*Days of our Lives' Salem is about to get an injection of super star power: Alison Sweeney is returning as Sami Brady.
The actress opened up in a recent interview about making another comeback to the soap she called home from 1993 to 2015. She admits that it was a little nerve-wracking to return to Salem after the success of her 2017 return in conjunction with Sami's presumed dead son Will (Chandler Massey) being found alive.
"That return was successful, and the storyline was so well-received," she tells Soap Opera Digest. "I loved every minute of it, and those are big shoes to fill. Great stories like that don't just grow on trees, and it was so great and freeing to admit to Ron [Carlivati, head writer] that I was nervous because it's such a compliment to him in his writing. But it was great because he said the same thing, ‘Yeah, no kidding!' I think he felt that same pressure, which was comforting to me to know that it matters to him as much as it does to me."
As for what fans can expect this go-around, Sweeney teases that the upcoming storyline twist is "super exciting, definitely a roller-coaster ride and really fun."
When Sweeney decided to leave her longtime role as Sami back in 2014, the writers decided to have the character pack up and move to Hollywood. Sami has made a couple of return appearances since that time, including once for her son Will's funeral and again when Will was revealed to be alive.
As for Sweeney's post-DAYS career, the actress has kept herself busy with heartwarming movies that include Murder She Baked: Just Desserts and Christmas at Holly Lodge.
UPDATE (March 15, 2018): Shortly after fans began reacting to the news of Sweeney's return, the fan-favorite posted a photo from her first day back at the DAYS studio. The day apparently consisted of some quality time with Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) and a tasty lunch. Oh! And she also filmed some scenes! Check out the photo below.
How do you feel about Sweeney returning to DAYS? What do you think brings Sami back to Salem? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.