Days of Our Lives Shocker: As Julie Says Farewell to Doug, She Says Hello to… Doug?
They say that as a door closes, a window opens. It turns out that’s definitely true in Salem, because even as the soap town continues to deal with the death of longtime leading man Doug Williams (and the real-life passing of portrayer Bill Hayes), a mysterious newcomer with a shocking connection to Julie’s late husband will arrive!
The episode airing on Tuesday, December 3, will find Julie crossing paths with a young man who feels strangely familiar. As it happens, that’s because he’s the heretofore unknown grandson of her late husband!
While little is known about Doug Williams III, the folks at TV Insider report that he’ll turn out to be the much-loved patriarch’s grandson!
If the young man playing Doug looks familiar, that’s not surprising: Peyton Meyer first caught people’s attention during his stint as Lucas on the series Girl Meets World. More recently, he was loveable goofball Tripp on the ABC sitcom American Housewife.
More: The Doug/Hope story we never got to see
Meyer told TV Insider that upon accepting the part, he didn’t realize just how important the role was or that he’d be connected to one of daytime’s most iconic characters. Nor did he realize that his debut episode would be one in which Salem said farewell to Doug Sr., or that his first scenes would be with Hayes’ real-life widow, Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie).
Meyer says working at Days has been “one of the best experiences I’ve had in my career.” But as many actors learn upon joining soaps, it ain’t easy! “I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be,” he admits. “It feels like someone paid me to go to an intense acting boot camp!”
More: Why this Days star was fired!
So what can we expect from this new Doug? Meyer’s description leads us to believe his alter ego will have an awful lot in common with the Doug who first arrived in Salem all those years ago. “When we first meet Doug, he’s a mischievous guy,” admits the actor. “He’s in and out of trouble. No matter where he goes, chaos comes with him!”
