The Real Reason Days Of Our Lives' Sami Brady Posed As A Man

In 2005, "Days of Our Lives" actress Alison Sweeney was leaving the show for her maternity leave and the soap opera wanted to keep her character on the canvas. So, they made a casting decision that made TV history when they opted to have Sami dress up as a man named Stan for the duration of Sweeney's leave. Actor Dan Wells took over the role of Sami in disguise, marking the first time that a man had ever been cast in a woman's role on a soap opera, per Little Things.

"When I was on DAYS, I sort of got thrown into the deep end of the pool, because Sami carried such a huge workload," Wells said of his time on the show (via Soap Opera Digest). "I felt like I was constantly studying and working. I remember spending a lot of time at home watching tapes of Alison Sweeney, and trying to mimic her mannerisms. That was a lot of fun. I think that's one of the things that carried through to the fans, is that they appreciated the time that I worked on the show. I took it very seriously and I put in a lot of time. There was a lot of work to do. Alison Sweeney was a fun one to follow," he added.

So, why did Sami disguise herself as a man in the first place?