Steve has been on edge on Days of Our Lives, trying to figure out who’s been sending his daughter Stephanie creepy letters, when another familiar truth hovered nearby: nothing in Salem ever stays simple for long. As Steve follows the trail of obsession and old ghosts circling his family, Stephen Nichols found himself reflecting on one of the strangest turns of his own career: the moment Patch became Stefano. In a new interview, Nichols explained why that twist rattled him at first, but why it ultimately worked.

Key Takeaways

• Steve’s current mystery mirrors the kind of twists that have long defined Salem.
• Stephen Nichols says playing Stefano initially unnerved him due to the character’s legacy.
• Honoring Joe Mascolo helped him find the role without imitation.
• The turn allowed Nichols to explore darker material.
• Kayla’s pairing with Justin felt unsettling, but created effective drama.

Stepping Into Stefano’s Shadow

Nichols spoke with Woman’s World about revisiting his long history with DAYS and confronting the 2019 storyline that turned Steve into a vessel for Stefano’s consciousness. When he first read the scripts, his reaction was immediate and visceral. “There have been many times I’ve seen something in a script and gone, ‘Oh no! How can we dig ourselves out of this?’” he admitted, recalling the initial shock of being asked to embody such an iconic villain.

What eased that fear was respect. Nichols approached the role with an awareness of Joe Mascolo’s legacy and the danger of tipping into imitation. He studied Mascolo closely, not to copy him, but to understand the rhythm and intent that made Stefano feel so specific. It was less about doing a voice and more about honoring a presence that loomed large over the show.

The result surprised him. Playing dark opened doors that Patch never did. The writing sharpened. The motivations tightened. Nichols found himself in scenes he never would have touched otherwise, discovering that fear gave way to creative freedom once he trusted the material. (Find out about Steve’s other dark turn.)

When Twists Hit Too Close to Home

That same time jump delivered another shock: Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) paired with Justin (Wally Kurth). Nichols didn’t hide his discomfort. “When I read that Mary Beth was being paired with Wally, that was very disturbing,” he said, laughing now, though the reaction was genuine at the time. After decades of shared history with Evans, the separation felt wrong on a personal level.

Still, he acknowledged the drama worked. The triangle created tension, urgency, and stakes, even if it resolved too quickly for his taste. Nichols believed it deserved more room to breathe, more mess, more consequence.

Looking back, Nichols treats both arcs the same way. They scared him. They challenged him. And they reminded him why he keeps coming back. In Salem, comfort is overrated. Growth usually arrives disguised as a bad idea that somehow turns out right.