If you aren't tuning in to Days of our Lives now that it's streaming on Peacock, you're making a Pretty Woman-worthy mistake (i.e. big -- huge!). The soap has continued to deliver its signature can't-miss drama in spades, including a bombshell moment in which Chloe Lane (Nadia Bjorlin) was shocked to see her former lover, Stefan (Brandon Barash), back from the dead just as Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) accused her current lover, Brady (Eric Martsolf), of murder.
Soap Central caught up with Bjorlin to get her thoughts on all the Salem excitement and how it might affect Chloe's relationship with Brady, but first, we got the scoop on the actress' new film, Nothing Is Impossible, a feel-good project that will be available for streaming on Pure Flix, beginning Thursday, October 6.
The inspiring romance (trailer below) follows a high school janitor (David A.R. White) who gets a second chance at his dream to be in the NBA and to reconnect with a previous love (Bjorlin).
As Bjorlin explains to Soap Central, "He was a 'star' in high school, a star basketball player, and he had all these dreams, and then he was injured and wasn't able to achieve them, and then life happened -- he had to take care of his parents, and before you know it, he had given up on what he loved and just sort of decided that wasn't for him, but then he gets this second chance."
She continues, "It was so nice to shoot a family-friendly, feel-good film that reminds you, 'The world is not ending, things are possible. It's super uplifting, which was definitely great, and... filming actually worked out perfectly with my schedule last summer with DAYS. The show was on hiatus right before I got a call from the casting director."
Bjorlin enthuses that she was very quick to accept the role of Ryan Aikens, who is a strong female character in a male-dominated world. Ryan inherits a failing basketball team after the death of her father, and she's forced to hold her own as she navigates how to make the team succeed.
"She has the hurdle of being a woman who is smart but hasn't been hands-on with the team up until this point, so she wonders, 'Are people going to take me seriously?'" Bjorlin shares, adding that the character's story somewhat mirrors real life at the moment. "You're seeing more and more women taking leadership roles and management roles in sports, like managing basketball teams. [For example] the Seahawks recently got one of their first female coaches... we're seeing more and more of that, women who are able to break those barriers. Sadly, it's 2022, and we're still dealing with inequality, so it was really cool to portray a character who is dealing with that, as well."
However, the film's main message, Bjorlin points out, is that it's never too late to chase after your dreams.
"I love that message, and it's a great message for anyone at any age; you're never too young to pursue something you love, and you're never too old," she says. "Sometimes we have to squash some of those societal expectations. And we all experience those doubts -- even I go through it, where you feel like if you haven't 'achieved' something by a certain timeline that you've given yourself, that somehow you've failed -- and it's ridiculous! I'm very proud of my career, but at the same time, I also have to remind myself that it's a journey, your life is a journey, and you're constantly growing and evolving. It ain't over 'til it's over!"
Bjorlin was rather lucky to have achieved some of her biggest dreams when she was young, contrary to Scott in Nothing Is Impossible. But she says she still has dreams that she'd like to pursue in this later stage of her life.
"Being in the entertainment industry, you have to constantly evolve and be okay with... figuring out what's next in the ever-changing world," she shares. "I remember a couple of years into my career, reality TV happened, and everybody was like, 'This is just a fad. This thing will never stick.' Fast-forward to now, and it's like, 'Oh, boy!' But all of it has changed. If you did TV, you just did TV, and if you did movies, you just did movies. And now, with the ever-evolving platforms, and with streaming, it's all different. Even with Days of our Lives, it just went to streaming on Peacock, and I think it's actually really exciting, because that's how people are watching content now."
Bjorlin acknowledges that the soap's transition from NBC to Peacock hasn't been easy for everyone -- including herself!
"I call myself Grandma Millennial because I'm sort of half analog, half digital," she says with a laugh. "I speak to peers and younger people who are like, 'I don't own a television. I watch everything on my computer.' And I'm like, 'What?!' It's so strange to me. It's fascinating how much technology has evolved in the last decade, and you kind of have to keep up with it."
As Soap Central previously reported, DAYS' shift to streaming may come with some exciting changes. The show's executive producer, Ken Corday, teased that episodes may be longer, and material may be edgier now that the show doesn't have to conform to network television standards. Bjorlin has yet to notice any of those changes, but she's looking forward to whatever the future brings.
"We're all pretty excited about some of those possible changes, but I don't think it will change too much -- I don't think they want to alienate people that are used to things a certain way," she shares. "Maybe it will get a little bit edgier. The storylines have certainly already been pushing the envelope, but maybe the episodes will go longer or maybe stories will be told differently. I don't quite know, but I think that we're all interested and excited to see."
As for her current storyline, viewers can expect Chloe's life to get very intense. The character has been in a war with Kristen (Stacy Haiduk), and Bjorlin teases that Chloe finally fights back -- with possibly disastrous results!
"At this point, Kristen has done nothing but terrorize her and terrorize the people that she loves, and she certainly isn't going to sit by and watch everything be taken from her," the actress reveals. "But that being said, she has to have all parties on board, and if that doesn't happen, then things might implode. You're definitely going to see some of that -- the rug is definitely going to be pulled out from under Chloe once again, where she goes, 'What happened?!' [Laughs] 'I thought this was all going so well, and then it just doesn't.'"
So, Chloe might not be in for a fun ride in the weeks ahead, but Bjorlin says she's been having a blast.
"It's so funny and so crazy," the actress enthuses of her storyline. "It would be easier if I didn't like Stacy so much, though! Sometimes we can't look at each other [during our adversarial scenes] because we absolutely adore each other in real life. But sometimes that really works; there's a fine line between love and hate, and sometimes when you really love each other, you can still have really great chemistry [as enemies] and you can make that hate thing work. But... Kristen just does not let up, and it just gets crazier and crazier. Poor Chloe just can't catch a break when it comes to anything -- when it comes to love, when it comes to her career, and anything else that is happening. Just when she finds a moment of joy, it just gets taken from her."
Some of that joy that's ripped from Chloe might be the happy relationship she has managed to build with Brady. So far, the couple has survived Kristen's antics, but Kristen really outdid herself this month by accusing Brady of murdering Philip and managing to get the recently returned-from-the-dead Stefan (Brandon Barash) to fall back in love with Chloe, who was gobsmacked to see her former lover back from the grave. Chloe is head over heels in love with Brady, but will she be emotionally affected by Stefan's return and renewed affections?
"In this case, I would say it really depends on extenuating circumstances," Bjorlin teases. "Where we're at right now with what's airing, I would say no, she wouldn't be interested because that's a chapter that has been closed in her life, and there isn't any interest. But some crazy stuff might start happening that makes her question all her life choices. There might be a few love triangles and quadrangles happening soon!"
The actress says viewers should expect no less from head writer Ron Carlivati, who always manages to keep fans and the show's actors on their toes.
"There's never a lack of excitement, and [my co-stars and I] have such a good time," she enthuses. "We text each other, and we're like, 'Oh, my God, did you read the latest script? What do you think is going to happen?' Because even we're kept in the dark about a lot of stuff."
Sometimes the storylines on DAYS get a little out there, but Bjorlin embraces them with open arms.
"We say happiness is the kiss of death around here, and it is! We can't stay happy for too long, otherwise it's boring. Who wants to watch just happiness? So, there's a lot of insanity," she shares. "Sometimes I'm like, 'Wait a minute. Didn't that character knock me out with a crowbar and lock me in the trunk of their car and then try to kill me? I don't know if I'd be this cordial to this person in this moment.' [Laughs] It's kind of out there, but it's to be expected!"
Days of our Lives is currently streaming on Peacock. Meanwhile, Bjorlin's new film, Nothing Is Impossible, will begin streaming on Pure Flix beginning Thursday, October 6.
What do you think about our interview with Nadia Bjorlin? What are your thoughts on the premise of her film Nothing Is Impossible? How do you foresee the Chloe/Kristen/Brady/Stefan storyline continuing in the weeks ahead? We want to hear from you -- and there are many ways you can share your thoughts.
