‘Days of Our Lives’ James Reynolds on 45 Years as Abe Carver: ‘I Dreamed This Once’

On Thursday, October 29, James Reynolds will celebrate 45 years since he joined Days of our Lives as Abe Carver. 

“I count my blessings and feel very fortunate,” Reynolds says. “I never thought about being on one single show for this long. The career, I’m not surprised at. I had hoped and assumed that I’d be working for many, many years, but I didn’t know it would be in one place.”

Reynolds has come to view his time on Days in distinct phases, each bringing a different perspective on his career and his place in Salem. “Phase one, you’re happy to have a job, but as the job becomes successful, you’re thinking, ‘Well, let me move to the next job,’” he explains. “Phase two is, ‘Where do I stand? Is this the right place? Are other people thinking this is the right place?’ And then you get to the third phase, and you begin to think in a little more personal tones — ‘Well, I’ll get my son through college this way. That’s great.’ And then, with this long career, you begin to realize that there are a lot of people who depend on you, and you’re so lucky to be able to do what you love to do and make a living. You’re overwhelmed with gratitude, and that’s the one I’m still in.”

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Over the years, Reynolds has developed a pretty clear sense of what has made Abe resonate with viewers. “I think one thing is his loyalty to the friends and their loyalty to him,” observes Reynolds. “I think they could count on Abe doing the right thing 90 percent of the time, even though sometimes doing the right thing was a struggle. I think they could count on Abe to be serious when he needed to be serious and very strong when he had to be. He always seeks the truth, and hopefully he is likable.”

Reynolds has also made television history as the longest-running Black actor to play the same role. It’s a distinction he takes particular pride in, especially when he sees what Abe has come to represent to the next generation.

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“Isn’t that something?” he marvels. “That’s kind of astounding, and it means a lot. One specific reason always stands out to me, and that’s when I meet young Black actors who have grown up and watched Abe, and he has become part of their dream. He made it seem possible, and that just fills me with so much pride. Sometimes they’ll run up to me and say something that is so gratifying and makes me feel so honored that I have to hold back my emotions. It fills me with the passion to continue.”

Over the years, playing Abe has also given Reynolds the chance to tackle stories with significance beyond Salem. Two, in particular, remain especially close to his heart.

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“Number one would be when [Abe’s son] Theo was shot [in 2017],” Reynolds says. “I was very proud to have won an Emmy [for Outstanding Lead Actor] for that performance, and that storyline was so encompassing. I knew it was very special from the beginning. Ron [Carlivati, former head writer] had told me when he was hired that that focus was going to be on Abe, and I didn’t know the specifics but you’re always happy to hear that. One of the many things I loved was that there was a lot of emotion in those scenes, and that story went on for quite some time. It was Abe against the world, and it had relevance to the outer world, a young Black man being shot by police. I always enjoy stories that have a larger significance to our society around us.”

Another arc that stayed with Reynolds took Abe into more complicated personal territory. “I loved the story with Faye [Walker, Valerie Wildman] and Lexie [Carver, Renee Jones] and then the discovery that Brandon [Walker, Matt Cedeño] was Abe’s son,” he recalls. “That story was very nuanced and gave a different view of Abe. He had an affair with this woman while her husband was in jail, so that was a little twist that was fascinating. That they still held great affection for each other, and she had raised this boy on her own, helped me nudge Abe in a slightly different direction, in which he began to look at life as more complicated than perhaps he had before.”

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Those storylines illustrate what has kept Reynolds engaged after 45 years: the opportunity to keep discovering new sides of a character he has played for so long. “I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I feel so fortunate to be able to explore so many aspects of creating,” he shares. “Being able to play very heavy drama with wonderful writing one day and then the next day come in and be able to do really good comedy, you get to keep all of those tools that you have acquired over the years sharp, and sometimes, I’m just so proud and happy to be an actor and share those with people. Jackée [Harry, Paulina Price] and I were talking about the fact that we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many good people both on this set and in films and on stage.”

For all the experience Reynolds has accumulated, he hasn’t lost sight of how unlikely this career might have seemed to a kid from a small Kansas town. Even now, he can still appreciate just how far he’s come.

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“There are days I’ve sat on the soundstage, and I thought, ‘I dreamed this once,’” he reflects. “It’s just such a special thing. I was talking to Charlie Shaughnessy [Shane Donovan] a number of years ago, and we were both saying how fortunate we were to have the careers we’ve had and do what we do. He said, ‘You know, we’ve all been sprinkled with a little fairy dust,’ and I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes, just sitting on the empty stage and looking at the sets and the lights, I think, ‘Wow. I came from a town of 800 people, and here I am.’ It’s a great feeling.”

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