Theo Carver

In the summer of 2002, Abe Carver (James Reynolds) announces his plans to divorce his wife Lexie (Renée Jones) for her attempt at kidnapping a child and trying to pass it off as their own. On the rebound, Lexie sleeps with Brandon Walker (Matt Cedeño). Lexie later reveals she is pregnant and a paternity test proves Abe is the baby's father.[1] Abe and Lexie reunite and as she gives birth to her baby on May 29, 2003, Brandon is revealed to be Abe's long lost son. Brandon's new wife and Lexie's rival Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) later reveals that she tampered with the baby's original paternity test to make sure Abe believes he is the child's father. A paternity test confirms Abe as the boy's father. On June 2, Lexie and Abe officially name their son Theodore Brandon, after Brandon and Abe's late brother Theo (Rusty Cundieff).[2] In September 2003, Abe is presumed dead when he is shot on the day of Theo's christening.[3] He is revealed to be alive in 2004 and the family is reunited. After Lexie's latest affair, in 2006, Abe wants to divorce her and sue for custody of Theo.[4] However, Lexie is presumed dead in January 2007 before the divorce is final leaving Abe to raise Theo on his own. Lexie is revealed to be alive several months later.[5] In early 2008, Lexie is appointed to the chief of staff position at the hospital. In June 2008, a 5-year-old Theo (Ransom) is diagnosed with autism which puts a strain on the Carvers' marriage. Lexie later walks away from her position at the hospital to spend more time with Theo. In the fall of 2008, Abe decides to run for mayor and the parents struggle with the idea of forcing Theo to live a life in the public eye. In December 2008, Theo runs away from Lexie and gets lost. Abe and Lexie's friend Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) tracks the boy down and brings him home.[6] In 2009, Theo starts making progress with his condition when he acknowledges Abe and Lexie as his parents for the first time.[7] Over the years, Theo forms bonds with his grandfather Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) and his uncles EJ (James Scott), Chad DiMera (Casey Deidrick) and Cameron Davis (Nathan Owens) as well as his cousins. He is also very close friends with Bo and Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso)'s mischievous daughter Ciara Brady (Lauren Boles). In 2012, Lexie passes away leaving Abe to raise their son alone. Theo later reveals that he has been communicating with his late mother.

In November 2015, a 16-year-old Theo (Pettis) attends Hope's wedding with his father and spends most of his time with Ciara (Vivian Jovanni). During the reception, Theo is with Joey Johnson (James Lastovic) when Joey passes out. Theo initially panics, but eventually calls Lani Price (Sal Stowers) for help, and Joey is rushed to the hospital. Later, during the fireworks for the Salem bicentennial, Ciara kisses Theo. Theo bonds with Lani over baseball and is quite shocked when Abe reveals that Lani is his half-sister. He confides in Joey because he doesn't know how to react and Ciara assures him that having a sister can be a good thing and Joey later accuses Theo of having a crush on Ciara. Theo comforts Ciara when her father Bo passes away from a brain tumor. Theo later starts receiving insulting text messages from an anonymous bully and he tries to hide it from Ciara. Lani later finds out and he swears her to secrecy. Theo then confides in Abe and Lani about his crush on Ciara. When the bullying continues, Lani lets it slip to Abe and demands answers from Theo. Theo pleads with Abe to leave it alone but questions why people are so cruel. Theo is shocked when Ciara reveals that her stepbrother Chase Jennings (Jonathon McClendon) is the one bullying him and he furiously confronts him. Ciara comforts him and encourages him to forgive Chase.[8] In March 2016, Theo is shocked when Ciara confesses that Chase raped her and she swears him to secrecy. Theo, Joey and Claire Brady (Olivia Rose Keegan) later abduct Chase and force him to confess so he can be arrested. Ciara and Theo later attend his Uncle Chad's (Billy Flynn) wedding to her cousin Abigail Deveraux (Kate Mansi) where Theo serves as best man.[9] A drunken Ciara later kisses Theo after her 18th birthday party. Meanwhile, Abe is uneasy about Theo and Ciara's growing intimacy fearing he will get hurt. While they are preparing for prom, Mark McNair (Connor Weil) forcibly kisses Ciara which leads to Theo attacking him. During the prom, Mark puts on a slide show to humiliate Theo and Ciara. Theo later defends Ciara and his friends after they spray paint Mark's car for revenge and get arrested. A furious Theo refuses to stop seeing Ciara despite Abe's pleas with him. Theo is devastated when Ciara agrees with Abe and breaks it off with him.

In the summer of 2016, Theo serves as a listening ear for Claire and also rekindles his friendship with Ciara. When Abby is believed to have been killed in a plane crash, Theo and Claire find comfort with one another and begin dating. Theo temporarily moves into the DiMera mansion when a prison break puts the lives of several Salem citizens in danger and comforts Claire when her grandfather gets shot. Theo and Ciara console one another when Claire and Joey are kidnapped by the escaped prisoners and she inquires about his feelings for Claire. After his father is shot during a press conference, a distraught Theo pulls a gun on Abe's shooter, Clyde Weston (James Read) allowing Clyde to avoid getting arrested when Theo freezes up. Theo is unnerved by the sudden return of Abe's ex-girlfriend Doctor Valerie Grant (Vanessa Estelle Williams) and blames her when Abe's condition worsens after she operates on Abe. Abe recovers but Theo is not supportive when they rekindle their romance. To calm his fears, Claire helps Theo spy on Valerie and they plant a recording device on Christmas. In early 2017, Valerie discovers the bug and confronts Theo, who apologizes and she agrees not to tell Abe. Valerie later comforts Claire and Theo when they experience some social media backlash because of their interracial romance. Theo moves out on his own and shares an apartment with Claire, Ciara and Joey.

The role was originated by uncredited child actors on May 29, 2003 until August 26, 2003.[10][11] Several child actors played the role from until 2007, including Chase and Tyler Johnson (September 8, 2003 to November 26, 2004), Kavi Faquir (April 14, 2006 to June 22, 2007) and Amyrh Harris (December 26, 2007). Terrell Ransom, Jr. took over the role on May 20, 2008. Ransom had recently relocated to Los Angeles with his family to jumpstart his entertainment career. Ransom quickly signed with an agent and landed the role of Theo a few months later. While Ransom did not have a personal acting coach on set, his mother Katrina assisted him with reviewing his scripts. "His mannerisms that you see on-screen just comes naturally." Ransom also picked up a lot from his fellow cast members.[12] After seven years with the series, Ransom made his final appearance in the role of Theo July 9, 2015.[13]

In March 2015, it was reported that Days of Our Lives had released a casting call for the role of Elijah, a 16-year-old "sweet" and "gorgeous, African American male".[14][15] Jamey Giddens of Daytime Confidential reported that Dena Higley who had just been rehired to write the show's 50th anniversary wanted to continue telling Theo's story.[16] On August 12, 2015, it was reported that actor and model Kyler Pettis had joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as a recast of Theo Carver. Pettis had recently made a guest appearance on Showtime's Ray Donovan and also appeared in the web series, Old Dogs & New Tricks.[17][18] Pettis made his debut on November 3, 2015.[19] Pettis auditioned for another Days role months earlier. The actor described the character as "motorcycle dude" and assumed it was a just a "guest spot." His manager kept in touch with the casting director which led to Pettis being brought back to audition for Theo. Pettis competed against several other actors for the role.[20] Pettis, who had also previously auditioned for CBS's The Young and the Restless, tested for the role of Theo opposite his on-screen dad, James Reynolds. He got a little bit of information about the character, specifically Theo's autism to prepare for the screen test. Pettis revealed that he was a bit nervous when he first booked the role but has since settled into his job. "It's awesome to be one of the new youngsters on the show" Pettis remarked to Soap Opera Digest.[21] At the time, Pettis was also auditioning for The Bold and the Beautiful and it had come down to him and one other actor. Pettis was approached about meeting the producers of Bold when he finally booked Theo.[20]

On October 23, 2020, it was announced that Cameron Johnson had been hired as a recast of Theo.[22][23] In a statement to SoapHub.com, a representative for the series said "Cameron is excited to be making his daytime drama debut on NBC’s Days of our Lives stepping into the role of Theo."[24] According to a statement from Ron Carlivati in Soap Opera Digest, Pettis declined to come back to the series which caused the recast.[25] Johnson made his debut on November 6, 2020. In preparation for the role, Johnson "binged the series" to make sure he was up-to-date on current plots and "I went on the fan pages for Theo and found his backstory, so I did all my homework." When he learned of Theo's autism, Johnson explained that he "did a deep dive on autism and tried to do what I could to incorporate that because I didn't want to lose that, obviously." On his first day, Johnson said "I was completely nervous, I was out of my mind." Johnson booked the role in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. "They have all these safety guidelines in place and you have to wear a mask everywhere and you're not able to meet anybody beforehand. If you want to go through a scene you have to do it from the telephone in your dressing room. So the first time you're meeting your scene partner is when you're setting foot on the set. So navigating through that, it's fantastic and super-fun." Additionally, the cast was "so welcoming" to Johnson and "made him feel at home." While Johnson was only slated to appear in a handful of episodes, when asked if he would like to come back, Johnson said "Absolutely. I'm loving it so far."[26]

During the casting process in 2015, Theo was described as a high-functioning autistic.[15] Pettis later said Theo has "relatable likeness to him" that would make viewers want to know him.[27] Though Theo definitely has a mind of his own, "I don't think Theo is much of a manipulator" Pettis said of the character. "Theo's moral compass is pretty high" the actor stated.[28] Pettis later described Theo as the "White knight" of Salem. While his actions may not always reflect it, Theo is "always coming from a loving place." He continued that "Theo is a fully rounded character I could see a lot of myself in." Pettis said he can sympathize with Theo's "social discomfort."[20]

In June 2008, Days of Our Lives announced a partnership with Autism Speaks for a storyline in which young Theo—aged 3 -- is diagnosed with Autism.[29] The actor's mother, Katrina Ransom explained that she wasn't aware that her son would portray an autistic character until after Terrell was hired.[12] The plot was actually the network's idea. Executives were pitching potential storylines ideas and when the subject of autism came up, head writer Dena Higley discussed her personal experiences with her son Connor, then aged 20, who like Theo, was also diagnosed at an age 3. The network bosses were immediately sold. "I never would have pushed the story uninvited" Higley admitted of how painful it would be for her family to discuss.[29] NBC's Senior Vice President Bruce Evans praised the decision and said "We are hopeful that this storyline will serve as a resource for our viewers." Alison Singer, Executive Vice President of Communications and Awareness for Autism Speaks said the story "realistically portrays the emotional trauma every family faces when a child is diagnosed with autism." Singer also praised the show for its commitment to raising awareness about the "autism crisis."[30] The plan was to have the story play out long term, with viewers seeing Theo and his parents deal with his condition throughout his life. To help with craft the story, the producers brought in a researcher from UCLA to help out on set.[31] Days would become only the second soap to address the issue of autism after ABC Daytime's All My Children which introduced the character of Lily Montgomery (Leven Rambin) in 1993. However, it was the first time a soap had featured a diagnosis and the effects of said diagnosis.[29]

Higley said "We're telling the profound and life-altering story of a child with autism from his parents' point of view." The story focuses on Abe and Lexie's struggle to accept Theo's diagnoses "and ultimately, their ability to find life-affirming hope in the midst of learning how to live day to day with this disability."[30] In an interview on NBC's Today, Higley revealed that she used dialogue from her real conversations with her husband Mark about their son. Renée Jones (Lexie), admitted she didn't know much about the condition or "the emotional toll that it takes on a family." James Reynolds (Abe), welcomed the story seeing it as chance to "showcase" what so many families go through. Jones said it also gives those viewers who have personal experience with autism the chance "to have what they're going through validated in some way."[32]

The producers wanted to tell the story from the diagnosis, to the reaction, and how Theo could eventually live a normal life.[33] In story, Abe and Lexie notice Theo's lack of verbal communication and small vocabulary. Reynolds later explained, "Theo had 30 or 40 words in his vocabulary, where a child at that age should have 500 words or so." The parents also notice Theo doesn't make eye contact with them and doesn't interact with other children.[34] The very outgoing Ransom loved to smile and interact with his cast mates, something that the character would have to keep to a minimum. However, the young actor was able to take direction very well.[31]

By the time Kyler Pettis took over the role, Theo has been living with autism for more than half his life. While Pettis keeps Theo's condition in mind, he made an effort to see "Theo as a person first" instead of some "autistic kid." This allowed Pettis portray Theo with "more humanity."[28] Pettis described stepping into the role as a bit intimidating. "It was a scary process when I started filming because you can totally play this character so over-the-top, and get backlash for it." He further explained, "I didn’t look at Theo that way. I approached his story line, and got an understanding of autism as a social awkwardness and the social not connecting. I get that way in my day-to-day life so I make sure to pay attention, and figure out if Theo would feel that way, and play more onto that."[20] The actor also did his own research to prepare for the role -- "I talked to people who interacted with autistic people," specifically Higley. He stated "It was challenging to step into, but it's something I look forward to as an actor and it's fun."[28]

After Lexie's death, Theo's relationship with Abe becomes the most important connection in his life. According to Kyler Pettis, "Theo has gotten comfortable with that he and his dad are buddies, and it's just the two of them." Of his co-star James Reynolds, Pettis said "He has the qualities that remind me of my own dad. So, it's easy to sink into that father/son relationship."[28] On the father-son dynamic, Reynolds described Abe as being rather "strict" and protective of Theo not only because of Theo's autism, but also because Theo is coming of age.[35] That dynamic becomes strained when Abe reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Valerie Grant (Vanessa A. Williams) and Theo becomes very protective. Theo feels like Valerie threatens his relationship with Abe.[36] Pettis explained that "I think not only is it about a new person coming in and intruding on what Theo and Abe have, but Theo also sees it as intruding on what [Abe] and his mom had."[28]

That protectiveness goes into overdrive when Abe is shot in the fall of 2016 and Theo feels a responsibility to take care of Abe on his own. Theo is thinking to himself, "What am I going to do if the doctor asks me a question." According to Pettis, it's a "scary" situation for Theo, especially without any real support. Theo even goes so far as to threaten Abe's shooter, Clyde Weston (James Read) with gun. Despite ample time to pull the trigger, "this is Theo Carver we are talking about here" Pettis declared as if such a thing couldn't be in Theo's nature. "I think the idea was stronger than the action in his mind."[28] Pettis had a lot of fun with these scenes—initially too much fun for Theo. "I came running on set, and in my mind I was in a Bad Boys movie. I was yelling at [Clyde] all confident and everything." While it was good, a director reminded Pettis that Theo wouldn't be very tough in that situation, "so I had to turn that around" Pettis explained.[20]

Outside of his family, Theo's (Ransom) relationship with Ciara Brady (Lauren Boles) is his most significant. The two have grown up together and are best friends. In addition, their parents have always been very close. In November 2015 the teen aged Ciara (Vivian Jovanni) seems to take a romantic interest Theo (Pettis).[37] The two attend prom together and Theo even professes his love for her.[38] But when Ciara tells Theo she wants nothing more than friendship, he finds comfort with Ciara's niece, Claire Brady (Keegan). Ciara soon pursues Theo again and a triangle develops. Kyler Pettis described Ciara as "Theo's one true love." And though he still loves her, at the moment, "it's more as a friend" and a romance isn't imminent. At his age, Theo would welcome that sort of attention from girls and "That's when Claire comes into the picture." According to Pettis, Theo is "intimidated by Claire." Things move a bit faster for the two of them but it's "what [Theo] has been looking for" at the time. However, Pettis suspected that Theo and Ciara would eventually end up together.[28] Pettis described the triangle as one of the most challenging aspects of his portrayal of Theo because he'd never been in a situation like that. Pettis reveled in the Theo-Ciara breakup scenes. "I felt like me and Vivian [...], who is a good friend of mine, dropped into a very real place, and it's always great to get there as an actor."[20]

Terrell Ransom, Jr. became quite popular in the role of Theo. Lori Wilson of Soaps.com said the young actor "wasted no time capturing the hearts of Days of Our Lives viewers." Wilson herself said Ransom a "major reason" the autism story was so "compelling."[12] In 2009, Ransom was nominated for the Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV series - Recurring Young Actor."[39] In 2015, Ransom was pre-nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series.[40]

Omar White-Nobles of TVSource Magazine praised the decision to age Theo into his teen years just in time for the show's 50th anniversary. "I may be 29, but I'm a fan of the multi-generational aspect of the continuing narrative."[41] Kyler Pettis' casting made quite the impression on both viewers and critics. The initial announcement led to some viewers being worried that Theo's autism would be cut out with the casting of the "pretty boy" actor but most were relieved when the writers decided to continue Theo's autism storyline. TVSource Magazine's Coryon Gray praised the actor for his "spot on" and "believable" portrayal of the autistic teenager upon his debut. Gray also hailed Pettis as one of the strongest new actors in the teen scene.[42][43] Gray later said "there's no denying that Kyler Pettis' Theo has grown to become a great character with some of the most natural writing on the show."[44] Gray raved about Pettis' portrayal of Theo when the character gets stranded in a blackout. "Props have to be given when they're deserved and I believe Kyler Pettis deserved them." He continued, "All of Theo's little ticks were brought to life after only ever being talked about on screen, never really shown."[45] Diane Brounstein of SoapHub also praised the writing for the character and described Theo as "The real star" of the week.[46] Laurisa praised Pettis for his "nice performance."[47] Cindy McLennan said "Kyler Pettis has done a deft job with Theo Carver, a character on the Autism spectrum."[48] Michael Goldberg of Serial Scoop praised Pettis for his portrayal as Theo confronts a bully and declared that Pettis "transcends his role." Goldberg said that Pettis portrayed Theo's autism with "ease."[8] Tony S. from Soap Central also praised the plot as it "actually played out much better than expected." He continued, "The depths of Theo's hurt and heartbreak over being bullied was superbly played out by Kyler Pettis."[49] Cindy McLennan from SoapShows described Pettis as a "godsend." McLennan gave Pettis a grade of "A+" for his portrayal and said the actor "managed to make our sweet Theo both relatable and unique." While Pettis definitely looked the part, McLennan said "Pettis has delivered with aplomb." She continued that the actor had "deftly played a character who is not neurotypical without making his character a parody."[50] Christine Orlando from TV Fanatic was a bit more harsh in her judgement of the teenagers. "I think Theo is the only watchable character but when he’s constantly paired with Ciara or Claire, I lose interest fast."[51] In honor of the show's 51st anniversary in 2016, Soap Central included in its list of "51 Reasons to watch." The article stated "Theo is adorable, kind, heroic, brave... (and played to perfection by Kyler Pettis).[52] Alina Adams criticized the inconsistent writing for Theo's autism which she said "seems to come and go as the story demands, so he doesn't feel like a very strong presence."[53] Pettis quickly became a fan favorite.[36][20] In March 2016, Kyler Pettis debuted on TVSource Magazine's fan poll at #7 on the top actors list.[54] In 2019, Pettis won his first Daytime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Younger Actor for his portrayal of Theo.[55]

Bethany from Soap Central raved about Pettis' dynamic opposite Vivian Jovanni (Ciara). "I like that Theo wants to protect [Ciara], yet he doesn't come off as being overbearing or as someone who 'knows what's best' for Ciara."[56] Tony S. praised the actor's portrayal of Theo's reaction to Ciara dumping him. "Kyler Pettis' hurt expressions made me want to send Theo a flock of puppies to brighten his day."[57] Of Theo's pairing with Claire, Coryon Gray said "I love them, seriously!"[58] However, Gray felt the writing for Theo in the romance left a lot to be desired. "How has this turmoil not affected Theo with his condition? Dating Claire alone is sensory overload but he’s been written more dead to the world than anything. Theo should be noticing a lot more than he does because of his autism."[59] Laurisa compared the triangle between Claire, Theo and Ciara to Sami/Austin and Carrie. "That is not a compliment" she stated.[60]