Exclusive Interview: Days of our Lives star Julie Dove reveals she's going into full Annie Wilkes mode 

Connie Viniski may be currently residing at Bayview on Days of our Lives, but her portrayer, Julie Dove, is headed for another reign of terror. This time, she's playing Annie Wilkes, the character Kathy Bates won an Oscar for in the film Misery!

Days of our Lives, from Connie to Annie

"When my Days of our Lives character Connie Viniski returned for a storyline in 2024, I was asked in an interview what inspired this new, darker side of Connie that viewers were seeing," Dove tells Soap Central in this exclusive interview. "My answer was Annie Wilkes."

Annie is the lead character in the movie (based on the Stephen King novel), Misery, which starred Bates and the late James Caan (The Godfather) as romance author Paul Sheldon. After Paul was in a car accident, Annie nursed him back to health, but then, the obsessed fan of his "Misery" character turned on Paul, and he had to fight to stay alive.

"I’d been thinking about putting together a stage production of Misery ever since then," Dove says. "I love complex, flawed characters that are full of rich layers. Annie is one of the most layered characters in literature, cinema, and the theatre. It’s going to be the most challenging role I’ve ever played, and I’m as thrilled as I am scared."

Dove hastens to add that this is a good kind of fear. "It motivates me and excites me," she enthuses. "I bought the play in April when I was in New York for the Webby Awards and didn’t read it until July. It was just sitting on my desk. I’ve probably read it 20 times since then. It’s such a great adaptation."

While King wrote the novel Misery, the stage play is by William Goldman, based on King's book. "Mr. Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. It’s basically 64 pages of Annie and Paul in the cabin," shares Dove.

When Annie met Paul

Playing opposite Dove's Annie Wilkes is an actor who has a very special connection to Days of our Lives. Actor Sean Faris, whose wife is Cherie Jimenez (Gabi), is playing Paul. John Venable plays Buster (aka the Sheriff).

"It was such a wonderful surprise for Sean to come on board to play Paul," Dove says with a smile. "Although I spend a great deal of time with Cherie, Sean and I had only met once. He’s usually babysitting so Cherie and I can hang.

"I wanted someone as excited to play Paul as I am to play Annie, and we found that in Sean," Dove continues. "I joked to our casting director, Shayna Sherwood, that it would be hilarious if we cast Sean, since Connie tried to kill Gabi on DAYS! Now, it's Sean's turn! He is going to make a very formidable Paul Sheldon."

Trending

Misery is set to run Saturdays and Sundays, January 31 to February 15, 2026, at the Moving Arts Theatre in Los Angeles. Click here for tickets, which go on sale October 13, 2025.

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback