Jay Kenneth Johnson
News

While Days of Our Lives signed a new contract to remain on the air through at least September 2010, the good news for the show didn't last long.

In a stunning development, contract negotiations between Jay Kenneth Johnson and the series have broken down; Soap Opera Digest reports that the actor cleared out his dressing room yesterday. At issue?

Money, of course.

 "Everyone is being asked to take a paycut," said an insider, while sources say the show is looking for a potential recast and actors are being brought into the studio today to read.

Days of Our Lives star Jay Kenneth Johnson recently talked with TV Guide Canada. Here are a few highlights from the interview:

TV Guide.ca: Big fan here. Have to admit: the soap press, including myself, were a little surprised you decided to come back to daytime TV considering your success in other mediums, post-DAYS.
Jay Kenneth Johnson: It was the right time, and the right offer for me. Hey, Salem has always been good to me, so it’s home for me. We’ll see what happens. My contract is up very soon.

TVG: You’ve never looked better — what’s your secret?
Jay Kenneth Johnson: I’m using the summer to pump up my body and get in fierce shape. I have a feeling the Summer of Love on NBC will translate into a lot of shirtless scenes. It’s a busy time — I have jury duty and I’m also looking for a new place to live but you have to take care of yourself, you know?

TVG: I won’t touch that. So why did you come back to soaps? And no spin, mister.
Jay Kenneth Johnson: It’s simple, really. Days of Our Lives executive producer Ken Corday offered me a great deal to return. The contract’s for two years — and I have a few months left. Time has flown by. In retrospect, it was a brilliant idea on my part because of the writers’ strike. I’m happy where I’m at personally and professionally. Surprisingly, they haven’t asked me to re-sign yet.

Jay Kenneth Johnson has been back on Days of Our Lives for over a year now.

Still, it's worth listening to what the actor had to say during an interview that followed his return.

When Philip first came back, there seemed to be much more of a dark side to him.
Jay Kenneth Johnson: In retrospect, I probably would've added a few more layers, but I was playing it as writ and I had a great time doing it. But I've said before I was going a hundred miles an hour every single day. That's still there, but I think Belle definitely brings out the softer side in him. I like the happy medium in between the two.

How has Philip changed since you were here before?
Jay Kenneth Johnson: I think he's grown up into more of a man. I think he's still got a lot of growing up to do. For lack of a better phrase, I think he was kind of a pushover. He was just getting walked on by Chloe and whomever else. I think that it was written that way but in all writing you have to find different layers and add that in yourself. Philip's changed and I've changed a lot as an actor. I might play that completely different now.

On a recent edition of Hollywood 411,  Madison Michele spoke with Days of Our Lives stars Jay Kenneth Johnson and Kristen Renton. Take a look and listen below:

As Jay Kenneth Johnson told The Fresno Bee, he's looking forward to the next couple of days. He's not in any of the scenes being shot for the NBC daytime drama. But that means he doesn't have to work.

"I am going home and eating a pizza," he said in an article the newspaper recently ran on him.

The Days of Our Lives star is joking. Sort of.

One of the biggest draws of daytime television are the attractive young men and women who go through daily angst for the pleasure of viewers. And since Days of Our Lives is the last daytime drama on the network, the show needs to keep all the viewers it can.

"I had to have my shirt off earlier in the week, so I watched what I ate last week and this week," Johnson said during an interview earlier this month in a small lunch area just steps from the show's sets.

Read the complete article on Johnson now.

Days of Our Lives star Jay Kenneth Johnson hasposted a message on his website to fans. In it, he talks about the direction of his character, among other topics:

I do like the fact that 'Philip' is getting the opportunity to interact with many other characters. The crash was an unfortunate situation, but 'assuming' we make it back to Salem, I think that interaction will continue.

The Ireland storyline and aftermath was a long couple of weeks. Hopefully you got a chance to check out the "behind the scenes" clips I put together. I wanted you to get a feel for how big of a production the crash was. The actual crash set took up half the stage, with the crew on the other half. As big as it was, I think we pulled it off.

That said, it was sad to see Frank Parker's "Grandpa Shawn" go. He is one of a kind, and will be missed. If you get a minute, try and write him to say "thanks" for all the memories.

Read the actor's full blog now.

Jay Kenneth Johnson has starred on The Young and the Restless.

And now, of course, he can be seen daily on Days of Our Lives.

Despite being a veteran of the soap opera world, Johnson may remain a mystery to some viewers. With that in mind, check out these tidbits about the actor:

• Originally auditioned for the role of Brady, but was cast as Philip instead.

• Grew up in the same Missouri town as Brad Pitt, just around the corner from him, in fact. They share other connections, as well: John Aniston, Jay on-screen father, was Pitt’s real-life father-in-law.

• Days of Our Lives fans were so heartbroken when he left the show that they hired a plane trailing a "Good Luck" banner to fly over the studio on his last day.

• In his spare time, Johnson is the lead singer in the band Solid Jones.

Co-star Lauren Koslow once said about him: "There’s something special about Jay. From the first day he got here he's been very professional and enthusiastic. He's a joy to work with."