Soap Opera
‘It’s Never Goodbye’ — Departing ‘Days of our Lives’ Star’s Bittersweet and Emotional Farewell
Al Calderon wraps up his run as Javi Hernandez on ‘Days of Our Lives,’ reflecting on two major chapters closing as Jacob Martinez takes over the role on June 30th.
Days of Our Lives’ Al Calderon has wrapped up his run as Javi Hernandez, with his last scenes airing the week of June 15th to little fanfare. Soon after fans saw those final scenes, Calderon took a moment to reflect on his time in Salem and look forward to the future.
The End of Two Eras for Al Calderon
Calderon announced his DAYS departure last summer when he was offered a regular role on NBC’s Brilliant Minds. The actor signed on to play Zachary Quinto for the medical drama’s second season, but the network chose to yank the show after airing season 2 in two different split installments of the show. Calderon had already finished taping at DAYS before Brilliant Minds had been cancelled, as the soap tapes at least eight months in advance. Jacob Martinez will begin appearing as Javi on June 30th.
Calderon took to his Instagram stories recently to express his gratitude for being able to perform on two incredible shows.
“As I sit here reflecting on this lovely Saturday afternoon over the last two years of my life, I have two major chapters closing that have been part of my life every day for the last two years,” Calderon said, according to Michael Fairman TV. “We have Brilliant Minds. Our last episodes are wrapping up, and then my last scenes aired yesterday as me as Javi on Days of Our Lives.”
The actor went on to thank his Salem family for an incredible run, saying, “I’m just unbelievably grateful for the chance and the opportunity to be a part of something so much larger than me. I (will) love Days of Our Lives forever, my family. Thank you for supporting me and supporting my decision to take the leap of faith and believe in myself and tell other stories. You know, it’s never goodbye. It’s always ‘see you later’ to me and just leaving with love and leading with love.”
During Calderon’s time as Javi, he became part of a popular pairing with Greg Rikaart‘s Leo Stark. Javi helped Leo find a better version of himself and the couple wed on New Year’s Eve, just to have Leo’s ex, Dimitri (Peter Porte) show up just after they said their vows. Javi then left town to figure things out and support his sick father. When he returned, Leo wanted to pick up where they left off, but Javi had already moved on with a new man, Gus (Michael Ocampo), who just moved to Salem. Now, Javi and Leo’s story will continue with Martinez bringing Javi to life.
