Conner Floyd Hopes to Win Over ‘Days’ Fans as Chad DiMera

Conner Floyd will make his Days of our Lives debut as Chad DiMera on Tuesday, April 21, 10 months after he first began taping.

“It’s pretty crazy,” marvels Floyd, who played Chance Chancellor on The Young and the Restless from 2021-25. “That was a big time gap, but it’s finally come. I feel like it kind of flew by as well, but it’s been fantastic. I’m pumped for people to see what we’ve been working on because the storylines have been really interesting and fun.”

His time on Y&R proved invaluable, as did advice from Chad’s previous portrayer, Billy Flynn, who moved to Genoa City last year as Cane Ashby before Floyd wrapped his run. “Being over there and playing Chance for as long as I did definitely prepared me for what was to come here,’” he notes.

XJJohnson / jpistudios.com

“And it was super helpful to talk to Billy beforehand. I got the lay of the land. He told me how everything operates, so when I walked through the doors, I wasn’t going into it blind. I knew I had to check in here, that my room was going to be down here, this is the time we rehearse, this is how rehearsals go… It was a lot of learning on the fly, but I felt like I had the SparkNotes. I came in pretty prepared, but I just remember everyone being very welcoming and very happy that I was here and very collaborative, which I loved. I felt like I just kind of meshed into the seams pretty well.”

To get fully up to speed, Floyd also immersed himself in DiMera family history, particularly its iconic patriarch, Stefano, played by the late Joseph Mascolo. “It was a lot of reading,” he relays. “When I started digging into past episodes and past storylines, I noticed how prominent Stefano was, so then I really dug into him as well. We talk about him just about in every episode, so obviously this guy has left a mark on this town and in his family, so I really wanted to see what he was about and what he was like and how he did his thing.”

XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

Floyd’s first scenes are opposite Deidre Hall‘s Marlena Evans. “It’s incredible — they threw me in there with her, right out of the gate,” he marvels. “I think it was kind of to see if I can hang, and she’s incredible. She’s obviously a legend and super fun to work with. The more we get time with each other, it’s fun to pick her brain, talk, and get a note or two from her as well. I’ll take that any day. Very similar to [Eric] Braeden [Victor Newman, Y&R]. I always enjoyed being on set with him, somebody who’s been working this long in this industry, obviously, they’re doing something right. Same goes for her. Being around people who are better than you, I just want to absorb as much knowledge as I can from her.”

He also shares early screen time with AnnaLynne McCord (Cat Greene), Chad’s former love interest. “AnnaLynne’s fantastic,” Floyd raves. “I honestly think that she’s 75 percent of the reason I got this job because she was so great in the room and was just boosting me up to everybody. That hole in Chad’s heart from Abigail, I think, is never going to be filled, but for a second there, it kind of was with Cat. It’s very complicated, and I think what people can expect with Chad and Cat is a tug of war of confusion, and down the road, it just gets even more complicated.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Conner Floyd (@connergfloyd)

Floyd’s first week of work concludes with the reading of Stefano’s will, bringing the entire DiMera family together. “That is probably my favorite day that I’ve had or had here so far,” he reveals. “It was just really cool. I understood the weight of the DiMera name, and what it means to carry it. I had to kind of find my place in that family, and everyone was really helpful, giving their notes on Chad. It was a fun day getting to work with each of them.”

Related

'General Hospital' Alum Sofia Mattsson Joins 'Days of Our Lives'

While Floyd’s professional life is thriving, his personal life is equally full. The actor married Carly Frei on March 21 — exactly a month before his debut — in Los Angeles. “Married life is good,” he reports. “Not much has changed, honestly, but not having a wedding to look forward to, we’re kind of bummed. We’re like, ‘Well, what are we gonna do in the next couple months?’ But the wedding was great. It was perfect. Carly had the best time, and that was kind of my main goal.  No hiccups. Everybody got along. No one got too drunk.”

The couple honeymooned in Bora Bora. “That was absolutely insane,” he enthuses. “I thought about calling the show and being like, ‘Hey, Chad’s gonna live in Bora Bora, and I’m gonna do Zoom calls from now on.’ I understand why [Marlon] Brando moved there after he filmed Mutiny on the Bounty.”

XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

For now, though, he’s staying stateside and settling into Chad’s world. “I’m very excited for people to see these episodes that we’ve been filming,” Floyd says. “Hopefully, they accept me, and hopefully, they love it. The more I get these scripts and dive into these storylines, the more I really enjoy playing Chad. When Billy gave me the breakdown, and I was learning about him, I knew I was going to like him. I loved Chad on paper, but now that I’m in his shoes, I get to freestyle with him a little bit. I truly enjoy playing him. I think he’s such a cool character. Every script I get, I’m just so excited to read it because I want to see what this guy’s up to. I want to see where they’re sending him.”

Days of our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock