Days of Our Lives’ Mary Beth Evans On When Kayla Sees Steve

Kayla and a few other Salemites are stunned when a surprise couple crashes Julie and Doug’s New Year’s Eve party on Days of Our Lives – Hope and Steve. It’s the first time Kayla sees her MIA ex-husband in over a year.

Days of Our Lives: Expect the Unexpected

“I’m not going to say what his reaction is, but it all is very complicated,” says Mary Beth Evans. “Viewers may go, ‘What?!?’ But I hope they ride the wave with us because it’s such an interesting story. And it’s a really unexpected story.”

As viewers know, Steve is now programmed to think he’s Stefano. And although he pops on an eye patch so he can go out and about as Steve, his memories of his past with Kayla don’t exist – or, at least, are not at the surface. However, Kayla’s memories of Steve and the life they shared together are still strongly there. So seeing her first love in the flesh leaves her understandably torn.

Woman in the Middle

“Yes, and for all those reasons,” notes Mary Beth Evans. “You sort of fall in love with someone else [Justin], and then this other person [Steve] returns … The part that was hard was normally I would always say that Kayla has to be with him. I always thought my character felt that way. It’s got to be them, Patch and Kayla, and that’s that. But maybe not exactly.

“Now there’s this question of, Do I? Where are we and how did we get here and what’s up,” continues Evans. “It was interesting to be in a different situation where this year has gone by and now you’re with someone else and this other person comes back.

“How do you sort that out? I think you can be in love with two people at the same time because Kayla really does love Justin. So where are you then? It’s an interesting thing, and, again, it’s kind of complicated.”

Up to the Task

Playing the storyline out has been a welcome challenge for Evans, as well as Stephen Nichols (Steve) and Wally Kurth (Justin). “It’s been cool, fun and different for all of us,” shares Evans. “I think Stephen’s been super challenged. He came back [as Stefano], and he’s had probably some of the hardest stuff he’s ever had to do. It’s good and interesting, and it’s been shocking.”

Mary Beth Evans: Back Together Again

The biggest thrill for Evans is that she’s finally working with her longtime leading man again, after a long absence from the soap.

“I was so heartbroken when Stephen left. It was kind of devastating, shocking and really tough,” admits the actress. “Luckily, I at least had phone calls where I was crying to him all the time. But then Stephen and I are such good friends. I did talk to him quite a bit during the time he was off.

“I’m so happy that he’s back,” smiles Evans. “That’s all I ever wanted was for him to be there, because that’s where he should be. There are some of us that are the core, the foundation of Days of Our Lives, in my eyes. I think Stephen belongs on the show.”