It's the kind of entrance most guys would die for – throwing a punch, aiming a gun, and following it up with some major trash talk. Billy Flynn got to indulge in all of it, when he made his Days of Our Livesdebut as Chad DiMera.

“I loved every bit of it. I got to punch a 6 foot 4 guy and knock him down; then, pull a gun on him,” recounts Flynn, referring to co-star James Scott (EJ). “I liked that the whole thing was a joke.

Chad knew he was never going to shoot EJ... that at the end of it he would have that laugh. The whole thing was just a point: Don't underestimate how far I'll be willing to go.”

Cast as the latest member of the show's criminal clan, Flynn's acclimating to la famiglia DiMera, thanks to some advice from Scott and TV dad, Joseph Mascolo (Stefano). Then, there's that fun flirtation with Alison Sweeney (Sami), but that's another story...

Thrown Into the Fire

“I'm pretty good at covering up the nerves, but I was trepidatious [when I started on the show]. I knew that I was going to get a lot of crap about taking over the part. Casey (Jon Deidrick, ex-Chad) was a beloved actor. The character – his Chad – was loved. I just tried to put it out of my mind, show up for work, and do the job.”

A Chip Off the Old Block?

“A lot of people have said, 'Oh, it's the next EJ,' but Chad's so much different than EJ. He does have that anger behind his eyes; that don't mess with me [attitude], which is very awesome to play.

As a DiMera, I have to keep that up. It's, 'If you cross me, I will cut you.'”

“Stefano's” Words of Wisdom

“I haven't gotten to work with Joe Mascolo (Stefano), but I have met him. He's amazing and kind of intimidating. He talked to me about being a DiMera, the reputation we must uphold and the presence we must have. He also gave me some advice about how the DiMera men are and how they treat family. I’ve used a lot of that in my work – how you can be in a room and have a knife to your brother's throat, but it's actually all love and you would never actually do anything o him. If somebody comes in, you put the knife in your back pocket and you guys are best friends. “

Advice from Big Brother

“James helped me out a ton. I've heard he said some nice things about my acting and me. Before he left, he told me to keep doing what I was doing, that I was playing the part perfectly and that he was happy the show and the DiMeras were going to be fine without him. So that really warmed my heart.”

Mom Loves Ali

“I knew who Alison Sweeney (Sami) was before I joined the show, because my mom is a huge fan of The Biggest Loser and she used to watch soap operas. My mom actually came to the set once. That was kind of surreal for her. She recognized a lot of the faces and had a lot of fun.”

Getting His Flirt On

“When I came in and Ali and I first started working together, we had a lot of chemistry in our scenes. There was always that kind of playful crush/flirtation going on in our scenes. Lauren Koslow (Kate) would actually make jokes about it to us. So that's kind of how [our Twitter exchange] started. Now, if Ali and I are flirting on Twitter, you'll always see Lauren pop up and say something.”

The Acting Bug

“My great grandparents are very into music and film and a lot of the old actors. I used to watch The Sound of Music as a kid for hours with my great grandmother, and I played dress up as Batman. So I’ve always wanted to get into acting. I’ve always been very fascinated by and loved the arts. It just never happened. Things in life stopped it. So I pursued a career in finance and imagined that would be my life, but I was terrible at it and didn't enjoy it. Finally, when I was an adult and could make my own choices, I said, 'I'm going to give acting a try before it's too late... before I'm fat and bald and ugly.”

Chad, Moving Forward...

“He's going to figure out where he fits in Salem. He's going to figure out his relationships again; how he feels about people as a new DiMera and everything that entitles. He's going to carry himself differently and people are going to react differently to him... You're also going to start to see his underlying heart and the toll that it takes to do the things he's doing. I really enjoy playing that part of Chad.”