Jordan Ridgeway

On March 22, 2013, Stause was elated that the once cancelled All My Children, where she played Amanda Dillon from 2005 to 2011, had been revived, but revealed that she could not participate in the reboot because she was already under contract with another daytime soap. However the actress could not speak on the casting at the time.[1][2] On April 18, 2013, TVLine officially announced that Stause had joined the cast of Days of our Lives in a contract role, with August as a potential air date. However, information about the character was not made available.[3] Stause filmed her first scenes during the week of April 7, 2013.[4] Many suspected that Stause would be a recast of Cassie Brady (Alexis Thorpe). She said she enjoyed playing such a different role and appreciated that it allowed her to branch out, and that she was offered another "more glamorous" role, but she chose to take the role of Jordan because it was so different from her previous roles.[5] Stause learned about the role from her manager and when she went in to audition, she found out that they were casting for two separate roles.[6] Actress Jen Lilley revealed that she had also auditioned for the role of Jordan, before she was cast in the role of Theresa Donovan.[7] On October 24, 2014, Stause announced her exit from the series,[8] and last appeared during the March 9, 2015, episode.

In August 2018, it was announced that Stause would be returning for as Jordan.[9] She returned on February 4, 2019, and appeared in various stints until November 11 of the same year. She also appeared briefly on March 4 and July 20, 2020. [10]

Stause told Soapdom.com, that she enjoyed the "layers to the character."[11] In an interview with TVLine, she revealed that her character did not wear any makeup. However, Jordan is very serious about her career, and "she’s very no-nonsense. She’s not there to humor anyone. In fact, she comes across robotic at first." Of her character's introduction, Hartley said Jordan is "strong, very smart, very take-charge, all business." She does not care about her physical appearance. Of her character's "impersonal" demeanor, Stause said, "She's not bitchy, she's just very businesslike." Jordan is not "meek" or "sheepish," but instead, "She will literally bark you out of the room," she said.[5] Despite the character's onscreen appearance, the series released several publicity photos with Stause looking completely different from her character.[12] The character is "definitely working with a good moral compass," Hartley said in an interview with Soaps She Knows. Hartley said Jordan is a "good person, because it takes a certain type of person who wants to be a physical therapist and really heal people." Jordan gives "tough love, but she gets results."[6] She told About.com that she took the "tough love" approach from her own sister's physical therapist.[13]

In June 2013, Hartley revealed that her character is "very opposite," of her All My Children character, Amanda. She said that the character harbors secrets, and also revealed that she shared her first scenes with Galen Gering and Lauren Koslow, who portray Rafe Hernandez and Kate Roberts, respectively.[14] she told On-Air On-Soaps that the secret was a significant one.[15] Of the character's introduction, executive producer Ken Corday said it would be a "very slow build."[16] Hartley said the character's slow introduction allowed for viewers to "warm up" to the character.[5] The character is introduced as a "plain Jane" physical therapist who joins the staff at Salem University Hospital. Jordan's arrival strikes a nerve with Kate, who thinks she is a man, because of her name. Kate feels threatened because of her "friends with benefits" relationship with Rafe. She said the character would eventually make a "transition," similar to Rachael Leigh Cook's character in She's All That.[5]

According to Hartley, Rafe is taken aback by Jordan's "impersonal" demeanor. However, Rafe treats it as a game, doing everything he can to break down the "closed-off wall." Though Jordan initially rejects him, Rafe eventually gets her to open up. The turning point for the duo is when Rafe reacts badly to the lack of feedback from Jordan during a physical therapy session. Jordan finally understands that her encouragement could help his recovery, she lets her guard down.[5] Jordan's professionalism becomes a problem when she starts to fall for Rafe. It is kind of a "push-pull for Jordan," she said.[13] She said Jordan is "definitely scared of her feelings for Rafe," because it is unprofessional to fall for a patient. Rafe jokes about firing Jordan once he is recovered so they can date, and that is when she starts to let her guard down viewers would see the "chemistry" between the characters.[6]

Hartley said that Jordan's dynamic with Kate becomes very "antagonistic."[5] According to the actress, Jordan finds Kate "overbearing" and initially doesn't "give her a second thought." However, Jordan gets nervous when Kate starts digging into her past. Of the character's past, she said fans would need to be patient because the story about Jordan's past would take some time to come out. "Obviously some things have happened that she needs to run from or that she is afraid of." When Jordan's feelings for Rafe evolve, Jordan becomes much more vulnerable. She revealed to Soaps She Knows that "We will see that dynamic come into play where even though she acts like she is not afraid of Kate, we will see that she is slightly afraid of the fact that Kate was able to pull up some stuff from the past and how it could affect her life." [6]

With the casting of Jade Harlow in the recurring role of Sheryl, the show began developing and exploring the character's background.[17] In February 2014, it was announced that country singer Justin Gaston had been cast as Jordan's brother, Ben Rogers, with whom she shares a secret past.[18]