our Lives Exit After Four Years, Looks Back on Playing ‘Two Amazing Roles’
Emily O’Brien is packing up her wigs and getting the heck out of Salem — again. The actress confirms to Soap Opera Digest that her time playing Theresa Donovan on Days of Our Lives has come to an end.
It was confirmed on Thursday’s episode of the Peacock drama that Theresa had been sent to Statesville, where she’ll serve a presumably lengthy sentence for her recent crimes. Among other things, Theresa just came clean to kidnapping baby Victoria, defrauding Alex (and Xander by extension), and conspiring with Konstantin to steal the Kiriakis fortune.
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Still, going to prison doesn’t always mean going off camera — just think about how many characters we’ve seen rock those iconic denim ensembles — so O’Brien’s full-on exit from the show will likely come as a surprise to many viewers.
“I wasn’t supposed to be on the show for as long as I was,” she tells the magazine. “I never thought that daytime would be something that was accessible to me again [after previously playing Jana on The Young and the Restless]. And I not only got to play one amazing role, but I played two amazing roles.”
Prior to debuting as Theresa in October 2023, O’Brien spent more than two years playing scheme queen Gwen Rizczech. In a truly unforgettable transition between roles, O’Brien was shown boarding a plane as brunette Gwen moments before getting off a separate flight at the same airport, this time as beach-blonde Theresa. It was a pretty wild moment, even for a soap opera recast.
“I ended up falling in love with Theresa and who she is and the circle that she’s involved in,” O’Brien adds. “The fact that [the show’s producers] put their trust in me to play both of these roles… I just feel so grateful for that experience.”
As for whether O’Brien would ever reprise either of her Days roles down the line, she offers a simple: “You never know.”
O’Brien is the latest addition to a growing list of Days veterans saying goodbye to the soap in recent weeks. July 29 marked Arianne Zucker and Greg Vaughan’s final episode as Nicole and Eric, as their characters left Salem to start a new life together in Paris.
New episodes of Days of Our Lives stream weekdays on Peacock. How do you feel about O’Brien’s portrayal of Theresa? Did you prefer her as Gwen? Which character do you hope O’Brien will play if and when she ever returns to Days? Drop a comment with all of your thoughts below.
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