How a Horror Movie Almost Changed Stephen Nichols’ DAYS Future. A beloved Salem legend almost didn’t survive his early days! 👁️ Stephen Nichols opens up about how a dark backstory, a horror movie, and a last-minute decision nearly changed DAYS history forever.
It’s difficult to imagine Days of Our Lives without Steve, but there was a point when that outcome was far from guaranteed. Long before Patch became one-half of one of Salem’s most beloved couples, Stephen Nichols was playing a villain who wasn’t expected to stick around very long. As it turns out, a horror movie, a contract dispute, and a last-minute change of plans nearly sent Steve’s story in a very different direction.
Key Takeaways
- Steve Johnson was originally supposed to die.
- Stephen Nichols learned Steve’s backstory years after joining DAYS.
- Steve’s original history was much darker than what aired.
- Witchboard nearly pulled Nichols away from Salem.
- A last-minute decision helped keep Steve on DAYS.
Steve Was Never Supposed to Stay
Nichols spoke to Soaps.com about Steve’s early days and revealed that even he didn’t know much about the character’s backstory. “Peter [Reckell, Bo] and I had gone to the writers, producers, somebody, and asked to get some kind of backstory because they were playing this deal that Bo had put my eye out, and we had no idea how that happened,” he recalled. The answer turned out to be much more grisly than many fans probably expected.
“I was supposed to die, and I had actually been dealing drugs in the Merchant Marine,” Nichols explained. “And one of his little friends got ahold of some drugs and died. That’s why Bo and I fought. And I lost my eye.” Nichols admitted the backstory was “a lot darker than the way things turned out” on screen, which is saying something considering early Steve wasn’t exactly handing out cookies and life advice around Salem.
At the time, there wasn’t much reason to think Steve had a long future ahead of him. The role was recurring and only intended to last a few months. Then came one of Victor Kiriakis’ larger adventures involving Bo, Hope (Kristian Alfonso), Shane (Charles Shaughnessy), Savannah (Shannon Tweed), and half the town. Nichols remembered thinking that being part of such a big story might improve his chances of sticking around.
Witchboard Almost Changed Everything
Eventually, those instincts proved correct. Nichols recalled filming a scene in which Steve (Nichols) was chasing Melissa (Lisa Trusel) and Pete (Michael Leon) while fruit was being hurled at him when producer-director Shelley Curtis ran onto the set. “I just want you to know, you’re not going to die,” she told him. Just like that, Steve suddenly had a future.
There was only one problem. Nichols had already booked the 1986 horror film Witchboard. While that sounded like good news for the actor, it wasn’t exactly what DAYS wanted to hear. “I have this job, and I’m going to go do this movie. And when it’s over, maybe I can come back,” Nichols remembered telling the show’s brass.
The response arrived quickly. According to Nichols, Al Rabin told him, “We were ready to offer you a contract.” Nichols wasn’t rattled. “OK, well, when I come back, offer me a contract,” he replied.
It worked out pretty well. Four decades later, Steve Johnson is still roaming Salem, eye patch and all.
