Chandler Massey Teases Changes to Will Horton’s Character on Days

Chandler Massey’s back on “Days” as Will, in dreams, but when he returns in the flesh, will he be the same man?

Soaps.com reported August 23, 2013 that Chandler Massey was set to leave Days of our Lives as Will Horton in 2014 in order to return to college and “further pursue his education and other entertainment opportunities.” The statement that went out from the actor’s publicist at that time said, “As Chandler Massey announced back in June, he will be leaving the show to further pursue his education and other entertainment opportunities. While ‘Days of our Lives’ is disappointed to lose such a talent, the show understands and supports him in his future endeavors. Due to current storyline and the timely discovery of new talent that the show feels is the right recast for Will Horton, a mutual decision has been made for the changes to take place immediately. Chandler will always be a part of the ‘Days’ family and we wish him nothing but continued success.”

We later reported that Chandler Massey would return September 15, 2017 as Will, though Guy Wilson was the actor that previously played Will Horton in the interim. The character of Will was killed off in a short-sighted move and upon Massey’s return, some scenes were reshot in order to use them as flashbacks in the story and to relate them to what happened after Will was strangled by Ben Weston, The Necktie Killer, and presumed by all to be dead. Massey’s return thus far has been a slow burn to soap fans with Will returning as an apparition to his father, Lucas Horton, while he was drunk. Will attempted to stop his father from drinking, but was rebuffed. Later, Lucas saw Will once again at his grave site, in a similar conversation.

The actor recently spoke with Soap Digest about his return, saying that his time away has changed him. “I was 19 when I started on ‘Days’. For me, at that time, the world was still black and white. Soaps are all about complex emotions, and I wasn’t able to fully understand them all because I hadn’t experienced them. It’s been seven years since I first started on the show and I feel like I’ve grown up a little bit. I can better relate to those flawed characters on the show that sometimes make very poor decisions. So I think, hopefully, that has made me a better actor.” The actor went on to say that it felt like ‘going home’ when he returned to set. “When I see Galen [Gering, Rafe Hernandez] on the call sheet, it just makes me smile.” Massey knows fans are excited by his return, recalling several fans talking with him on his Twitter account about Will. He hopes that his return will meet their expectations.

Massey shared an intriguing teaser about who Will has become. “In Sonny’s dream, Will was very loving. I guarantee you that’s not who Will is going to be when he comes back, but that’s who he needed to be, because it’s how Lucas and Sonny remembered him.” He also teased that “the story Ron [Carlivati, head writer] has created is incredible.”

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Photo credit: Howard Wise/JPI, NBC Universal Inc.

– Christine Fix