Kayla’s horrified when Joey insists on turning himself in for Ava’s murder on Days of Our Lives (DOOL).
“It’s like a tornado has gone through their family,” says Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), referring to everything the Johnson clan has endured since twisted Ava’s demise. “It’s been over a year since Joey (James Lastovic) put a pillow over Ava’s head, so they have sat with this secret for a long time.
“Then, Jade came into the picture and found out about it. Kayla has really good morals and likes to do the right thing, so this has been interesting for her.”
Protecting Her Son
Yet, Kayla has never had second thoughts about keeping what really happened quiet. “The idea of her son going to prison is something Kayla couldn’t bear,” contends Evans. “So she participated in this coverup. Protecting Joey is like her absolute highest goal.”
Meanwhile, Steve (Stephen Nichols) and Joey, who’s wracked with guilt over what he did, have other ideas.
“Joey has said to Steve, ‘I can’t live with this anymore,’” recounts Evans. “Steve is more understanding of this. Kayla’s a little more black and white. Steve sees more the gray and that Joey is a tortured soul, who needs to [confess] to be whole. But Kayla just wants to protect her baby. That’s all she cares about.”
Time to Atone
Steve decides to talk to Roman about his son’s need to atone for killing Ava. Needless to say, the move doesn’t sit well with Kayla.
“It becomes a thing of Kayla against her husband,” explains Evans. “The two of them are on separate sides here. Kayla doesn’t understand why Steve doesn’t try to stop Joey from [confessing]. Instead, he’s almost encouraging him to do it. It’s really tough and it causes a rift between Steve and Kayla.
“The Johnsons, as a family, are really challenged throughout this whole story,” continues Evans. “I loved it. I saved the scripts, because I thought it was such good drama and conflict.”
Kayla won’t go down without a fight. In fact, she has…continue reading on the next page —>
Kayla won’t go down without a fight. In fact, she has a powerful heart-to-heart with Joey urging him not to turn himself in to the police.
Mama Bear Unleashed
“I was beside myself in those scenes,” remembers Evans. “My mother bear came out so strongly. I was almost growling… just a mom wanting to protect her son.
“Kayla so wants Joey to hear her and not [confess],” Evans continues. “It’s almost like she has to get between Joey and Steve and not let Joey even look at his father. She’s like, ‘Focus on me and what I’m telling you, right now. You can’t do this. You don’t know what prison is going to be like. This will ruin your life.’
“Meanwhile, Steve is going, ‘Why are you telling him not to do this?’ It’s a really tough situation.”
Giving In and Moving On
In the end, Kayla may have no choice in the matter, as Joey will be the one to ultimately decide his fate.
“Kayla would do anything to spare her son from doing time,” notes Evans. “If she could take him off to a hollow tree and go live with him there, she would. She wants to protect him at all costs. But, at some point she’s going to have to acquiesce.”
As to how the aftermath of it all will affect Steve and Kayla as a couple, Evans admits that there will be repercussions.
“Fortunately, they have a strong marriage and are so connected,” she says. “But this is a big problem and it’s really upsetting, so they’re going to have to work through it.”
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Share your thoughts, leave a com-ment in the section below. Win exclusive member-only DAYS spoilers, prizes, and more: sign up here! Also, join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Tune in to find out about the drama happening in Genoa City. Read More
Tune in to find out about all the drama happening in Los Angeles. Read More
