SOW: Thaoo Interiew - Excerpts

[ljacks13]

WEEKLY:What's it like being back?

THAOO PENGHLIS: Well, at least I've got a writer who likes me.

WEEKLY: Jim Reilly wasn't too kind to Tony.

PENGHLIS: He ruined my character. He had me coming out of a swerer. He had me in a coffin. He had knives in my throat until he finally had me locked up in jail. And he did it with such disrespect, I've been blessed in my life with all the work that I've done. It's only time I've ever come acress a writer who didn't do well by me. But he's entitled. It's his world.

WEEKLY: Why did you find the sewer scenes offensive?

PENGHLIS: I remember coming out of the sewer and thr producer saying, "Thaoo's not dirty enough." SO they ended up putting all this chocolate stuff all over me. It's wasn't until a fan, a very elegant lady in a travel office, turned to meand said, "I resented the way they would have a character who had the kind of dignity and style come out of a swer." It didn't bother me at the time. But when the fans started noticing. I thought it was [wrong}.

WEEKLY: What kind of contract did you sign?

PENGHLIS: They wanted two years. I asked for a year because I have many things going on right now. Sheri Anderson (former DAYS head writer) and I have a wonderful company, Cheyenne, that is producing two of our scripts , and I just finished a film called The Mirro, with Kelly LeBrock. But my responsibility, right now, is to come back and makea difference on DAYS. I'm sure Joe (Mascolo, Stefano) feels the same way and Leann (hunley, Anna) and all the others who are there.

[Shawn]

Wow. He's basically saying that it's up to him to save the show.

Dear Lord, get some Crisco. You need to grease up the door frame to get him and his big head out of the room.

[KLN]

Thank God he only signed for a year. He sounds so entitled, it disgusts me.

Once again, rambling on and on and on about that stupid film. Who cares? If it's good, it'll sell itself. No need to promote it everytime you open your mouth!

Who cares if Tony came out of a sewer? WTF? I don't even remember the scene, but who gives a damn, really? Do people with dignity never get dirty or something? Stop whining! You're starting to sound like Lisa Rinna with that damn cop uniform. You're not the ONLY PERSON who got crappy material from JER, so stop acting as though you were cornered specifically. Get over yourself!

Aside from all that, though, I do agree with him that Reilly's last run sucked. I feel that way for different reasons, though... and none of those reasons have anything to do with Thaao deserving better. You're getting paid, dude. Collect your paycheck and shut up. You're really NOT a "big gun," despite people telling you otherwise just to stroke your ego and get you to sign a contract.

And what's with his last line about having to come back and "make a difference" at Days? He really over-estimates his importance, doesn't he?

[Ponz]

He's also setting himself up for a fall. I don't expect Tony's return to have any impact on the ratings, especially given the gruesome nature of his first scenes.

[King]

He is full of himself, but at the same time, I love his pot shots at JER!!

[Days4Life]

Since Thaao seems to believe he's coming back to save DAYS, I guess we'll know who to blame if it doesn't work. He has quite an ego! Oh, well, looking forward to having Tony back anyway. Hopefully, this writer will do right by him.

[RionPassions]

And you wonder why Jim and I hate Thaao...

[Gray Bunny]

Ditto!

I don't think he's got a big ego, thinking it's his mere presence that'll help bring the show back up. Just by looking at his quote, you can tell he knows it's a collective effort. If he thought it was he alone that would help DAYS, then his mere presence would've transended Reilly's crappy writing of Tony in 2004-2005.

[KLN]

Thaao, Joe and LeAnn.

It's always those two names he talks about as the best of the best of the best of the best. As though Peter, Kristian, Deidre and Drake are nothing in comparison when it comes to what it takes to save the show. Please!

Personally, I'd be happy with just Peter, Kristian, Deidre and Drake. The show doesn't NEED Thaao or anyone else to survive. It's not his absence that made the show suck -- it was poor writing choices. Thaao's return is going to change a thing if the writing isn't there, so acting as though he's actually taking the show by the reins and making it better with his own hands is such a load of sh!t.

[King]

He's got a big ego, but they, we, and everyone know exactly why they are coming back and what this story is for - to "save" DAYS. He's not saying anything untrue.

[Vee]

Thaao Penghlis excretes more talent than Reilly ever had. He may be eccentric but I have never heard him not be 100% correct about JER and you would think after the past two years where Reilly sent the show into a probably irreparable death spiral, people would stop resenting Penghlis for speaking the plain truth about the great god of bad camp. Didn't this [!@#$%^&*] prove him right? We know from long experience that Reilly targeted specific actors and characters - Penghlis, Ashford, etc. Are they supposed to not talk about it? Is that bad manners? Please.

And he is correct, the DiMera influx is to try and save the show. He's not talking about himself specifically.

[PhoenixRising05]

Thaoo does have a big ego and he is showing that here but he also expresses how it is a collective effort. Why should he have to mentioned Peter, Kristian, Dee, etc? Dee gets along with Thaoo good from what I read in the past and I am sure Thaoo knows they are just as much a part of this. All he means is that this story is designed to bring the show back. Like King said, he isn't saying anything that is untrue.

Love his JER digs .

[px780]

Interesting. It wasn't his genius as an actor but the reaction of the fans that opened his eyes. And not just some schlub, either, but a elegant one. Huh. So of course he'd take shots at Reilly now. He's following the trend, and I'm sure we'll hear the same stuff from him about Sheffer a few months down the line. Oh, wait, didn't he already suggest it was too dark and he's correcting that with his acting? Maybe Sheffer's not good enough to write for him, either. Has he ever said who is?

And I still don't get this "didn't do well by me" thing. For the love of all that's holy, he gave you a major role on the show and let you chew all the scenery you wanted to! Maybe it wasn't what you prefer to do but, y'know what? Very few people get to do what they prefer to do, especially when they choose a career like acting where they give up a great deal of control to writers and directors. Suck it up. Or give back the money you made (which is probably helping fund projects you'd prefer to do, or support you while you look for those projects- meaning there was a trade off; short-term sacrifice, longer-term gain).

I mean, it's not like he'd been on the show for a couple solid decades when the writer shot him and stuck him in a coma with nary a mention of his existence. Drake, Renee Jones, Christie Clark, Austin Peck, Mary Beth Evans, Stephen Nichols, Matt Ashford, Melissa Reeves- these are the people I could tolerate spewing a constant stream of negativity through interviews. But this guy? No.

And the horror that was Reilly's last stint (except the beginning of the SSK) wasn't just writing. It was a real special combination of bad writing and overacting, so really, for me, Thaao is equally responsible. Lots of actors put out great performances with mediocre material, and I'm worried that if he couldn't/wouldn't do it before he can't/won't do it this time around.

Still, I guess I'm glad he took time away from his busy life to come back and make a difference, since he did such wonders with the last storyline he anchored. And any opportunity to kill Tony good and dead- in a dignified manner, of course- is fine by me.

[KLN]

Bravo! I couldn't have said it better, myself.

[King]

You have valid points, PX, but in the case of Thaao/Tony's case, it's JER's fault.