JPI/Peacock
Guess Who? Galen Gering’s Arnold made an unwelcome appearance on EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) doorstep.
Rafe doppelganger Arnold Feniger is back on the Days of our Lives scene doing what he does best — wreaking havoc. The shifty criminal, who was hired by EJ and Stefano in 2011 to impersonate Rafe (after undergoing extensive plastic surgery) and cause trouble for Sami and her family, was believed to have been beaten to death in prison. However, it turns out it was all a ruse orchestrated by EJ, who secretly shipped Arnold away. Actor Galen Gering (Rafe/Arnold) was eager to dive back into miscreant mode to resurrect the character. He spoke with Soap Opera Digest about the story turn and how he’s pushing Arnold’s antics to the limit this time around.
Soap Opera Digest: How would you describe the version of Arnold that returns to Salem?
Galen Gering: He’s kind of deadbeat guy who ran out of money and figures, “Why don’t I go back and get some more?” That’s kind of his mission. Then, obviously, things will get a little complicated, because he’s a loose canon. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing or how to go about being discreet or anything like that.
Digest: How did you find out Arnold was returning? Did you just read it in the script or were you alerted ahead of time?
Gering: They actually did alert me ahead of time, which is rare. Janet [Spellman-Drucker, co-executive producer] told me. So it was exciting to wrap my head around it a little bit. Then I was like, “Well, when does it start?” And she said, “Next week.”
Digest: It’s been over a decade since Arnold was on the show. Did you ever envision him returning?
Gering: When the story [originally] played out, the guy had died. So they had to go back and recreate what had happened and how he managed to live, that it was all a hoax and he was whisked away and had been holed up [somewhere]. So this caught me by surprise, but I loved it. Playing the guy was great. For me it was a thrill to hear that we were going to revisit it. Then, obviously, I wanted to know how it was going to affect the canvas, what was happening [in the storyline].
Digest: Did you have to go back and brush up on the character?
Gering: Yeah. I was like, “Wait, what did I do?” I went back and looked at stuff because I had played this guy many years ago. Then I was like, “You know what? I think we’re going to take a few more liberties this time. I think we were going to make him more ridiculous and extreme.” The original version of Arnold was a little more subtle than the new and improved guy. I walked off set and people were like, “Oh my God. I cannot believe [what you’re doing]. You must be having a blast.” And I was like, “I am!” It’s super-fun.
Digest: Rafe is stringent and by the book. Arnold is the 180 degree opposite of that.
Gering: Completely. People honestly would be like, “Can this guy stay and Rafe leave? He’s way more fun.” I just kept doing stuff on set that was befitting for the character, but totally wholeheartedly ridiculous and over the top. I feel like I was pushing the limits, but they were loving it. They’d always be like, “Do it again. Do it again. We love it.” It was really fun to have the producers and directors be behind it and say, “Okay, let’s go for it.”
Digest: What do you like best about playing Arnold as opposed to playing Rafe?
Gering: Obviously it’s a good change. And, like you said, Arnold is the 180 degree polar opposite of Rafe. So it’s a chance for me as an actor to get to spread my wings, have fun, and clearly not be as serious in terms of, “Oh, I have to run the police force.” Or, “I’m working on this investigation.”
Digest: Does Arnold remind you of any TV or movie character you’ve ever seen?
Gering: There are definitely parts, whether I was intentionally doing it or not, where he evolved and had a Joe Pesci-esque kind of a vibe in terms of his overall demeanor. He would be kind of volatile and at times whimsical. He would want to have fun, but then kind of freak out about things.
Digest: Joe Pesci from any particular project or just Joe Pesci at large?
Gering: Goodfellas would be a little too extreme, but I think a lot of his characters have that similar tenacity and ability to flip quite quickly. I was just more of a feeling. I didn’t set out to copy anything he did.
Digest: When you originally played Arnold, you worked opposite Joseph Mascolo (ex-Stefano) and James Scott (ex-EJ). Did you have to give Dan Feuerriegel, the current EJ, a refresher course on the character?
Gering: Yeah, Dan was like, “Wait. Who is this guy? What happened?” Fortunately we talked about it in the storyline. So he got not only my input, but also we were telling the audience again where the guy came from.
Digest: What’s it like playing Arnold opposite Dan’s EJ? Did you get any different kind of feedback and what was that dynamic like?
Gering: I had an opportunity with Dan to have more back and forth stuff. EJ is like, “What are you doing here? You’ve got to get out of here!” And Arnold is like, “I’ll go if you pay me a bunch of money.” I got to needle Dan and EJ. So it was really great. I had the opportunity, as the Arnold character, to basically torture EJ, make him feel super uncomfortable, and pressure him into doing things he didn’t want to do. That’s a position that his character isn’t put in a lot, so it was really fun.
