Ben Weston is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network, most notably portrayed by Robert Scott Wilson. The role was originated by Justin Gaston in 2014, as Ben Rogers, when the character was introduced as the new love interest of Abigail Deveraux (Kate Mansi), and was later revealed to be the estranged brother of Jordan Ridgeway (Chrishell Stause).

Soon after, Wilson was hired as a recast and the writers began exploring the character's dark past with the introduction of his abusive criminal father Clyde Weston (James Read). In 2015, the romantic triangle between Ben, Abigail and Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) culminates in Ben becoming a serial killer, known as the "Necktie Killer," claiming several victims, including legacy character Will Horton (Guy Wilson/Chandler Massey).

Wilson vacated the role in late 2015 and would reprise the role for multiple guest stints before returning to the show as a series regular on June 1, 2018. Upon his return, then-head writer Ron Carlivati began to redeem the character through his friendship and eventual romance with Ciara Brady (Victoria Konefal), whom he later married and had a son and daughter with.

Storylines Ben (Justin Gaston) comes to Salem in 2014 where he lands a job as a waiter at Club TBD and runs into his estranged sister Jordan Ridgeway. Ben is immediately smitten with Abigail while Jordan tries to chase Ben out of town fearing someone will uncover their past but he calms her fears. Jordan tries to chase Ben out of town fearing someone will uncover their past but Ben is too smitten with Abigail Deveraux to care. Ben and Jordan are horrified when their abusive father Clyde comes to town demanding the money they stole from him. Ben is surprised when Clyde changes his tune and gives Jordan back her life's savings. Meanwhile, Ben grows closer to Abby despite her ex-boyfriend Chad DiMera attempts to sabotage his budding romance with Abigail and the life he's building in Salem. Ben gets himself arrested when he attacks Chad in public after Chad throws his sexual relationships with Abby and Jordan in his face. Clyde reveals that the DiMeras bribed the casino manager to testify against Ben. However, the witness is found dead and charges are dropped. Ben is suspicious when Chad helps Abby get her job back at the hospital and Ben in turn convinces her to move in with him. Ben follows Abigail to the DiMera mansion where he finds Abigail has slept with Chad. Instead of confronting her, Ben proposes to Abigail after Clyde gifts him with his late mother's engagement ring. Ben is even more excited to learn that Abby is pregnant. As they begin planning their wedding, Clyde offers to buy the couple a house as wedding gift. Meanwhile, Ben warns Abigail to keep her distance from Chad who has been implicated in the murders of Serena Mason (Melissa Archer) and Paige Larson (True O'Brien). Realizing Abigail can't stay away from Chad, Ben convinces her to leave town with him after the wedding. The killer then attacks Doctor Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) and Chad "interrupts" the confrontation. When Chad goes on the run, Ben changes his mind about moving. On September 24, 2015, Ben is revealed to be "The Necktie Killer" when he is shown dumping evidence into the river. Ben ask Abigail's cousin Will Horton (Guy Wilson) to be the best man at their wedding. Meanwhile, Ben is furious when his future brother-in-law JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) gets Clyde arrested for drug trafficking and they nearly come to blows. In October 2015, Ben claims another victim when he strangles Will to death as Will has discovered Ben is the killer. Ben once again, frames Chad for the murder. Chad realizes Ben is the killer and confronts him but Ben beats him into a coma. Ben claims that Chad broke in and attacked him because he is obsessed with Abby. As Clyde is extradited, Ben confesses to the killings and Clyde promises to keep his secret. Ben takes Abby to a secluded where she goes into premature labor. Ben calls a midwife Wendy (Denice Duff), to help Abigail deliver the baby. After the birth, Ben shoots Wendy and buries her in the woods. Chad comes to Abby's rescue but Ben ties them up together, sets the cabin on fire and runs off with the baby whom Ben has named Colin. However, Ben is apprehended by JJ and Lani Price (Sal Stowers) and taken back to Salem. When Chad and Abigail confront him, Ben has seemingly lost his grip on reality. Despite his condition, Ben tells Abby where he left the baby and he is then put on a 24-hour suicide watch and taken to jail.

In April 2016, Ben breaks into the DiMera mansion and he is shocked when Abigail professes her love for him. When Ben lets his guard down, Abigail stabs him and knocks him out. Ben wakes up tied to the bed and a deranged Abigail sets him on fire. Chad arrives just in time to put the fire out but Ben's legs are severely burned. The police take Ben into custody and district attorney Justin Kiriakis (Wally Kurth) concludes that Ben was sane enough to escape the hospital, and Ben is sent to prison instead of back to the mental hospital.

In September 2017, Ben crashes Chad and Abigail's double wedding with Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith) and Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) to announce that Sonny's husband Will (Chandler Massey) is still alive. Ben tells Marlena that Clyde told him Will is alive. Later, Will's mother Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) convinces Ben to reenact Will's "murder" to cure his amnesia. However, Ben can't bring himself to hurt Will again and Sami has him locked away again.

In June 2018, Marlena visits Ben and questions his mental state as he is due to be released from the sanitarium. Ben says it was the incident with Sami and Will that caused his breakthrough. Ben promises to make amends for the pain he caused. Upon release, Ben visits Will to apologize and Chad orders him out of town. When Chad ditches him at the edge of town, Ben finds Ciara Brady (Victoria Konefal) after a motorcycle crash. Ben promises he has changed and convinces her to let him tend to her wounds. They bond as Ben cares for her and she begins to trust him. However, Ben unravels when he can't fill his medication due to the Salem police putting out an APB on him and Ciara. Paranoid Ben has hallucinations of Clyde who tries to convince him that Ciara turned him in. Ciara talks him down and Ben goes to the pharmacy to get his medication only to return to Ciara's police commissioner mother, Hope (Kristian Alfonso) and Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) rescue Ciara from the burning cabin. Ben is arrested for arson but swears he is innocent and Ciara hires Ted Laurent (Gilles Marini) as his attorney. After his release, Ben is attacked by Paige's mother Eve Donovan (Kassie DePaiva) and turns to Ciara for help. After the police rule the fire was an accident, Hope agrees to drop the charges if Ben skips town. However, Ciara invites Ben to move in with her, her boyfriend Tripp Dalton (Lucas Adams) and her niece Claire (Olivia Rose Keegan). Ben was arrested after Tripp planted evidence against him. He was then let go, He soon learned the truth and informed Ciara about it. He chose not to press charges against Tripp. He starts dating newly single Ciara. He also saves her from the burning fire after his sister Jordan Ridgeway abducts her. Ben takes Ciara to the hospital where Ciara is admitted for inhaling too much smoke. Jordan shows up in Ciara's room and knocks Ben out. When he regains his consciousness, he stops Jordan from hurting Ciara, he almost kills her with a syringe but is stopped by Rafe Hernandez. Feeling guilty for almost hurting the sister who raised him, he visits her at the police station and apologizes to her. He then figures out that it was Claire Brady who set both the fires at the Mammoth Falls Cabin and the Horton cabin that almost killed Ciara, Tripp and Haley Chen. He saves Tripp and Haley, but gets wrongly accused of setting the fire and gets arrested. At the SPD, he confides in Ciara and they secretly conspire against Claire. Looking for work he meets garage mechanic, Jake Lambert, who looks exactly like his deceased friend and former boss, Stefan DiMera. Jake hires him. With a source of income, he feels he can propose to Ciara. They are married by Julie with many in attendance. As they walk the church aisle to leave, an explosive goes off injuring many and burying Ben under debris. Emergency, fire and police responders are unable to find Ben. It is revealed that Ben has been taking captive and brought to New York City. He is bound when he awakens and Eve Donovan reveals herself as his captor with help from a man named Vincent. Eve is still grieving the murder of her daughter, Paige, at the hands of Ben. She and Vincent torture and brainwash Ben with mind-altering drugs. They program him to kill Ciara. He is found by Ciara and Hope. Ben and Ciara later get re-married after Ciara was presumed dead after being captured by Evan Frears and then loses her memory but regains it after reuniting with Ben, and the two later have two children together, Bo Weston (named after Ciara's father, Bo Brady) and Addie Weston (named after Ciara's grandmother Addie Horton).

Development Casting and creation

In the summer of 2013 Soap Opera Digest reported that the soap had put out two separate casting calls, one of which was for the role of Ben. In February 2014, it was reported that actor and country singer Justin Gaston, known for his appearance on the television series, Nashville Star had been cast in the contract role of Ben. Gaston filmed his first scenes in October 2013 and was slated to make his first appearance on February 26, 2014.

During the week of April 7, 2014, rumors circulated that Gaston had been replaced by actor Robert Scott Wilson, with neither actor nor the show commented on the speculation. On April 14, 2014, Soap Opera Digest confirmed the rumor and reported that Gaston was indeed replaced by Wilson, known for being the first male model on The Price Is Right and his portrayal of Peter Cortlandt in the short-lived online reboot of the ABC soap, All My Children. Wilson commented on the news that he would soon depart from the game show, and thanked fans. The following day, Wilson confirmed his final appearance on The Price is Right as April 15, and assured fans that he was not leaving on bad terms but did not comment on his new gig at Days of Our Lives. Wilson made his debut on May 22, 2014. At the time, Wilson was testing for another project on Fox. When the project fell through, Wilson returned to Boston to visit his family for Christmas which is when he learned he got the job. "It came at a time when I didn't expect," Wilson told Soap Opera Digest. Ironically, Wilson had just purchased a brand new Mercedes-Benz the week before booking the gig. "Fortune favors the bold" he said of his luck. He started filming on January 8, 2014, and had filmed twelve episodes by the end of February. Wilson accredited his landing the role to his time on All My Children and his former costar Jill Larson. Wilson also found common ground with former AMC alum, Chrishell Stause who played Ben's sister, Jordan and said Stause and [Kate] Mansi helped him make the transition. After landing the gig, Wilson learned he would also be working opposite [Kristian] Alfonso, another Boston native.

In a November 2020 interview with Michael Fairman, Wilson disclosed he received the casting call for Ben in 2013, and was unable to audition, due to his commitment for All My Children. He also credited the late Lisa de Cazotte for his casting in the role.

Characterization Personality