KEEPIN’ BUSY

Late-Night Star’s Unrecognizable Soap Opera Cameo Revealed

John Oliver is turning into a soap opera regular.

Late-night host John Oliver has revealed he will make yet another soap opera cameo—and a promotional clip shows his character transformation is not going to disappoint.

Oliver, who pitched himself for a role on a soap opera from behind the desk on Last Week Tonight, landed short arcs on both Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.

His debut on Days of Our Lives will air next week, and fans got a glimpse of what to expect from his character when he briefly appeared at the end of a promo video posted Friday.

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In the clip, viewers get another look at a version of Oliver that is far removed from the one they know from his late-night show. Sporting yet another wig, he knocks on the door of Mayor Paulina Price, played by actress Jackée Harry, with the new look transforming his entire persona.

Oliver’s arc on the Peacock show is set to air Aug. 11, 12, and 14, and was filmed in June—a surprisingly quick turnaround given that, according to Soaps.com, Days of Our Lives typically films about 10 months in advance. That means the show had to find a way to work Oliver’s character into the story long after much of the surrounding material had already been filmed.

“When John Oliver said, ‘Call me soaps, I’m available and willing to travel. I want to be a part of that world,’ our world, we had to heed the call!” Executive producer Ken Corday said about Oliver’s cameo.

Oliver’s General Hospital stint wrapped last month after three episodes, with him sporting jet-black hair and playing a mysterious global spy agency chief known only as “Z.”

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The Community actor-turned-late-night host officially 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.

“To all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you,” Oliver said at the time. “Write me a role, and I’ll be on your set so fast, it’ll make your head spin.”

According to the Daily Mail, Oliver’s “wacky role” on Days of Our Lives was written specifically for him. A behind-the-scenes look at the British stand-up comedian’s role shows him filming alongside Daniel Feuerriegel, who plays EJ DiMera, and Maggie Carney, who plays Rita Lesley.

“I did not wake up going, you know what, I’m going to be wearing my pajamas doing a scene with John Oliver today,” Feuerriegel told Access Hollywood, adding that it has been a “blast” working with Oliver.

Oliver, meanwhile, told the outlet that when he was asked to take on the role, his reaction was simple: “f--k yeah, we are.”

Wiktoria GuciaReporter

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