Days’ Vincent Irizarry on His Emmy Nom and Much More!

Days of Our Lives star Vincent Irizarry just scored a 2017 nomination for Outstanding Lead actor for his role as Deimos Kiriakis. He dished about that, future plans, and more!

A Familiar, Talented Daytime Face and Emmy Winner! 

Vincent Irizarry is no stranger to daytime television fans. He’s played diverse and varied characters: musician Brandon “Lujack” Luvonaczek on Guiding Light, villainous doctor David Hayward–for which he won the Daytime Emmy in 2009 for Outstanding Supporting Actor–on All My Children, and another doctor, Scott Clark, on Santa Barbara.

Asked if he ever gets used to these Emmy accolades, given that this is his fourth time being nominated, Irizarry was funny and humble. “No, you never get used to this, unless you’ve been nominated 20 times!” he told Laurie Baker of Outtakes. See the full video below.

“I was on an important call that I couldn’t get off of. My phone kept beeping! Finally, I looked at my computer and found out,” he said of finding out about this year’s nomination.

He mused that he was especially grateful to be considered for a Daytime Emmy this year, because Deimos was a new character to enter the Days canvas.

Piano Man

One thing that stood out for Irizarry about playing Deimos was that he was able to utilize his considerable piano playing skills. He attended the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, so it came naturally to him.

“I love that element that they introduced into the character,” he said. “I attribute that to [Executive Producer] Ken Corday, who’s a musician himself. I hadn’t played in a while so I had to have a good amount of notice to practice.”

Irizarry–as Deimos– played such classic tunes as composer Debussy’s Claire de Lune and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. The talented thespian said that the takeaway for him on that aspect of playing Deimos was twofold. “It was wonderful to have that [playing piano]re-introduced into my life,” he said. “I also think it gave Deimos more character, more depth.”

Character of Many Dimensions 

Speaking of Deimos, Irizarry is glad that he wasn’t portrayed as just a stock “baddie.”

“He was seeking vengeance against his brother for a wrong that had been committed against him, and the memory of Helena whom he had loved,” he said. “That was a link to his humanity.”

Heartfelt Remembrance

Irizarry plans to attend this year’s Daytime Emmys, especially for the tribute to AMC and One Life to Live creator Agnes Nixon. “The first time I met her, she was with people who were visiting the set [of AMC],” he recalled fondly. “She was very unassuming, humble. She didn’t have any pretense and was very genuine. We all owe so much to her!”

Bright Future

What does the future hold for this multi-talented actor?

“I’ve had several good auditions, and feel really in the groove,” said Irizarry. “Everyone’s been so supportive of my work, especially when news came I was leaving the show.”

He said that he loved playing Deimos and will miss the character. “I enjoyed the working environment, and am grateful to the fans!” he mused.

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