Lani Price
Lani Price is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Portrayed by Sal Stowers, Lani is introduced as a new police cadet at the Salem Police department and later reveals herself to be the illegitimate daughter of Mayor Abe Carver. Lani is very driven and focused on her career. Lani forms a close bond with her younger half-brother Theo Carver and also falls for Shawn-Douglas Brady who has recently separated from his wife. She is also instrumental in bringing down Ben Weston, the "Necktie Killer." Lani leaves town when Shawn-Douglas reunites with his ex-wife. The character returns to town in December 2016 to visit her father Abe who has recently been shot. A paranoid Theo ropes her into investigating their father's new love interest Valerie Grant. She is the ex-girlfriend of JJ Deveraux.
Storylines
Lani is introduced as a rookie police officer at the Salem Police Department. She takes an interest in the mayor, Abe Carver. She also takes a liking to veteran detective Rafe Hernandez. Abe sees pictures on Lani's computer and realizes she is the daughter of singer Tamara Price, his ex-flame. Lani and Rafe attend Salem's bicentennial celebration together where Abe confronts Lani over his suspicions about her paternity and she confirms that she is his daughter. Abe makes plans to introduce his autistic son Theo to Lani but wants to ease into it. Lani forms a connection with Theo when she helps save his friend Joey Johnson when he collapses during the party. Lani uncovers that Ben Weston is the serial killer who has been terrorizing Salem. Lani, along with fellow officer JJ Deveraux tracks Ben to a nearby town where she successfully arrests him. Theo struggles to accept the revelation that Lani is his sister but when he finally does, Theo becomes very territorial, even around their father. Theo confides in Lani that he is being bullied but he swears her to secrecy. Lani continues flirting with Rafe but she soon recognizes that he is in love with Hope Brady. Lani gets a new partner in Hope's son, Shawn-Douglas Brady which leads to romance. Lani falls hard for Shawn but before they can consummate their relationship, Shawn reunites with his estranged wife Belle Black and Lani moves back to Miami.Lani, now a detective returns to Salem in December 2016 to check up on Abe who is recovering from being shot. Lani is very grateful to Doctor Valerie Grant for saving her father's life. However, Theo suspects Valerie is keeping a secret and Lani reluctantly agrees to help him uncover it. On New Year's Eve, Lani confronts JJ Deveraux and reveals that she is the woman that he had a one-night stand. JJ explains that he was blackout drunk and does not remember and they agree to just be friends. In 2017, Lani and JJ are paired together on the Orwell case. They soon start dating despite Abe's disapproval. After JJ breaks up with her after her brother's shooting, she finds JJ and Gabi in bed together, and assumes he has moved on, so she sleeps with Eli which later results in pregnancy. Later, JJ and Lani get back together after she learns about his attempted suicide and how Gabi stopped him. She discovers she's pregnant with Eli's baby and considers abortion without letting Eli and JJ know, only confiding in Kayla Brady about the child not being JJ's. Later, JJ finds out about her pregnancy, thinking the baby is his and convinces her not to abort the child. She keeps the truth from JJ about the baby not being his, but confesses to Eli about the baby being his after his mother Valerie Grant threatens her to.
Development
Creation and casting
The series released the casting call for the contract role in September 2014, then known as Maya. The character was due to start filming in late 2014 and expected to air by Spring 2015. On June 30, 2015, it was announced that model and actress Sal Stowers, known to daytime audiences for portrayal of Cassandra Foster on the short lived online reboot of All My Children would portray Lani. Stowers was the ninth cycle winner of the reality television series America's Next Top Model. The actress was slated to make her first appearance in September 2015. "So beyond excited and honored to announce that I have joined the Emmy-winning cast of Days Of Our Lives!" Stowers said in celebration of her new gig. Stowers filmed her first scenes in April 2015. On September 2, 2015, Stowers confirmed through Twitter that she would debut in the role of Lani on September 25. Stowers auditioned opposite Galen Gering and beat out eight other actresses for the role. Stowers described the ca≠sting process in an interview with Soap Opera Digest. "It was 6 a.m. and there was this huge adrenaline rush right before the test." She was instructed by the casting director Marnie Saitta to do push-ups to help calm her nerves. Stowers booked the role the same day. She was still a bit nervous but then the actress told herself, "There was a reason why I got the job." She taped three episodes on her first day. The casting reunited Stowers with her All My Children co-star Robert Scott Wilson. To celebrate her new gig, Stowers planned a brunch to coincide with her first airshow. "I love playing Abe's daughter and being apart of his family" Stowers said of the role. "I'm so passionate about Lani" she continued.Characterization
The original casting notice described the character as "smart and drop-dead gorgeous" African-American woman between the ages of 25-30 who was a "confident, dedicated professional" with a "sensitive side." According to Stowers, "Lani is very smart." She is also "very driven and really good at her job." Stowers described Lani as having "a power in her." Of her character, Stowers said Lani "came with a goal." Lani is "very determined. When she finds out what she wants, she goes after it and won't let anything stop her." When Stowers was invited back to reprise the role of Lani in 2016, she actively decided to change the way she portrayed Lani. "I wanted to approach her differently and bring a boldness to Lani, showing her as strong." In addition, the writers wanted to explore the character's personality more. Lani is more of a risk taker when she comes back. According Stowers, Lani has grown so much and "has more of an opinion now." Stowers further stated that "Lani owns her power and is committed to her job." The actress later explained that "Lani always tries to be Superwoman."Introduction (2015)
There was initial speculation that Lani would share connection with Billy Flynn's character, Chad DiMera. Upon her introduction, Lani is still settling into her new home "so we are seeing Lani on her best behavior," Stowers remarked. She is also trying to build a relationship with her father Abe whom her mother kept "hidden from Lani her whole life." Lani is determined to ingratiate herself into the Salem Police department and "she's putting everything into her work." In the beginning, Stowers said "there was a mystery to Lani." As the mayor's daughter, "Lani kind of walked on eggshells."In March 2016, Daytime Confidential reported that Stowers was one of several cast members released from their contracts when the series once again replaced the writing team. Stowers had actually filmed her departure scenes at the end of 2015, only a few months after her onscreen debut. However, the series kept quiet about her impending departure. When the news finally broke, Stowers took to Twitter to thank fans for their love and support. Of Lani's unexpected departure in June 2016, Stowers said, "I just went with what was happening."
Return (2016)
In September 2016, rumors circulated that Stowers would reprise her role as the actress had appeared in the cast photo for the 13,000th episode back which filmed in July 2016. However, Stowers return was not officially confirmed by the network until the week before her first re-appearance on December 19. Stowers was hesitant when she was suddenly contacted by the casting director about returning to the role of Lani. "I was excited but at first, I didn't believe it" the actress explained. However, Stowers revealed that she expected Lani to come back at some point because of her connection to Abe. Her return was kept secret so it was just as much a surprise to her co-stars as the actress herself. However, Stowers was excited because she missed working with everyone. Stowers said her hiatus helped to develop her as an actress and as a person. "When I walk onto the set now I'm very confident in what I've created with Lani." She continued, "I've definitely grown, not only as an artist, but also as a human… Giving Lani a voice, I also gave myself a voice. That's not easy to do, especially with a new job.Stowers was grateful that Lani was much more integrated into the canvas upon her return. "Everyone respects her. She's making great friendships. I think in the beginning , that wasn't there." Lani comes back to town with a secret. Though Lani's main reason for returning is to visit her ailing father, it is revealed that she is the woman JJ Deveraux had a drunken one-night-stand with whom he could not remember. In June 2018, Stowers renewed her deal with the soap; she will continue to appear as Lani into fall 2019.
Relationships
Initially, Lani shows an interest in Rafe Hernandez, a fellow member of the Salem Police Department. When she realizes he is interested in Hope Brady, Lani hooks up with Hope's son Shawn-Douglas Brady when he separates from his wife. When Shawn reconciles with his wife, Lani skips town. According to Sal Stowers, Lani "loves love" and she wants it just as much as she wants a career. However, she needs a partner she can have that with.Upon her return, the writers pair Lani with JJ, another one of her colleagues. Stowers liked the pairing "because they're fun," she stated. "They have this very playful chemistry but they also really get each other." However, Lani feels the rookie JJ will let their relationship interfere with their work, so she tries to cut him out of things. This backfires when Lani is abducted by a drug dealer and forced to take drugs. She experiences withdrawal and at same time questions the future of her relationship with JJ. "She wonders if this is what he really wants or if it's just something to get him by." Stowers relished in the opportunity to show her acting chops as Lani suffered from withdrawals after ingesting halo. "I spent a lot of time researching what addicts go through during withdrawal. I didn't know there was fear, loneliness, and hot and cold sensations, feeling like your skin is on fire." Stowers admitted that she had to go a "dark place" but she was up for the challenge. "I'm a very positive, happy person, so to put myself in a dark place was scary." Lani is adamant about keeping JJ out of her struggles because "she had something to prove to herself" and JJ. "She wanted to show JJ that she could hold it together." Stowers said it was easy work with Casey Moss and credited her co-star with making her feel comfortable.
At the same time, Lani bonds with Eli Grant who helps her hide her withdrawals from everyone including her father and JJ. While there is a connection between the two, Stowers felt it would be a bit "awkward" due to Abe's relationship with Eli's mom Valerie Grant. Eli and Lani initially clash but she admires how good he is at his job. Stowers was excited to work with Archey again, as they had worked together in their modeling days. "We're super-comfortable around each other because we've known each other for so long."