Scene Stealer: Why We Love Days of Our Lives Star Billy Flynn

He Plays: Badass-in-training Chad DiMera, now the sole hope of Salem's notorious but waning crime clan, on Days of Our Lives.

Where You've Seen Him: Barely anywhere. The late-blooming Billy Flynn was 29 when he debuted on the NBC soap last September and had just one prior role to write home to Minnesota about -- a small part earlier this year on Hawaii Five-0, playing a honeymooning husband killed after coming across the remnants of a crashed Chinese satellite. "They flew me first class to Honolulu, even though I was a complete nobody, and gave me five lines," Flynn says. Alas, the trip resulted in his getting fired from his day job as an accountant at an L.A. bakery. Three weeks later, he landed Days.

Why We Love Him: You don't know whether to throttle Chad or hug him. As the illegitimate son of wicked Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo), the kid's under great pressure to carry on the family business. "Part of Chad embraces this new responsibility, and he can be quite the arrogant prick," Flynn says. "But he's also really lost emotionally and desperately wants to be loved." Costar Deidre Hall (Marlena) says Flynn has a "sexy sophistication that's delicious." But even she's torn: "Chad's the kind of man you don't want your daughter to date but are secretly glad when she does."

Don't Show Him the Money: Flynn spent years working in finance, including a stint on the Warner Bros. lot, where he made sure Brad Pitt and other A-listers got paid their back-end movie profits. "I absolutely hated accounting but had a lifelong passion for acting, even though I'd never even done a school play," Flynn says. "During lunch break, I'd sneak onto the sets of Chuck and Shameless to watch and learn." It was the kick in the keister he needed. "I decided to chase the dream," he says. "It's a good thing it paid off, because I was horrible at handling other people's money."

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