Kassie DePaiva is back and literally bringing down the house — of Kiriakis, as Days of Our Lives’ crafty money-grubbing Eve Larson.
“I’ve made a career out of being hated and being the bad girl. So to have Eve come in with both guns loaded, holding her own, and being very, very strong has been fun,” says DePaiva, who is thankful to be back on the daytime scene and stirring the pot again, after surviving a battle with leukemia.
Her Biggest Fears
“I was eager to get through the treatment, eager to be healthy and strong enough to have the stamina to do this,” she confides. “My biggest fears coming back were, ‘Do I have the stamina to do it or will I have chemo brain and not be able to wrap my head around all these words? And, Am I going to still remain healthy?'”
“So far, God is good. God is present. I’m fine. I’m able to do it. I’ve been on DAYS for six months now, and I love what I’m doing. I love what I’ve had the opportunity to come back and play.”
Not to mention the performers she’s gotten to share the screen with. “I love working with Eric Martsolf (Brady), John Aniston (Victor), and Suzanne Rogers (Maggie). It’s a delight to fit in and figure things out with these three wonderful actors.”
Totally Clueless
DePaiva had no clue she’d be returning as Deimos’ widow or heir to his piece of the Kiriakis empire, until she received her first DAYS script.
“I didn’t know what any of it was going to be,” insists the actress, admitting she was just as shocked as viewers. “Now Eve is all about claiming the Kiriakis estate and Basic Black. She was married to Deimos, so she deserves it.”
About Those Flashbacks
Speaking of Deimos, DePaiva was thrilled that she “actually got to play some scenes” with his portrayer, Vincent Irizarry.
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“We’ve both been doing daytime about the same amount of time,” notes DePaiva. “We’ve been on different shows, but we’d never worked together before. So it was really great that Vincent and I got to have those little flashbacks.
“Because of that dynamic, because of Deimos’ hate-ability and Eve’s hate-ability, it just kind of worked. It’s deferred hate,” explains DePaiva. “Eve’s still got the remnants of Deimos, as well as his money and his place in the business, and it just gets Victor’s panties in a twist big time, which is so fun to watch.”
About Brady
Eve’s got Brady’s panties in a twist, too, and it’s led to some fiery face-offs between the twosome. And, as knowledgeable soap fans know, that’s usually a precursor to passion.
“I don’t know if it’s going to get romantic,” contends DePaiva. “Right now, they’re fighting over the company. This little leg coming up is a really good start to a great six months of storyline. I think that viewers are going to really enjoy Eve’s ride.
“It’s going to be a little bit bumpy, but it kind of has a rooting factor, especially because she rightfully believes she’s entitled to Deimos’ money and legally she is. And when you have people that are really trying to frame you for murder, it’s like, ‘What the hell?’”
Rooting for Eve
And for the first time in years, DePaiva says that fans are actually on her side. “I have some supporters who say, ‘Give Brady hell,’” delivers DePaiva with a smile. “I’ve never really had a lot of rooting factor. I’m talking about Eve being the predator with JJ (Casey Moss) and all that stuff. So this is really nice.”
Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
Video Credit: The Emmy Awards
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