casting could be held off. In May 2009 it was announced that Pelphrey would return to Guiding Light to help usher it off the air and it was rumored that the role was being held for him, despite conflicting reports that the once suspended casting call had been reactivated. According to Soap Central, ABC was unable to cast the actor they initially wanted in the role, but the network refused to comment on their initial idea for casting. The delayed casting led to reintroduction of Sonny's other son, Michael. Lago later revealed that he was never contacted by the series, but he was definitely open to it. Pelphrey revealed in an interview that he had been contacted by ABC, but he turned down the role. In late May 2009, Soapnet reported that Dominic Zamprogna was set to join the cast of the soap in the mysterious role of Dominic. Soap Opera Digest confirmed the news and confirmed that the Canadian actor's first air date was June 22, 2009. Zamprogna revealed in an interview that his manager told him about the role; he filmed the audition and sent to the casting director, Mark Teschner. Teschner loved the tape and sent it to the producers. A week later, the producers had Zamprogna fly to Los Angeles to read with Maurice Benard, and they immediately offered him a contract. Teschner remembered Zamprogna from when he auditioned for role of Juan Santiago about 10 years earlier, a role that went to Michael Saucedo. Departure and guest returns (2018–2019) In June 2018, Zamprogna announced his decision to depart the role of Dante. In a statement, he said: "I feel I owe it to you awesome fans to tell you that I've taped my final scenes.". Zamprogna last appeared on June 28, 2018. Zamprogna returned in a guest capacity for a special one-off episode, centered around a "What If?" scenario concerning Benard's Sonny; the episode aired on November 12, 2018. In February 2019, it was announced that Zamprogna would once again return to the soap for a short-term period of time. He returned on March 15, 2019. He left again on March 29, 2019. Return (2020) In May 2020, Zamprogna disclosed to Soaps In Depth that he was "ready to come home," and had opened discussion to return to the role with executive producer Frank Valentini. In July of the same year, it was announced that