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Thank you Mae for the following SoapTalk Interview Transcript:

July 2, 2003

Show hosted by Lisa Rinna (L) and Ty Treadway (T) with guest Kyle Brandt (K)

L: Our next guest went from The Real World Chicago to the soap world of Salem. He plays the sexy and new Philip Kiriakis on Days Of Our Lives. Lets take a look.

** A clip from the show is show. The clip is the first scenes that Kyle and Drake did together when Philip and John first met at the storage garage. **

L: Please welcome Kyle Brandt.

L: Hi Kyle.

K: Hi Lisa, nice to meet you.

L : Nice to meet you.

K: How are you?

L: Youre actually my half brother, you know.

K: I know, exactly. Whats up Ty? Thank you. Wow.

L:   Welcome.

T: Welcome.

K: Lisa, Ive gotta say right off the bat, Im lovin the half shirt.

L: Oh, Thank you.

K: Its great. Dont let Ty give you too much about it.

L : I you know

T : No, no, no, no I was trying to get her to wear it backwards but

K: Oh right.

L: Thank you.

K: No problem.

L: Thank you, well welcome.

K: Thank you, Thank you. Im glad to be here.

T: Congratulations, Days Of Our Lives.

L: Yes, Congratulations.

K: Thank you very much. Its very new, very cool.

L: Now, youre a big football player.

K: Yeah, I used to be. I used to be much bigger that I am now.

L: Really?

K: My neck was kind of out to here.

L: I know I was wondering because I saw pictures of you in your bio

K: Yeah

L:   And you look like a big boy.

K: That was about 20 pounds ago.

L: Really?

K: Yeah. I was about 208, 209 almost. And now, Im way down there from that, so yeah, I used to be quite a jock actually.

L: Are they

T:   You lead the Princeton; you went to Princeton University

L:   Thats very cool.

T: You lead them in rushing, right?

K:   Yeah. Yeah it was pretty cool. I was kind of a jock all through high school and college. I would say I was kind of the Emilio Estevez in The Breakfast Club. You know, that was kind of me in high school, with the big letter jacket, the football hero type thing. But a lot has changed since then, its been fun.

L: Now your first TV experience was on The Real World.

K: Oh yes indeed.

L:   The Real World: Chicago. Now, how did that come about?

K:   Really randomly, actually. They just came and did an open call at Princeton in New Jersey. And a couple of my friends and I were just second-semester seniors and you know, hangin around with a few cases of, you know, something other to drink and so, we just decided to go to it, just for the hell of it, you know. Just kind of make fun of the process, all tongue and cheek.&nbs p; And then they just kind of happened to like me, and got called back and called back. Then it ended up in my hometown of Chicago when Im from.

L: Wow.

K:   Yeah it was nuts.

T: So now, were you, did you want to be an actor before that or are you?

K:   Yeah, I mean I kind of decided the end of high school, like I said, I was this big jock, like football captain and I just kind-a needed something new. So when I got into college, I kind-a threw myself at acting as well as football and acted all through college, did plays, worked in the summer and stuff.

T:   Oh I bet your football buddies liked that.

K:   Yeah, yeah. Its pretty interesting to go up to your football coach, like your big defensive line coach and say, Sorry coach, I have to leave practice early cause I have rehearsal for a Shakespeare play. You know. Its interesting also to tell the director of the play that you wont make rehearsal cause you have to lift with the football team. So it was quite a life. It was interesting.

L: So hows your experience been on Days Of Our Lives? Youve been there 3 weeks now?

K: Yeah, it feels like 3 minutes sometimes.

L: Yeah

K: Its been very, very quick but its great over there, you know what Im talking about.

L: I do.

K: In fact, I was actually up in the office the other day and theres still this big pile of fan mail for you there so, I mean, I was gonna

L: Oh they still love me oh good

K: Yeah, absolutely

L: Well, you know, you and I are actually half brother and sister.

K: I know its crazy. Everyone is kind of half brother and sister

L: Yes

K: with somebody. And figuring out the family tree here and you got to be careful who you kiss on that show cause theyre probably your mother or your sister or something like that

L: Thats right. Absolutely

K: Its pretty nuts. Yeah.

T: Well, you were a pretty big fan of Days Of Our Lives before you came to the show.

K: Yeah, yeah we had quite an experience backstage. They played on I got punked backstage by your wonderful producers. I was a big fan of Stephen when I was growing up

T : Stephen Nichols.

K: Yeah, Stephen Nichols. And when Patch and Kayla were all the rage, as we were all fans of them. I used to have a babysitter to watch the show with me when I was a little kid, I mean, 8 or 9 years old. And so they brought me back there and told me I was going to do some promo and

T: I think we have tape. Hold on

K: Oh no (Buries his head in his handstoo cute!)

** They showed the clip of Kyle meeting Stephen Nichols. http://www.nicholsevansfans.com/snsoaptalk2.html

L: Oh thats very cute.

K: I was, pretty much, my face was the color of Tys shirt. I was very blown away. I thought I was in there to say, you know, Next time on Soap Talk and then he walked in and it was, Woo!, it was fun.

L: That was very sweet, isnt it?

K: Oh yeah, it was very sweet.

T:   Now, youre also involved with a charity, right?

K: Oh yeah. Right now, Days Of Our Lives is doing something through Major League Baseball actually with a bunch of other shows: That 70s Show, 24. Were signing bases, actual bases that were auctioning off. You can find more about it through MLB.com.

L: Look its sliding in. It just slid in. Look at that.

K: (Picking up the base) Theres a base right here.

T: A base just slid in. Usually you slide on to the base, now the base slides for us.

K: Its funny. When youre on the set, as you guys know, they have you sign things all the time like scripts and pictures. One day, someone walked in my dressing room with a third base here and so you just sign it. Were auctioning this off at MLB.com for underprivileged youth. And its a pretty cool cost.

L: Thats kind-a cool.

K: Yeah.

T: Well Kyle, we know that youre a big football you used to lift all the time. Were actually going to do a Ty Training segment next. Will you stick around with us?

K: Oh yeah Im all for it. Lets do it.

L: Great.

K: No problem.

L: Good luck to you.

K: Thank you guys. Thank you Lisa.

L: Youre going to do a great job.

K: I hope so

L: Youre going to be fine over there.

*** commercial ***

**During the Ty Training workout Kyle changed into a blue tanktop and black shorts. **

T: We have Kyle Brandt back with us. See, we couldnt have Kyle Brandt on the show without showing his guns. Look at those arms.

L: Thats for sure.

** during the workout. **

T: Kyle, how often do you work out Kyle?

K: Once a month, something like that.

T: Once a month, yeah. Not with that body.

K: As much as I can actually. Three or four times a week probably.

T: Did you change your workout because of soaps? Did you have to loose that weight?

K: Yeah, I had to get a little slimmer, you know. Back when I was playing football, it was all about squats and lifts and bulks, so now, its lower weight, higher repetition, that type of stuff, to get a little leaner. Im working on it.

T: Thank you Kyle for joining us today.

The following is a direct quote from Soap Opera Weekly! Don't forget to pick up your copy!

Taking over the role of Philip Kiriakis from fan favorite Jay Kenneth Johnson was a challenging assignment, but Kyle Brandt has handled it with aplomb and determination since debuting on Days of Our Lives in May. A native of Illinois, Brandt was first introduced to television audiences when he appeared on the reality series The Real World: Chicago. Now he's acclimating to the intrigue of daytime and enjoying every minute of it.

SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: You're playing an ex-Marine. How did you escape getting a buzz haircut?

KYLE BRANDT: As soon as I joined the show I said, 'OK, when do I get sheared?' But [the producers] told me that they wanted to make it look like I'd been off for a little while, so [my hair] grew out. So instead of getting sheared I got highlighted. I've never had highlights in my hair -- ever! If they wanted me to get bright green highlights, I would have done it.

WEEKLY: You've been doing a lot of I Spy stuff since you started. What has that been like?

BRANDT: It's awesome. I love my plot line, because it's not just sitting around having conversations with a few people or just being with a girl. I'm dealing with weapons, machine guns, scuba equipment and spy cameras. I love it! Growing up, my favorite thing to do was playing army and cops and robbers. So this has been really cool.

WEEKLY: How does being on Days compare to The Real World: Chicago?

BRANDT: There are massive differences. On Days, I'm under the comfort of a script and a director, and this is what I really enjoy doing. I was like a worm on a hook on reality television. The only similarities I can come up with [about the two shows] are a lot of the theatrics that come out it...a lot of the roller-coaster rides. Other than that it's completely incomparable.

WEEKLY: Which show do you get recognized from more?

BRANDT: It's a strange amalgam. Some of the audience is crossover. What I had with Real World were a lot of college and high school girls. With Days it's college and high school girls, plus an older crowd and an even younger crowd. Days definitely spans a larger audience, which I'm excited about. Any opportunity to reach out to more people is cool.

WEEKLY: Are you a reality TV fan?

BRANDT: My biggest guilty pleasure, and I'm not even guilty about it, is American Idol. I am obsessed with it. I watched all the way to the end. I was an ardent Ruben supporter. I have AT&T wireless; we can text message [votes]. You know how Ryan Seacrest was always like, "Type the word 'vote' in." I did it every week.

WEEKLY: What were you doing before Real World and Days?

BRANDT: I was in college. I went to Princeton University. My major was English and theater. I graduated two years ago. All through college I also played football -- I was a running back -- and did lots of theater. I had decided my senior year of high school that I was going to be an actor. That's finally come to fruition.

WEEKLY: Who in your life has influenced you the most?

BRANDT: Definitely my parents (Robert Brandt and Georgia Goldberg). They are amazingly supportive. A lot of parents wouldn't be psyched about their kid going to college and then going off to become an actor. My parents have always been unbelievably in favor of it.

WEEKLY: Do you have a lot of family and friends who have become ardent Days fans?

BRANDT: Everyone has Days T-shirts and coffee mugs, and they're all watching and TiVo-ing the show. They're all excited. I'm definitely going to be giving some tours of Salem in the next couple of months. All of my female friends from high school and college, who have always watched Days, are like, 'Oh, my God! I can't believe you get to do scenes with Lucas, and you're Victor's son.' Their reaction has been great.

June 2003

Direct qoute from TV Guide Interview:

Days of Our Lives's Kyle Brandt is ready to make amends. A year ago, the former Real World: Chicago cast member stuck his foot in his mouth during a reunion special by admitting that he had turned down a role on another NBC soap, and alluded to the fact that the soap world was a bit beneath him. The Princeton grad has realized the error in his ways. He's now happily ensconced in Salem as the mysterious Philip Kiriakis, mastering the art of keeping secrets and making not-so-subtle moves on gal pal Belle.
His character may be dodging the confessional, but the affable former football player eagerly answered some of TV Guide Online's most pressing questions. Brandt tackles the topics of getting settled into the real world of acting after his Real World experience, shares his enthusiasm for this new adventure and owns up to his soap opera viewing habits. Angel Cohn

You've been on the show for a few weeks; are you settled in yet?

It's taken a little while, but I'm settling in really well and getting more comfortable. Most importantly, I'm having a blast. It's a really good job.

Has the cast been welcoming to you?

I've been [at Days] for about two months now and if they hadn't been, I think it would have been impossible to take. Everyone has been really, really nice. A number of people have just taken me by the hand from day one, and it's really greased the edges for me.

Have you adjusted to the hectic soap schedule?

It's crazy because you do an hourlong episode every day of the week. On prime-time shows you do one a week, maybe. But I like it. It calls for a lot of work and long hours, but I always tell people that I've been out here in L.A. for a while looking for work and not having it. So now that I do, I'm loving it. I always make people throw up when I tell them that when work is over on Friday, I can't wait for it to be Monday. Isn't that great? It's everyone's dream, and it's really cool.

How did this role come about? Did you audition?

It kind of happened like it happens a lot of times in entertainment. I had come in a few months ago for a role on Days that I didn't get. And then a couple of weeks later this role came up, and they brought me back in. Looking back, I realize I wasn't right for that first one. But I still auditioned decently and they brought me in for Philip. The timing just worked out right. That's what they tell you out here. It's the role that you didn't get that gets you the role you're playing.

You had mentioned during a Real World reunion special that you had turned down a part on Passions because you didn't want to be on a soap. What was it about Days that made you change your mind?

It wasn't even a matter of changing my mind, it was a matter of maturing. When I said that I was really naïve and ignorant of a lot of things, and I'm the first person to admit that. Turning down the role on Passions had less to do with Passions than to do with my own life. When that whole experience came up I had just moved to L.A., I had been here for less than a week and I was being asked to sign away the next three years of my life to something I was unfamiliar with. The comment that was made was really a long time ago before I'd learned a lot. And now, you can ask anybody I know, I'm ecstatic to be [at a soap]. I really, really am. I realize what goes on here and I like it a lot.

Were you a fan of soap operas growing up?

There was a period of several months when I was really, really obsessed with Days, back in the mid-80's heyday when the characters of Patch and Kayla were really popular. I just got to meet the actors who played them last month and it was really, really cool. They were so nice and so gracious. People who are on the show now like and I used to watch them. I haven't told them I used to watch when I was a little kid. I have scenes with them now and it's really amazing. I know I'm just oozing out sunshine about this job, but it's how I feel, it really is.

What would you like to see happen with Philip?

I hope that Philip finds a way to have some fun because everything that I'm doing is really serious and secretive, and it's based around deception and a lot of lying, which is out of character for me. I'm hoping that they can find a way for him to have some laughs. But at the same token and I know I'm contradicting myself but I like doing scenes as an actor that are really intense and standoffish. A lot of scenes that I have with John Black are of us butting heads. I really get into that stuff, especially with Drake because that's the kind of actor he is.