A Gym Friendship Helped Dick Van Dyke Land His Upcoming Role on ‘Days of Our Lives’
When you think of Dick Van Dyke, you probably conjure up memories of the comedian on The Dick Van Dyke Show or fondly remember the famed actor in Mary Poppins more recently. You probably don’t connect Van Dyke to soap operas, but at 97, he’s ready to take on a new challenge. Dick Van Dyke will appear on Days of Our Lives. He has a gym friendship to thank for the part.
Dick Van Dyke will appear on ‘Days of Our Lives’ as a man with amnesia
Dick Van Dyke is adding soap opera actor to his illustrious resume. It might be the only acting box the legend had left to tick off. During his 76 years in show business, Van Dyke has appeared in everything from films to TV shows. He spent time on Broadway, and his career took him into a recording studio. In recent years, Van Dyke even recently served as a consultant and appeared on The Masked Singer.
Now he’ll appear in a guest role on Days of Our Lives. Van Dyke confirmed he’d be joining the cast of Days of Our Lives to play a man with amnesia to Access. Van Dyke told the publication that he watched episodes to understand soap acting.
The legendary actor has a gym friendship to thank for the role
Van Dyke told Access exactly how he landed the role on the soap, too. He told the media outlet that a gym friendship ultimately led to his casting as a man with amnesia. He revealed that he goes to the same gym as Drake Hogestyn. Dick Van Dyke said he approached the Days of Our Lives star at the gym and asked him if there were any roles for “old people” on the soap. Initially, he was kidding, but Hogestyn ran with the idea.
Hogestyn has portrayed John Black on the soap for decades. He’s appeared in more than 4,000 episodes of the series. Only Deidre Hall and Kristian Alfonso have appeared in more episodes of the show. Hall has appeared in more than 5,000 episodes, and Alfonso in more than 4,300.
When will Dick Van Dyke appear on ‘Days of Our Lives’?
Fans will have a bit of a wait to see Van Dyke take the soap opera world by storm. While word of his upcoming role broke earlier this week, his storyline will play out sometime in the fall, according to Deadline.
To see Dick Van Dyke make his soap opera debut, when it eventually does happen, fans can tune into Peacock starting at 6 am on a weekday. The series began streaming exclusively on Peacock in September 2022. The decision angered many fans and led to a big loss in viewership for NBC. According to Decider, the network saw viewership for Days of Our Lives’ timeslot tumble after the move.
