On Days of Our Lives, few characters embody contradiction quite like Leo Stark—and few actors understand the power of living inside that contradiction better

than Greg Rikaart. As Salem reels from the emotional fallout of Javi’s sudden departure and the destabilizing return of Dimitri, Leo finds himself standing

on uncertain ground once again, questioning not only his relationships but the progress he believed he had made. Rather than steering Leo toward

a tidy emotional resolution, Rikaart is leaning into the messiness—and that choice is reshaping one of the show’s most layered arcs.

The recent storyline delivered a double blow. Javi, newly married and full of hope, handed Leo his wedding ring and left town to be at his father’s hospital bedside. It was a decision rooted in love and duty, yet it left Leo reeling. Almost simultaneously, Dimitri’s reappearance cracked open old wounds Leo thought had healed. The marriage barely had time to breathe before the past came rushing in, threatening to undo everything Leo had worked to build.

For Rikaart, that emotional collision is precisely where Leo belongs right now—not broken beyond repair, but destabilized enough to reveal the truth beneath the progress.

A Character Caught Between Loss and Validation

In conversations about Leo’s current headspace, Rikaart doesn’t sugarcoat the turmoil. He describes Leo as emotionally flooded, pulled in opposite directions by heartbreak and a surprising sense of validation. Javi’s exit hurts deeply, stripping Leo of the stability he had come to rely on. Yet Dimitri’s return confirms something Leo has long feared and secretly suspected: his feelings for his ex were never imagined.

That realization matters. For Leo, believing he had fabricated emotions—or worse, rewritten his own history—would have been far more damaging than admitting unresolved feelings still exist. There is a strange relief in knowing he wasn’t wrong about his heart, even if that truth complicates everything else. Rikaart frames this moment not as regression, but as exposure: Leo’s growth hasn’t vanished, but it has been tested.

What makes the storyline resonate is that the relief doesn’t cancel out the pain. It sits beside it, heavy and unresolved. Leo isn’t granted clarity or closure. Instead, he’s forced to carry competing truths at once—grief over Javi, longing for Dimitri, and an uneasy awareness that personal growth doesn’t erase old patterns overnight.

Reinvention Without Illusion

Rikaart has long resisted portraying Leo as a man who simply “fixes” himself and moves on. Instead, he embraces the idea that reinvention is ongoing and imperfect. Leo has done the work—he’s reflected, apologized, softened—but instinct and history don’t disappear just because someone wants them to. According to Rikaart, the possibility of Leo backsliding isn’t a failure; it’s part of being human.

That perspective reframes the stakes. Leo’s vulnerability now isn’t proof that he hasn’t changed—it’s evidence that change requires maintenance. The danger doesn’t come from falling; it comes from pretending the fall is impossible. By allowing Leo to remain unfinished, Days of Our Lives honors a deeper, more realistic emotional truth.

The Power of the Unresolved

When pressed about Leo’s romantic future, Rikaart refuses to choose sides. Javi offers steadiness and trust, a relationship built on mutual effort and shared values. Dimitri represents spark, history, and unresolved desire. And then there’s Gwen, whose presence still exerts a gravitational pull that complicates Leo’s emotional orbit.

Rather than championing one pairing, Rikaart steps back. Choosing a single “endgame” would oversimplify Leo’s journey, and he’s not interested in shortcuts. He famously likened the decision to “Sophie’s choice,” making it clear that Leo’s story isn’t meant to be solved neatly or quickly.

That refusal speaks volumes about Rikaart’s approach to daytime storytelling. He trusts time, repetition, and emotional accumulation over grand gestures. In a genre often driven by sweeping declarations, his patience stands out as a quiet form of resilience.

Trusting the Long Game in Daytime Drama

What emerges most clearly from Rikaart’s reflections is a belief in the long game. Daytime television thrives on return—characters revisit old wounds, old loves, old mistakes. For Rikaart, that cycle isn’t a weakness of the format; it’s its strength. Meaning accrues slowly, through contrast and consequence, rather than instant resolution.

Leo’s current limbo reflects that philosophy. He’s not rushing toward redemption or relapse. He’s hovering in the uncomfortable middle, where self-awareness exists without certainty. Rikaart appears content to let the story dictate its own pace, trusting that the character will reveal his next step when the time is right.

Impact on the Canvas

Leo’s instability doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Javi’s absence leaves a palpable emotional gap, while Dimitri’s return ripples outward, threatening other relationships and alliances. The storyline challenges Salem’s characters—and its audience—to sit with ambiguity. There are no villains or heroes here, only people navigating conflicting loyalties and unfinished business.

In that sense, Leo becomes a mirror for the show itself: always evolving, never fully resolved, and strongest when it allows contradiction to breathe.A Performance Rooted in Honesty

Greg Rikaart’s portrayal of Leo Stark has always balanced wit with vulnerability, but this chapter pushes the character into deeper emotional waters. By resisting easy answers and embracing uncertainty, Rikaart delivers a performance grounded in honesty rather than resolution. It’s a reminder that resilience isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about learning how to live with it.

As Days of Our Lives continues to unfold Leo’s story, one thing is clear: the journey matters more than the destination. And with Rikaart trusting the long game, viewers are invited to do the same—staying with Leo in the chaos, the contradictions, and the quiet hope that growth, even when shaky, still counts.