Days of Our Lives' Freddie Smith Talks His Career, Love Life, New Chapters, and much more! Check it out here ---->>>
Photo: NBC
Soap Opera News got the wonderful opportunity to chat with Days of Our Lives’ Freddie Smith about his career, love life, new chapters, and more! Read our interview below to discover more about the insightful actor and his life.
The actor grew up as an only child in the small town of Ashtabula, Ohio. His early years were spent dedicated to sports like baseball, basketball, and bowling. It wasn’t until the time came to make a decision about what would come next that he shifted his focus. “I think one of the things was trying to figure out what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. Which I think is a ludicrous question to ask someone who’s seventeen. But I didn’t want to go to school. So, I was pretty limited in my options. I ended up taking a theatre arts class during my senior year of high school and I just fell in love with entertaining a group of people and getting the reaction of laughter or whatever it may have been,” he recalled.
He began taking acting classes and his talent was quickly realized when it was suggested that he go out to Los Angeles. And after a successful acting and modeling competition - and just three weeks out of high school - he packed up his car and moved to LA with his friend. “That’s where I really grew as a person and became a man if you will.” He didn’t have years of experience in the art form...he barely had six months. So, he had to put in the hard work to gather the knowledge needed to thrive in this new world.
A pivotal moment in his career came when he landed a pop-up role on an episode of Medium. “I actually worked with Jennifer Lawrence before she was Jennifer Lawrence. It was just a small scene maybe two minutes but that was my TV debut. It didn’t pay much but it gave me the green light that I could actually make it in the business. If I got one yes I could get another.”
His biggest role to date came when he landed the part of Sonny Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives in 2011. “At first I was just very excited to have work. I understood that being able to play an openly gay character was going to be a big deal but I was young and I didn’t understand how deep of an impact it would actually make,” Smith shared. “I was getting messages from people about how Will and Sonny’s storyline was helping them come out to their parents and was helping them feel like they’re represented on television. I just really enjoyed being able to be that platform and shed light on this equal rights movement and be a spokesperson for the LGBTQ community. We have made such a global impact and I just feel super blessed. It’s just been a wonderful experience.”
Photo: NBC
His work on the soap provided him an understanding of how important having a platform could be. “I think the most important thing, especially in today’s world, is telling authentic true stories whether it’s through network television, a movie, or someone’s Instagram or YouTube. I think having equal representation on television and all these platforms is super important and regardless of what story you are sharing you can make a huge impact. People have to realize how powerful having a platform or a following is these days. That our words matter. Our opinions matter. I’m just glad that we were able to share a positive message.”
Now, armed with the knowledge and responsibility of having a fanbase, he and his fiancée, Alyssa, decided to start their own podcast, The Freddie & Alyssa Show. “When we started off we just really wanted to dive into this platform of podcasting and long-form video because that's how I operate and communicate the best. Someone like my fiancée, Alyssa, can write ten thousand words and it’s beautiful and it comes easy to her. Someone like me if you’ve read any of my Instagram posts there are always errors. So, I found that being able to speak is the best way to have open conversations, critical thinking, and really share meaningful stories,” Smith said.
Wanting to build a deeper connection with his audience and share their journey, they made the decision to always be open and honest in their conversations. “After I and my fiancée went through a difficult couple of years, we just wanted to share how even though we’ve had adversity you can stay positive and move forward. It’s evolved into what it is today where we create videos that either entertain, inspire, or educate. Those are the three pillars that we try to hit in every one of our videos.”
The couple, who met back in 2010, have also been happy to share the ins and outs of their relationship with the world. Even recently, with them pitching an idea of a reality series that follows their path to planning a wedding amidst the pandemic. “We met when I was invited to Alyssa’s party. We were all dressed up as dirty Disney characters. So, you can imagine everyone was creative with their costumes,” he laughed. The two began to hang around in the same circle and worked on a webseries together where they became close friends. “I quickly fell for her but it never really lined up. So, I basically chased her for a year. Then in the summer of 2011, it just clicked and we’ve been together ever since. Today we’ve been engaged for two years.”
During the quarantine, the pair have really been working on their future both professionally and personally. “We’re really trying to shift full-time into our podcast because I don’t know what the industry is going to do. Everything is so unsure and we’re trying to think outside the box. I’m paving my own way right now,” he told us.
Smith also talked about a new chapter that is in the works for him and Alyssa. “We’ve been out here for fifteen years. Alyssa and I really want to get married and take the next step with expanding our family but we also have our families everywhere. So, we’re kind of right now thinking about moving to Florida. Building our content full-time, putting our auditions on tape, and being close to our family. That’s the goal. Definitely, in the next year, I see us being in Florida starting a new chapter.”
Smith also talked about a new chapter that is in the works for him and Alyssa. “We’ve been out here for fifteen years. Alyssa and I really want to get married and take the next step with expanding our family but we also have our families everywhere. So, we’re kind of right now thinking about moving to Florida. Building our content full-time, putting our auditions on tape, and being close to our family. That’s the goal. Definitely, in the next year, I see us being in Florida starting a new chapter.”
Though, sharing the plan for the move is a difficult one for him because of his supportive fan base, who are rooting for him to make a return to Days of Our Lives. “I’d never close that door but at the same time, it does look like we are going to start this new chapter. So, I never wanted to disappoint people but I think everyone’s going to be really excited to continue to watch our journey and see what we do next.”
Whatever Freddie and Alyssa decide to do we know that it will be amazing. They are such a capable, hard-working, dedicated pair who have their eyes on the future. We can’t thank Freddie enough for the chat...and for his incredible work on-screen and off. Here’s to next time!
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