Sal Stowers Back as Lani on Days of Our Lives; Was DAYS Planning on Recasting?

Sal Stowers

Sal Stowers returns to Days of our Lives next week as Lani Price, the role she created last September.

During her original stint in Salem, Lani got to know her father Abe (James Reynolds) and brother Theo (Kyler Pettis). She also obsessed over Shawn (Brandon Beemer), but the actress was let go from the show before the story could go anywhere.

Stowers reveals in the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest that she was surprised when she received a text from DAYS Casting Director Marni Saitta about a return. "I was excited, but at first I didn't believe it. So, I called Marni. It's weird, but I always felt that I was going to come back. Lani is Abe's daughter, so there was always that possibility that she could come back to town."

But was DAYS intending on finding a new actress to play Lani, before reaching out to Stowers?

Last April, the show put out a casting call for a 25-30-year-old gorgeous, African-American female to play the role of Deanna.

Deana was described as a confident, edgy, strong, intelligent female, who has overcome obstacles in her past that make her the strong independent woman she is today. In her her chosen field, vulnerability is a liability so her tough exterior can sometimes make her hard to read. She is sexy and knows how to have fun and craves a little danger to keep things interesting."

The casting breakdown for Deanna sounds suspiciously like Lani. Adding credence to that possibility is that Deanna never made her way to Salem.

Was DAYS unsuccessful in their quest to find a more suitable actress to play Lani, and were then forced to go back to Stowers? Or was Deanna a character they were casting, and then they scrapped the role?

We may never find out, but here is hoping that Lani works better as a character this time around then she did last time. Since Lani is slated to cross paths with JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) in a major story, that can only bode well for the character.

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