Another One Bites the Dust
We basically knew about this already, but finally confirmation…
James Lastovic and his hair are officially leaving the role of Joey Johnson next month. As Jason47 reports, we first caught wind of this when Lastovic’s mother sent out a tweet — on the day that he received his Emmy nomination — implying that his contract hadn’t been renewed.
I strangely feel as though I’m going to miss him, even though he has not proven himself to be the strongest actor. Granted, some of that is for eye-candy reasons (I’m choosing to overlook the months and months of awful hair, which has sort of calmed down lately), but his bond with his onscreen parents has always worked for me. I also really enjoyed him with Shelley Hennig (Stephanie) during her visit for Steve and Kayla’s wedding. I even think he works well with Lucas Adams (Tripp). But he hasn’t really proven himself to be up to the challenge of solo dramatic material, and it was such a giant misstep to have Joey kill Ava outright — especially when they could’ve gotten most of the same story value out of, say, him shoving her and accidentally causing her death.
Anyway, best of luck to Lastovic, who seemed happy to be part of the cast and appears to have been very much liked by Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans. I hope they don’t let Joey languish offscreen too long, because he’s an important legacy character and could easily work with a recast, especially if they use this exit to address Ava’s death once and for all so that the slate can be clear when he returns.
Explore posts in the same categories: Days of Our Lives, Soap Opera, TelevisionTags: Behind the Scenes, Casting, Casting News
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What Happens in Salem... 
July 14, 2017 at 7:56 pm
I didn’t dislike him really, but he just never really registered for me. He was there, he had stories, but he always seemed like that sulking newbie who hung around Steva and Kayla.
July 15, 2017 at 11:55 am
I accepted him as Joey pretty quickly, but I really wish they’d kept him as a teen for longer and just let him support stories. I think he could’ve grown into the rhythm of the show more that way.
July 15, 2017 at 12:40 am
The whole new “teen scene” was botched so badly. Very very grown-up stories for very young and inexperienced actors. He was likeable enough but came off as whiny at times. He’d have that “whine” voice especially when talking to or about Jade that made me fast-forward every time.
R.I.P. to the hair also. After mocking it for so long I am going to miss it now!
July 15, 2017 at 11:55 am
They threw such heavy material at them so quickly. They should’ve stayed supporting for much longer. I think that would’ve helped. I can’t imagine being that green and being tossed into the deep end with this shooting schedule and basically no rehearsal.
July 15, 2017 at 1:25 am
I don’t like this at all. I feel like he still has the potential to be good soap actor and I enjoyed his chemistry with Stephen, Mary Beth and even Paige Searcy when she was on. The writing didn’t do him (or Paige) any favors. I’m sad to see him go.
July 15, 2017 at 11:54 am
I think if his story had been better, he’d probably have stuck around. Kind of like Austin Peck. Everyone knows AP isn’t great, but he’s likable and was part of a big enough story that we all just sort of accepted his limitations.
July 15, 2017 at 2:10 am
he was nominated for an EMMY??? seriously? very low standards….
July 15, 2017 at 11:20 am
In the younger actor category there is a lot less competition so it is easier to get a nomination but in reality the EMMY nominations just require someone to have 2 or 3 strong scenes for a nomination reel. Let’s not forget that True O’Brien actually won an EMMY a few years ago so anything is possible.
July 15, 2017 at 11:54 am
Lol, yeah. I was about to say — PAIGE won an Emmy! As did Natalia Livingston, the short-lived Taylor from 2011 (though not for Days). Not really the most discerning of awards…
July 18, 2017 at 5:44 pm
It’s about time! I was waiting for the official announcement since his Mom leaked his departure back in March. I liked Joey at first but, he soured as time went by and his hair grew into that mop. I agree with everyone who said this young, inexperienced actor had too much heavy, adult-like material thrown on him too fast which set him up for failure. Also, I didn’t care for his whining either.
July 19, 2017 at 8:17 am
I feel bad for these young actors who come on the show and are under such intense scrutiny so quickly. I mean, yeah, it’s a public job, but the current production model doesn’t do them any favors, and it has to be hard to go from being a regular person to seeing yourself absolutely ripped on the internet every day.