Late-night host John Oliver got the “slap” in the face he wanted during his three-episode character arc on the soap opera General Hospital.
Oliver, who pitched himself for a role on a soap opera from behind the desk at his show Last Week Tonight, landed two short arcs on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, the latter of which aired the final piece of his character’s story on Monday. In the episode, Oliver is slapped across the face by the character Carly Corinthos (played by Laura Wright), just as he had requested in the “conditions” for the roles he wanted to play.
“I only have a few conditions: First, I don’t want to play myself,” he said on his show in March. “I want to be a character. And I want his name to be ridiculous… Also, I want to do something juicy—like murder or slapping or being slapped or being someone’s long-lost something—and, ideally, I’d like a dramatic close-up of my face. But in return, trust me, I will give my all to this performance.”
Oliver then aired an audition of sorts, in which he reenacts a shooting scene from the show starring unlikely cast member Stephen A. Smith, who has played the show’s recurring character “Brick” since 2016.
The plea seemed to work out for the host, who also got the “ridiculous” character name he wanted, as he played the mysterious head of a global spy agency known only as “Z.” In the slap scene, Oliver’s character refuses to release Carly’s daughter from her dangerous post as an agent—with a condescending remark to boot—which earns him a dramatic smack from the protective mother.
Oliver is expected to take on a similarly “wacky role” on Days of Our Lives, according to the Daily Mail, which quotes an insider as saying he “hit it out of the park” during filming of his arc on the show. The site also reports that Oliver’s tenure could extend if his character—which is under wraps—is well received.
Production for the host’s Emmy-winning HBO show is scheduled to resume on July 26.
