What do John Oliver and Ryan Gosling have in common? The list is endless, right?! No, I jest. I just find it funny that both men declared their love of soap operas in March of this year. For Gosling, it was his revealing how much Deidre Hall on Days of Our Lives inspired his acting dreams. For Oliver, it was singling out the randomness of sports commentator Stephen A. Smith having a recurring role on General Hospital, which Oliver then went on to imitate in a scene of his own that he produced as a public audition. Most shows hold open calls for casting actors; Oliver held an open call for soap operas to vie over giving him a part. As Oliver himself said, “To all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you. Write me a role, and I’ll be on your set so fast, it’ll make your head spin.” Well, heads must be spinning over at Days of Our Lives, because word is Oliver is currently filming a “wacky role” on the 60-year-old series.
According to the Daily Mail, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver is currently filming a role on the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives. The site reports that Oliver “hit it out of the park” on the show, which he reportedly started filming this week. Oliver’s “wacky role” on the soap opera was written specifically for him, the site also reports.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Oliver’s representatives for comment.
Oliver made his plea for a soap opera role on his show in March, citing his admiration for sports commentator Stephen A. Smith’s recurring role on General Hospital. … “I only have a few conditions: First, I don’t want to play myself. I want to be a character. And I want his name to be ridiculous,” he said. “Also, I want to do something juicy—like murder or slapping or being slapped or being someone’s long-lost something—and, ideally, I’d like a dramatic close-up of my face. But in return, trust me, I will give my all to this performance.”
To prove it, Oliver reenacted a scene similar to one he had played for his viewers, in which Smith plays “Brick,” a gun-toting crime-family security guru.
Smith replied to the segment with a humorous video questioning whether Oliver was “ready” to be a “soap opera star.”
“This is serious, OK? You gotta be willing to be that bad guy,” Smith joked. “Can’t have the smile on your face all the time. You gotta wear that scowl, you gotta be irritating, you gotta be all of those things. You gotta welcome being disliked.”
As one of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics on late-night, Oliver would be no stranger to the feeling. Trump has called Oliver’s show “boring,” “low-rated,” and a “waste of time.” So far, the host has been lower on the president’s enemies list when it comes to hosts, even weeks after he got his way following repeated calls for the removal of Stephen Colbert, and The Late Show was canceled last month.
Oliver is apparently up to the challenge, according to the Daily Mail, which reports that an insider claims Oliver’s tenure on the show could potentially go long.
“If the character takes off, writers could turn it into a recurring or even contract role,” they said. Though the show “tapes nine months before it airs, execs have decided to slot John’s scenes in asap, potentially as soon as August, to see the audience reaction.”
The site’s insider is also cited as claiming Oliver was offered a role on General Hospital after Smith said he’d “put in a call” for the late-night host. The show “pitched him an emotional role recently,” they said, “but he turned it down,” because he “only wants to play fun parts.”
“Can’t have the smile on your face all the time.” Oh snap, Stephen A. Smith got you on that, John Oliver! While Oliver’s smiles and giggles are utterly endearing on Last Week Tonight, Smith is right that those antics won’t fly on a soap. What makes soap operas so captivating is how the actors play HIGH stakes in absolutely bonkers situations. It’s funny for the audience, but deathly serious for the characters. Are you up to the challenge, Oliver?? LOL. I’ll be honest, though I enjoyed Oliver’s overly dramatic soap opera tribute scene that he aired in March, this isn’t one of my favorite Oliver stunts. It’s almost too straightforward, you know? I’m used to Oliver throwing us some eccentrically complicated schemes! Like putting up billboards all over the world in order to rig New Zealand’s Bird of the Century contest, or purchasing the furniture and equipment of a closed down Red Lobster which somehow leads to a bakery cooking up cakes adorned with Oliver’s visage (and big badonkadonks). But as long as it’s a dream come true for Oliver, have fun you nerdy imp!
PS — Oliver now has a role on DOOL, while Gosling only has an open invitation to visit the set… guess he’s still just Ken.
God, the muppets would put a smile on anyone’s face. I like the soap opera gig, though. I hope it’s so wacky he has to prevent himself from laughing, and it would be a lot of fun, I think.
He’s already got 23 Emmys, why not try for a daytime one?