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Longtime Days of our Lives star James Reynolds recently revealed in an emotional Entertainment Tonight interview that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Reynolds Gets Candid About Diagnosis
In the interview, Reynolds told Entertainment Tonight reporter Nischelle Turner that his own diagnosis will be incorporated into the storyline, as Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) gives Abe the news this week. In recent episodes, Theo (Tyler Joseph Andrews) had noticed a change in Abe's signature, and his hand had been seen shaking. Abe approached Kayla with his concerns, and she ran multiple tests.
Reynolds revealed the origins of his own diagnosis, saying he noticed balance issues and would sometimes experience shortness of breath. However, he believes he may have had symptoms that go back more than a decade.
"I realize that I may have had this as long as 15 or 20 years ago, because you get what they call the hallucinations," Reynolds said. "My wife would say, 'You were hitting me last night in bed,' and I would say, 'What!' I was having these really horrible dreams."
Bringing Real-Life to Reel-Life
Reynolds also explained why DAYS chose to write his diagnosis into the storyline, a diagnosis he thought he had been hiding.
"I was shaking all over the place," he said. "I thought I was hiding something...but you could see my hand shaking. You could see different things. Sometimes I get a little unbalanced...you're playing that game with yourself."
Eventually, a decision was made by the showrunners and by Reynolds to have Abe diagnosed with Parkinson's, as well.
"The writers wanted to incorporate it because it was obvious," he said. "And we play life here, and there are many other characters who have gone through real-life issues that then are mirrored on the show...I feel like the value of Abe as a character who overcomes a lot, has a tremendous amount of strength, deals with a lot of things with humor, as well as understanding."
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Reynolds also praised the DAYS cast and crew, calling them "extraordinarily helpful and supportive. It couldn't be a better atmosphere. People are just so wonderful, and that makes it a lot easier."
Parkinson's Disease is a chronic, degenerative nervous system disorder and has no known cure, although it can be managed medicinally, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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