“Heated Rivalry” hunk Franco Lo Presti had made his daytime soap debut as Dante Vitali on “Days of Our Lives.” The character has a last name that is infamous in Salem and generally means trouble. Lo Presti’s debut as Dante has fans wondering more about the man who got engaged to Sami (Alison Sweeney) off-screen and out of nowhere.
Who is Dante Vitali on ‘Days of Our Lives’?
It was nearly a year ago that Sami dropped the bomb that she was engaged to Dante Vitali. The news didn’t go over well, considering he’s a member of the mafia-affiliated Vitali family. Dante’s also the cousin of Ava (Tamara Braun) Vitali, who wreaked havoc on Steve (Stephen Nichols) and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) for years.
Fans finally met Dante when he turned out to be the man throwing the high-stakes poker game in Monte Carlo that Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) and Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) were at. Last week, they learned Dante was in the mix thanks to Sami and EJ’s (Daniel Feuerriegel) daughter Sydney (Sydney Malakeh).
When he met Gabi and Philip, Dante made it clear instantly that he’s devoted to Sami and that he didn’t like keeping secrets from her. Dante also firmly stated that he may not be close with his cousin Ava but he will defend her becasue she’s family.
It was also revealed that Dante has a connection to the mysterious Dominic Marino, who is buying the Kiriakis estate and has a vested interest in the DiMera family.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding Dante, especially since he has arrived on-screen months before fans will see Sami again. Sami won’t be on-screen again until next summer for an epic “Days of Our Lives” reunion.
While fans don’t know much about Dante yet, his portrayer, Lo Presti teased a bit about his alter ego. Lo Presti told TV Insider that Dante has been trying to distance himself from the Vitali family name. One way Dante did that was by growing up in Italy and attending a top-tier English boarding school.
“He then went on to build his own dynasty in finance, all the while trying to distance himself from the Vitali name. But at the core of Dante, there’s definitely an old-school quality to him. He’s super passionate, he’s sincere and incredibly generous, but he’s also someone that you probably shouldn’t underestimate. Loyalty is something that means a lot to him. As Dante enters Salem, I think the audience will get to slowly peel back those layers and discover what’s really driving him. So, I’m excited for Days fans to go on that ride with Dante,” Lo Presti expressed to the outlet.
From ‘Heated Rivalry’ to ‘Days of Our Lives’
Lo Presti began filming the Peacock soap literally weeks before Season 1 of “Heated Rivalry” dropped. The actor played Cliff Marleau on the series, which became a mega hit. Lo Presti admitted to TV Insider that he knew there was something special about “Heated Rivalry” and that the show’s success was so deserved.
It was an interesting time for Lo Presti to be filming a job he loved on “Days of Our Lives” amid the success of “Heated Rivalry” because he couldn’t talk about his soap gig. Since the Peacock soap is filmed nearly 10 months in advance, Lo Presti had to keep quiet about the job.
“Days of Our Lives” played a key role in his childhood, as his grandmother watched it after migrating from Italy to Canada. In fact, the soap helped her learn English.
“As a young boy, I would sit on the couch with her and watch Days of Our Lives. So, my memory is definitely sitting with my Nonna and watching a riveting Joseph Mascolo [Stefano DiMera] terrorize the town,” he spilled to TV Insider.
Lo Presti explained that when he went from playing soccer to acting, being on a soap was a dream of his. When a mentor suggested Lo Presti needed to get on a soap, he responded that he would like to be on “Days of Our Lives” or “The Young and the Restless.”
“So, it’s been manifesting for nine years, and there’s nothing like being a part of such an iconic cast and show,” Lo Presti declared.
