Days of our Lives' E.J. DiMera (Dan Feurriegel) wasn't the only one who was shocked to see Clyde Weston as his jail cell bunkmate this week; fans were just as surprised to see the baddie, who hasn't been on the canvas in a few months.
In a new interview with Soap Opera Digest, portrayer James Read reports that he was thrilled to get the call to come back to Salem, even if the storyline entailed more time in an orange jumpsuit.
"I'm always surprised whenever [the soap] calls and asks me if I'm available. If I am, I say, 'Yes,' and there are no more questions," he explains. "I expect to be wearing orange. That's been specifically the case the last couple of years. From there, anything can happen. I could break out. I could stay in there and have a new cellmate. I could get paroled. It's irrelevant to me."
While he can't reveal what the powers that be have planned story-wise, Read confirms that his arc will last at least four to five months, and he's thrilled that it kicked off with scenes between Clyde and E.J., who have a very shaky history. After all, Clyde was the one who ordered E.J.'s "death" back in 2014!
"Anything to stir the pot!" the actor enthuses of the juicy material. "These kinds of relationships are what soaps are all about. I loved it. It gave us lots of stuff to work with as actors."
The character was played by James Scott back in 2014, but Read says he didn't have any issues adjusting to new portrayer Feurriegel.
"It had been so long since James was around that I didn't have any trouble segueing," he shares. "And Dan sort of eerily reminds you of James, but then is so much his own man at the same time. It was a very quick transition."
For more from Read about his return to DAYS, including a current storyline detail that mirrors his real-life, check out SOD's full interview with the actor here.
What do you think about James Read returning to the role of DAYS' Clyde? What do you hope the writers have planned for the actor's four-to-five-month arc? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
