By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
May 14, 2003
After watching his own life melodramatically played out on MTV as one of the Chicago cast members of “The Real World,” Lincolnshire’s Kyle Brandt is ready to tackle another kind of soap opera. The 24-year-old actor has a three-year contract, starting today, to portray Philip Kiriakis on the
long-running daytime drama “Days of Our Lives.” The show airs at 1 p.m. weekdays on WMAQ-Channel 5.
During a break from shooting, Brandt phoned from Los Angeles to chat with GLARE about his fledgling career.
Q. ‘Fess up–You never watched a soap opera in the real world, did you?
A. Not as an adult, but I remember being hooked on them when I was like 9 years old. My sister and I had a baby-sitter who watched “Days of Our Lives” and we would watch it with her. It’s like crack TV. Once you become involved, you become hooked.
Q. What’s harder–classes at Princeton or memorizing lines for the show?
A. Princeton. I’ve always been good at memorizing lines. Even when I was a little kid, I’d hear something once and could recite it back pretty easily.
Q. On “Friends,” Joey is a star on “Days of Our Lives.” Ever want to share a scene with him?
A. [Laughs.] It’d be fun doing a scene with Dr. Drake Ramoray, but I don’t think Matt LeBlanc is going to be making an appearance on the show. It’s
funny ’cause “Friends” is set in New York, so a lot of people think “Days” is shot in New York.
Q. Do your feelings get hurt when people refer to you negatively based on your “Real World” stint?
A. Not really. When you’re on a show like that you’re basically there for people to rip apart. I don’t blame anyone for doing that. I watch those
things and scream at the TV telling them how much they suck. It’s fun to call them idiots. A girl on the “Days of Our Lives” cast said she couldn’t
stand me on “The Real World.” Now we’re best friends.
Q. Uh huh. Have you dated her, or any of your other cast members yet?
A. No! [Laughs] I have a girlfriend. Besides, I’ve heard only bad things about inter-cast dating. I’m not going there.
