There's a bit of good news/bad news casting coming out of Days of our Lives.
First, the good news: Louise Sorel is reprising her role as Vivian Alamain. Yay!
Now, the bad news: fans will have to wait until much later this year to actually see her on-screen. Boooo!
Sorel made the surprise announcement about her return in an interview with Harvey Brownstone. The fan favorite revealed that she was on-set earlier in the month, but she did not reveal how many episodes she taped.
Days of our Lives typically films episodes about five to six months ahead of their airdate, which means that Vivian might not appear in Salem until the end of summer. It's been just about three years since Sorel was last seen on-screen, but that's not the last time that she's had a DAYS presence. Back in January, Sorel's voice was heard on the show.
And the last time Vivian was seen, the character looked a little different.
In early 2021, Emmy winner Linda Dano (ex-Rae Cummings, General Hospital/One Life to Live/All My Children; ex-Felicia Gallant, Another World; ex-Cynthia Haines, As the World Turns; ex-Lena Kendall, Guiding Light) took on the role. Despite being a daytime vet, Dano admitted that she was initially "scared to death" to play the role.
The Internet swirled with theories about why Sorel hadn't reprised the role. The theories, as you might imagine, ran the gamut from Sorel having retired to the show no longer wanting to work with her. The truth, however, was something much more understandable.
"I live in New York," Sorel explained during the podcast. "The last two times they called me, it was heavy COVID, and I didn't want to fly. I just didn't want to get on a plane."
In 2017, Emmy winner Robin Strasser (ex-Dorian Lord, One Life to Live; Rachel Davis, Another World) stepped in to play Vivian when Sorel was unavailable due to other commitments.
Sorel got her start in daytime soap operas with the role of Santa Barbara's Augusta Lockridge in 1984 and One Life to Live's Judith Sanders in 1986. She joined DAYS in 1992 and has played villainess Vivian on-again, off-again since that time.
Soap Central has reached out to Days of our Lives about Sorel's return, but the show has not yet responded.
You can watch Louise Sorel's interview below.
Are you excited that Louise Sorel is reprising her role as Vivian Alamain? Can you patiently wait until the end of summer to see her? We want to hear from you -- and there are many ways you can share your thoughts.
