By: Markos Papadatos, Senior Editor
Robert Scott Wilson chatted with Markos Papadatos about playing his new character Alex Kiriakis on the NBC soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”
After leaving the show as fan favorite Ben Weston, he is back as a new character Alex Kiriakis. “It is great,” he said. “I am having a blast. It is probably the most fun I’ve ever had on any project and it’s a real blessing.”
He shared that he is “honored” to be playing a character whose ethnic background is Greek. Wilson is drawn to Alex due to his demeanor, his sense of business, and his confidence. “I always see some of myself in every character that I play,” he said. “If I don’t see enough of myself, I make sure to put myself in his shoes as best as I can.”
“Alex is lighter to play than Ben, I am having a really good time,” he added.
Wilson praised Wally Kurth for playing his on-screen father Justin Kiriakis, and Zach Tinker for portraying his brother, Sonny. “I love Wally, he’s an absolute class act,” he said. “We had great chemistry from before when I played Ben and Wally was my lawyer, and now as my father, we just clicked right off the bat. He is one-take Wally, that’s the guy.”
“I never worked with Zach Tinker before but we clicked instantly and we had instant chemistry,” he said. “I hope they develop the story about their relationship more. We have something really special, and we have great chemistry as brothers.”
He noted that he would love to work more with such “Days of Our Lives” actresses as Emmy winners Judi Evans and Jackée Harry.
Wilson also complimented actors Brandon Beemer and Mike Manning (who played Charlie Dale). “I love Brandon Beemer, he is a great guy,” he said. “Mike Manning is a great guy, super nice, really personable and he always came prepared. It was a breeze working with Mike.”
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, he hopes to be a part of the “As The Leaves Turn” fan event in Clearwater, Florida, which is produced by SoapThis. “As of right now, that’s the plan, so I am excited,” he said.
He opened up about being a part of the special “Beyond Salem: Chapter 2,” which is streaming on Peacock. “I had a blast,” he exclaimed. “It was pretty light work but long days. It was nice to be working with Kristian Alfonso, Victoria Konefal, and Peter Reckell. Having everybody as a family for the first time was really nice.”
Wilson had great words about working with Steve Burton on “Beyond Salem: Chapter 2,” where Burton played Harris. “Steve is a great guy, we become buddies and we have kept in touch. I am going to be doing his podcast ‘That’s Awesome‘ soon,” he said.
Speaking of Peacock, he is looking forward to “Days of Our Lives” transitioning from NBC to Peacock on September 12.
“I am excited, we are getting with the times. We are lucky enough to be a part of a great platform with a lot of great shows and content and great people behind it.”
“I am glad that we are speeding up the future. I think it’s going to be a great blessing,” he added.
On being an actor in the digital age, Wilson said, “We are in a new era of how we watch television and films. We are riding that wave and I am proud of our show for taking the step to do it.”
Wilson also took the time to pay his respect to the late but great veteran actor Paul Sorvino, whom he worked with in “Papa” together. “I was sad to see that,” he said.
“Paul was an absolute legend and I watched him all the time when I was younger so to be able to share the screen with him in ‘Papa’ was really amazing. I actually reached out to David Proval, who played my father in that film, and we all had scenes together, and we spoke about Paul,” he elaborated.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Wilson said, “Faith Over Fear.”
He listed Leonardo DiCaprio, Angeline Jolie, and Martin Scorsese as his dream partners to someday work with.
Being a huge fan of the Martin Scorsese-directed “Goodfellas,” he would love to someday work with Lorraine Bracco, who played Karen Hill in that classic film. “I would love to work with Lorraine,” he admitted.
On April 15 and 16, 2023, he is looking forward to being a part of an in-person StarStruck fan event in Morristown, New Jersey. “I am excited about any chance I get to meet the fans,” he acknowledged. “Paul and Keith of StarStruck also do my fan club and they are great guys.”
For his fans, he remarked about his new character, “We took Ben Weston from a character that was a killer and he redeemed himself, which was quite the task. Alex has his own issues to work through, in an effort to redeem himself and find himself.”
“Playing Alex is going to be a journey of finding himself. He is a lot different from Ben Weston because Alex encompasses comedy, he is more confident and he comes from a rich, prestigious family. We will do that through the process of women, business, friendships, and family. It’s a really good story for Alex, the sky is the limit for him. I am having a blast with him,” he elaborated.
For more information on actor Robert Scott Wilson, check out his IMDb page, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
