“Days of Our Lives” head honcho: “The door will always be open here to Chandler (Massey). We are not going to recast Will (Horton)”

I’ve reported already that Chandler Massey plans to leave Days of Our Lives at the end of the year – the end of his four-year contract – in order to return to college at UCLA.

The show’s executive producer, Ken Corday, has spoken to soaps guru Michael Fairman about a variety of topics in a new interview – including the prospect of the show losing its fabulous gay character of Will Horton.

“Chandler is a natural, first of all. He plays that character so well as a conflicted man having to go through all the things he went through with his family. And to his credit, he has had a wonderful, wonderful co-star in Freddie Smith, who plays Sonny.”

“It was a perfect storm – a great story idea, a great actor who was able to do it. Chandler deserves all the kudos he has gotten, and it was a well-deserved Emmy this second time around.”

“I wish he would stay. I keep telling him to change his mind, don’t go away. But there comes a time in every young actor’s life when they are pretty much at the top of their game, or getting there, and they to have to take time for themselves to figure out what’s next. I take my hat off to him.”

“The door will always be open here to Chandler. We are not going to recast Will, but I wish him well in the big pond.”