Dr. Craig on Days of Our Lives

Boxtop presents

September 1, 1998

Kevin Spirtas joined the cast of Days of Our Lives in the summer of 1997 during Carrie and Mike's "LA Adventure." Since then, he has become a staple on the show with his mischievous portrayal of Dr. Craig. Kevin stopped by to talk about his roots in theater, how he got the gig on Days, and to straighten up some rumors involving an adult film he was not in.

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Speaker: Talk City Presents(tm), in association with iXl Live(tm), welcomes you to a conversation with our special guest Kevin Spirtas.

Speaker1: Welcome to Talk City, Kevin! You were originally hired for just two appearances on 'Days'. What was it about you and your character that made Dr. Craig Wesley a keeper?

KevinSpirtas: I think it was more about timing than anything! Time and opportunity crossed paths. They needed to put Carrie and Mike together. Fortunately I was able to deliver enough character in those two days that it made them think "hmm, this might be an interesting way." When I first auditioned for the part, the casting director was already a fan of mine, and she brought me in. Upfront she told me that she knew I'd done leads in films and soap operas, and she said this role would never hold me back from returning to the show. But she also had an investment in her career, and wanted to bring in someone who could do the job. I happened to show up, and they retrieved the information that they'd stored, 8 months later! There's a little anecdote as well. A year ago when I was on set for 2 days, the producers called the casting director and said they really loved me! And she called me and said that they NEVER call, that they really liked me! Who knew? But that's the way it occurred! A magical Hollywood moment!

Wendy Pooh 16: Do you like playing a villain on Days of Our Lives?

KevinSpirtas: No, I think someone's got the villain confused here! I am not a villain by any definition! I like playing Craig, and I think he does what he has to do to survive and get ahead, but one must remember the "light" vs. "dark" side of Craig. He is a doctor, and he is saving lives. It's very apparent that he is good at what he does. I think he wants some personal power. That's yet to be revealed, even to me! But I think that's what I have to work from.

Scribble: How far ahead of the day that the show is shown to the public do you record it, and how long does it take to tape each show?

KevinSpirtas: Good question! It's about a three-week period, and it depends. From the time I've been on the show, rarely have we done one show in one day. Usually there are a lot of different bits from a number of episodes, where they have the sets up from the hospital, so they'll tape two or three shows of mine. It can take anywhere from two hours to a whole day, depending on how heavy the script is.

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