Zach Tinker Opens up About Being the New Sonny on DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Fans of DAYS OF OUR LIVES who didn’t watch the soap’s spinoffs on Peacock might have been a little surprised to see Sonny Kiriakis looking a little different on the soap. Actor Zach Tinker debuted in the role for BEYOND SALEM, then appeared in the A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS special, and recently began appearing on DAYS proper.

“I didn’t have any preconceived notion that they were going to bring me on,” the actor confided to Soap Opera Digest. “Honestly, I thought that was wishful thinking and then I got a call that they wanted to put me on the show.”

Tinker took over the role from Freddie Smith, who played Sonny from 2011 until 2020, but wasn’t nervous about following in the Emmy-winner’s footsteps. “I saw that Freddie released a thing on Instagram saying, ‘I’m not coming back to the role, but this guy, Zach, is coming and I’m sure he’ll do a great job and good luck to him,’ and that made the transition feel a lot better,” he revealed. “Someone passing a torch to you feels a lot better than feeling like you stole the torch, almost!”

Tinker is no stranger to recasts, having stepped into the role of THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Fenmore Baldwin back in 2018. DAYS is also reuniting him with former Y&R castmate Greg Rikaart (Leo), who also plays Kevin on the CBS sudser. “I love Greg and I really love this storyline, too, because it’s really informed me about Sonny as a character,” he enthused.

After the two stand-alone specials for Peacock, playing Sonny on a regular basis on DAYS itself is allowing the actor to really settle into the character. “Now I’m getting some more context of who Sonny was before I came along and what he went through with Leo previously,” Tinker mused. “I really think I’m getting a much clearer idea of where this guy is the longer the show goes on and it’s fun.”

Stay tuned to see what happens next!