Sonny Kiriakis

In May 2011 rumors circulated that Freddie Smith—known for his recent portrayal of Marco Salazar, a gay character from The CW's Teen drama 90210—was slated to join the cast of Days of Our Lives in a new gay role.[8] On June 17, 2011, Entertainment Weekly confirmed exclusively that Smith had been cast in the role of Sonny, an openly gay character—connected to a previously established family.[7] Sonny was reported at the time to be Days first openly gay character,[9] but in fact Sonny is the second, following Ryan Scott's openly gay Harold Wentworth who featured in the show from 2001 to 2003.[10][11] Smith talked about his new role, saying: "I'm very excited to portray him";[7] and "I love that I can do a role like this, stand up and speak out on what I believe in. I want to show that it's okay".[12] Smith relished in playing a role "that makes a difference" and said it "makes my job that much better – and to be a part of history; I'll go down in the history books, I mean it's great!"[9] Smith originally auditioned with Days in March 2011 for a different character—a high school quarterback. After several meetings with the director of casting, Marnie Saitta, Smith learned that he would instead be playing a gay character. Thanks to his experience on 90210, Smith had very little reservations about playing the role of Sonny. Smith screen-tested opposite Judi Evans who would play his mother, Adrienne. "I had an inkling I would get [the role] because Judi and I clicked so well" Smith said of his audition.[12] Smith believed he got the role of Sonny because he can relate to him so easily. Despite being straight in real life, Smith said "When I read the scripts, I just get it instantly." He revealed that the casting department was quite impressed by his audition. In his portrayal, Smith said "I do as much work on the character as I can to make it as real as possible and to tell a good story."[13] To prepare for the role, Smith did a lot of research and also went to his own gay friends for advice. "I started reading through people's personal stories and these feelings, and it brings me that much closer to the LGBT community."[13]

Entertainment Weekly first reported on the plans the for usually conservative Days of Our Lives to introduce its first character in March 2011.[14] Co-executive producer Greg Meng gave an interview to Frontiers magazine where he discussed how Sonny came about. "This has been discussed for a long time with a lot of thought. And yes, there were concerns, but it's like, 'Wow. Who are we? What are we thinking? It is time!' We didn’t want to do some gay love story, or just go off on some extreme ripped-from-the-headlines political story, just to be telling a ‘gay story.’ We are looking at a long-term, longtime beloved characters type of situation for Sonny. It is about a character who is now on the show, and who by the way, is gay!"[15] As Sonny hit airwaves, there were rumors of some opposition from certain affiliates who had threatened to stop airing the series if the story continued. Despite the potential push back, Meng said that executives across the board, from both NBC and Sony were in support of the story.[15] Smith explained that the producers "really did not want to go in a stereotypical" direction with the story. "They wanted to show different aspects of the story and that went into the casting of Sonny."[13]

Freddie Smith described Sonny as "the center of attention kind of guy in a good way." He continued, Sonny is "very confident and mature." Sonny is very "open-minded."[7] According to Smith, when Sonny makes mistakes, he learns from them.[9] Smith described Sonny as "so colorful and three-dimensional. He's such an interesting character."[16] Greg Meng said the character was envisioned as "the guy next door, but yet has strength, vulnerability and charm." Meng also said "the plan is for Sonny to be very responsible."[15] According to Smith, "Sonny is a positive character" usually.[17]

What sets Sonny's introduction apart from the introductions of other gay characters is "that he was comfortable, and out, and even his family was accepting of him" Smith said. He continued, "They just wanted to show that when you come out and you are with the people you trust and love—you can finally get out from under that rock, and just be who you are."[13] The openly gay Sonny slowly eases into canvas as he develops relationships with those he comes in contact with. Unlike most character introductions, Sonny is not immediately thrust into a romance. Already four months into his tenure, Smith insisted that he "legitimately" did not know who his love interest would be but he was excited because it was all people were talking about. Smith added that giving Sonny a love interest would make him much more "dimensional" as a character. "Everyone on the show has a boy or a girl, and I am like the fifth wheel" he joked.[15] However, Smith came to appreciate the waiting period. "It was important for people to get to know Sonny as a person and not just as this gay character on the show, who is dating another gay character."[18] One consistent theme with Sonny is that he is very open about his sexuality. While his parents are worried about how others will react—particularly Sonny's great uncle Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) -- "Sonny is very comfortable. He'll tell anyone" Smith said. Smith explained that Sonny "just wants his friends and family to accept him for who he is." Victor's support is something Sonny never questions because of how close they are.[19] While said it would have been cool to do a coming-out story with Sonny[13] he appreciated how comfortable Sonny is with being openly gay because "It showed that it's great to have a support system. It made it easier for him to come out."[16] Not only does Sonny's introduction make him the only representation of a gay character on daytime television at the time as All My Children's iconic lesbian character, Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) made her final appearances when the soap went off the air in September 2011,[15] he was also the first "official" gay character in Days of Our Lives's 47-year history.[13]

Upon his arrival in 2011, Sonny's life seemed very easy going and Freddie Smith hinted that "At some point, there will be conflict in Sonny's story." Meanwhile, his uncle Victor's only concern is how other people will react to his nephew.[19] In the summer of 2012 during an interview with Outlook Media Smith revealed that Sonny would be involved in a bullying storyline.[16] Smith previewed the storyline during and interview and said "it's told very well, and I think it's important to show storylines like that because it happens in real life all the time." He insisted the importance of showing "how [bullying] affects people."[9] When Brendan Coughlin reprises his recurring role as Tad "T" Stevens in the summer of 2012—T and Sonny are already at odds. "He did not like Sonny because he is gay, he is a gay basher" Smith said of T. So when T returns to town and finds out his best friend Will Horton (Chandler Massey) has recently come out of the closet—T blames Sonny for it."[17] Sonny has already experienced this before and the incident with T "brings him back -- he thought he was home free. [It's] disappointing to him. He was very bullet proof at first."[16] Smith explained that Sonny already "came to terms with who he is, and he thought all of this was in his past." The ordeal kind of shocks him.[17] Smith admitted to having his own experience being bullied but described it as "very mild." However, he knew of others that had worse experiences and thought it was a good reason that the plot address the "huge issue." For about two weeks, the series shows the emotional effects of the bullying from Sonny's point of view and how he works through those emotions.[18] One particular scene shows Sonny being comforted by his father, Justin (Wally Kurth). "It turned out to be such a great scene" Smith remarked. He continued, "It's important to have family there under circumstances like that."[13] The storyline culminated with Sonny retaliating against his attacker Tad "T" Stevens (Brendan Coughlin). "I personally wouldn't go after someone like that" Smith said but he defended Sonny's actions by saying "our emotions run wild and we don't always think. We just react."[20] Smith praised his costar Brendan Coughlin for his portrayal of T. "I just react off of him. He really scares me and makes me feel like crap."[18] The storyline also afforded Smith with the opportunity to speak to congress about an anti-bullying campaign.[21]

On April 3, 2015, Michael Goldberg of Serial Scoop reported that Smith would be leaving the series. However, neither the network or the show runners were available to comment at press time.[23] Daytime Confidential's Jamey Giddens revealed that he had contacted the show's publicist but had yet to receive a response.[24] Soap Opera Digest reported that Smith had decided to leave the series on his own accord.[25] Smith who finished taping scenes in March 2015 confirmed his exit to Soap Opera Digest in May 2015 and revealed that the door was left open for his character to return. He revealed that he wanted to pursue other endeavors such as producing and directing.[26] Not even his Daytime Emmy win could make Smith rethink his decision to vacate the role of Sonny. "During the press conference after his win, Smith said "I think it’s a reminder [of DAYS] but it’s also pushing me into the future; letting me spread my wings and move on. It represents a lot of things — the future and the past, if you will."[27] "Working 60 hours a week on DOOL, I had all my focus on the show. In order for me to direct and pursue films, I had to make the tough decision and leave the show." Smith had signed a four-year contract, and "I knew my contract was coming to an end and the big decision had to be made." He continued "as an actor, I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone." Smith met with executive producer Ken Corday and the production team to inform them of his decision. "They even said the door was always open, which is the best compliment I could have received" the actor said of the show's support of him.[28] Smith's final scenes aired on August 18, 2015 and he posted a heartfelt message to fans on his Facebook page.[29] "As Freddie I was genuinely sad, and so was the character" Smith said of his final day on set. "It was very emotional." Smith explained that his desire to try other things contributed to his decision not to sign another contract earlier in the year. "I have a few films that are already in preproduction. They'll go into production very soon."[30] In story, Sonny leaves town to work for his uncle Victor in Europe after his marriage to Will falls apart due to Will's affair with Sonny's boyfriend, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean). Smith appreciated that the character had experienced some pain and drama. "Before the story [with Paul and Will] start, I remember thinking, 'Sonny's so happy. Can he just yell once in a while?'" Smith insisted that Sonny could definitely return.[30]

Only a month after Freddie Smith's final scenes aired, rumors circulated that Guy Wilson's Will Horton was to be killed off in October. Days historian Jason47 reported that Smith would briefly reprise the role of Sonny to help facilitate Wilson's departure.[31] Smith told Soap Opera Digest that he was literally contacted by the series to briefly reprise his role the following week after he finished filming scenes in March 2015. "It was very top secret" he remarked. A month later, he was contacted again about details of his return and informed that Will Horton was being killed off. "It was the last thing I would have imagined." Due to the nature of his swift return, "It felt like I was away for a long weekend." Smith filmed four episodes which started airing on October 12, 2015. He last aired on October 22 as a grief-stricken Sonny leaves town again as it is too painful to remain in Salem. "With Will being gone, I felt like there was a closure" Smith said of his return.[32] In an interview with AfterBuzz TV, Smith revealed that Guy Wilson had contacted him in secret to inform him of the decision to kill of the character and he was officially contacted by the network after. Smith felt the need to explain his prior statements about how he felt "closure" at the end of the story. "The good closure not on the love story, but the closure in the sense that Sonny has to go back to see his husband. If he didn’t go back – it’s terrible that he died – no one wants that – but as the character, you would obviously go back and see your husband. It was just an interesting end to the whole thing."[33]

On February 3, 2016, a picture of actor Vincent Irizarry and Judi Evans on set showed a person resembling Freddie Smith working in the background. Though Irizarry claimed that the person was just a stagehand, many immediately speculated that Smith was set to return to the series.[34] Soap Opera Digest officially confirmed the news of Smith's return in April 2016.[35] Michael Fairman of On-Air On-Soaps reported that Smith had been filming new episodes for several months which would begin airing in July 2016.[36] Smith gave a statement to the magazine about his return. "I am beyond excited about returning home to Salem. Sonny is back and it's going to be amazing!"[37] On May 27, 2016, Smith's official fan account on Twitter announced that the actor had signed a new deal with the soap.[38] Soap Opera Digest announced that Sonny's return to the canvas was slated for July 26.[39] Of his return, Smith revealed that he was contacted about reprising the role of Sonny in November 2015, shortly after he last aired and said he was happy to be welcome back to the show. Of his return, Smith said "you're going to see a mature side to Sonny."[40]

On February 12, 2020, on his podcast, Smith announced that he and Massey had been let go from their roles. Detailing the exit, Smith stated: "Essentially what happened is we came back … so we had that big two-and-a-half month or nine-week break. I was under the impression — I knew this going back, that I was coming back for six episodes and contracts hadn’t been signed yet. I said, 'Great, there are a lot of things going on over there, a lot of things are up in the air. Great I am coming back for six episodes.' We hit people up [via] DM from the show and Chandler and I were trying to figure out if we were the only two coming back for six or are there other people that are just coming back for six. Once we got confirmation that other people were coming back for six, we figured 'Okay, good, we are not getting written off.' As the scripts started coming in, we started talking more. I just go , 'Man, this doesn’t look good. This doesn’t look like we are going to be signed onto a contract.'"[41][42] Smith made his last appearance on September 1, 2020.[43]