‘Days’ Recast Cherie Jimenez Is Done Crying Over Fan Backlash: ‘Bullying Is Not OK’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Soap newcomer dishes on Hallmark hubby, Gabi’s ‘Days’ drama, Cousin Javi and the Days of Days event
With Days of Our Lives Gabi a powerhouse Latina soap opera character, recast Cherie Jimenez is loving her new role… but she hasn’t loved the bullying that’s come with it. Here, she gets candid about what it’s been like to assume the role made popular by Camila Banus and reveals this weekend’s Day of Days will be her first-ever fan event.
Jimenez also teases brighter days for her character now that Galen Gering’s Rafe has woken up and Al Calderon has brought Cousin Javi to town—but what does that mean for Gabi and Stefan?
Plus, ever wonder what it’s like to be married to a Hallmark hunk? This Days of Our Lives mom reveals she couldn’t play Gabi without her hubby, Sean Faris – who readers may recognize from his 2018’s A Veteran’s Christmas and Betty White’s The Lost Valentine, as well as Pretty Little Liars.
‘Days of Our Lives’ Cherie Jimenez reflects on landing the role of Gabi
Cherie Jimenez was on mom duty in Texas when she heard Days of Our Lives was casting another fiery Latina. Unaware Camila Banus was no longer playing Gabi Hernandez DiMera—a role she herself had auditioned for back in 2009—the beauty jumped at the opportunity to play what she assumed was a new Hernandez relative.
“When I got the contract and found out that I’d been auditioning for Gabi all along, I couldn’t believe it—because what are the chances?” Jimenez marvels. “For this to come back around 15-plus years later is such a wild experience. I cried in gratitude, and it’s changed my life. I’ve been there for almost a year, and I love it.
“I had stepped away from acting for a while because I wanted to focus on motherhood and that’s exactly what I did,” she adds. “But the universe had other plans for me.”
Just six weeks after delivering her son, Phoenix, now 2, Jimenez was called back to work for the movie Maya, reprising a role she’d played in the child-trafficking drama Angie: Lost Girls. Then she landed the film Guns and Moses, which stars Christopher Lloyd and Dermot Mulroney and is working the festival circuit now.
While the actress did get to enjoy a run as a full-time mom, she’s now landed in Salem.
Why ‘Days’ beauty Jimenez is grateful to have Hallmark hunk Sean Faris in her corner
Now a key player on Days of Our Lives, Jimenez has had to move her family back to Los Angeles—and rely heavily on her husband, Sean Faris.
“He’s loved in the Hallmark world, and he’s amazing,” Jimenez raves of the fellow actor she married at Burning Man in 2017. “We have basically switched roles. Now, he’s the one staying home with our little one while I go to work. He is an incredible actor, but we don’t have family here, so he’s stopped taking opportunities outside of LA. We’ve had to make some sacrifices because this opportunity has brought stability in an industry where anything can happen.”
And while soap operas have infamously long days, the hiatuses and production schedule of Days of Our Lives still allow Jimenez to spend plenty of time with Phoenix.
“If I get off work early, we’ll go to the zoo, Descanso Gardens, or on a little adventure,” she says. “And if I’m at work all day, I live down the street, so I’ll make a point to meet him at the park or hang out with him at home for a bit.”
Jimenez stopped crying over the soap opera fans who bullied her
This actress is living the dream… for the most part. As a soap recast, Jimenez did not exactly receive a warm welcome from Days of Our Lives viewers after she started airing in June.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Jimenez says. “I cried a bunch in the beginning. The fanbase was basically bullying me. People miss Camila and even though I tried to bring elements of her to the role, I’m not Camila. I was getting ripped apart in so many different ways—and people were reaching out to do it. It really hurt.”
Thankfully, she had costars like Brandon Barash, who played Stefan, filling her in on her characters’ epic history and helping her find her footing.
And today, Jimenez is decidedly over it all.
“Bullying is not okay, in any form,” she insists. “And I choose to change the narrative and what I acknowledge. My life is very full. I’m blessed. I’m so thankful.”
“I’m also proud of my work,” she adds. “My producers and bosses let me know that I have exceeded their expectations, and now, I have some fans. I’d say it’s 50/50, so I’m focusing on the viewers that are giving me a chance and showing me love.”
Cheri Jimenez teases what to expect from Al Calderon’s Javi
Jimenez is also hoping that with lighter days coming for Gabi, fans will appreciate seeing another side of her. Since her character was released from prison, Stefan’s infidelity has brought out her angry, sad, and vindictive side, but with Galen Gering’s Rafe out of his coma and Al Calderon’s Cousin Javi joining the fold this week, her life is set to take a turn for the better.
“The family dynamic is my favorite,” Jimenez cheers. “It brings out more of my personality. Viewers will see Gabi laugh and joke around more. She’s just happier.”
While she and costar Gering have found their groove as siblings, she teases that Javi is a welcome addition to the family.
“I can’t tell you much… except that Javi’s such a fun character and that he and Gabi have an awesome dynamic,” Jimenez teases. “He brings more fun to the show and brings out a different side of Gabi. He allows her to be freer, but he also puts her in check and reminds her what’s important.”
Does Jimenez believe this is really the end of ‘Days’ Gabi and Stefan?
With her brother and her cousin giving her reality checks, Gabi may even be able to make things work with Stefan – who she’s currently planning to divorce.
“They love each other so much,” Jimenez says with a sigh. “Gabi does start to question everything, and who knows where the writers are going to take it? But if they can make it through all of this, I believe they are meant for each other.”
Whatever’s to come romantically, Jimenez teases that fans should brace for more growth in this infamous troublemaker.
“If Gabi feels betrayed or somebody messes with her family, she’s going to do what she does,” she promises. “But Gabi is going to try to redeem herself and really take a look at all her wrongs. Of course, there are some cases where she still believes she’s in the right, even if she’s not… but hopefully, she’ll make some better decisions, going forward.”
Gabi recast Cherie Jimenez is ready to face fans this weekend at ‘Days of Days’
With Gabi’s world in flux, Days of Our Lives newcomer Cherie Jimenez has avoided attending fan events – until now! The recast will join costars at “Day of Days” in Los Angeles, CA this weekend.
“I’d chosen not to go to any events prior to this because of the amount of resistance I’ve gotten as Gabi,” Jimenez confesses to Woman’s World “I didn’t feel it was the right time to be introduced into this world. Now, I’ll see how I’m perceived – and people may tell me they love me or not. Either way, I’m looking forward to it. I hear it’s so much fun, and it’s such an honor to be a part of such an iconic show.”
To celebrate the start of Days of our Lives’ 60th season, fans and soap stars will descend on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 2. With doors opening at 10 a.m. PT, the annual “Day of Days” fan event promises one-on-one photo ops, giveaways, and a Q&A session with soap stars like Josh Taylor, James Reynolds, Eric Martsolf, Deidre Hall, Robert Scott Wilson, Paul Telfer, Stephen Nichols, Billy Flynn, Galen Gering, Jackée Harry, Wally Kurth, Judi Evans, Brandon Barash, and many more.
Find more information about Day of Days here.
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