Actors Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso are synonymous with Days of our Lives. The two actors debuted in Salem 40 years ago, and now, they’re coming together again for an exciting storyline. Recently, they sat down with Soap Hub to discuss why they’re calling DAYS home once more.
Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso: For the Fans
As viewers of Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem 2 saw last summer, Bo miraculously was given a second shot at life after he popped up in a hyperbaric chamber. Meanwhile, Hope, unaware Bo is back, learned that Megan Hathaway (Miranda Wilson) was alive and up to no good. The series ended with Hope choosing to hunt down Megan and bring her to justice.
The Beyond Salem 2 cliffhanger was a perfect setup for an installment of Beyond Salem 3. However, DAYS moved from NBC to Peacock, Beyond Salem’s home, before a third installment of the limited series could be developed. So it only made sense for this suspenseful story to play out on DAYS.
“We couldn’t leave the audience hanging,” Alfonso tells Soap Hub. “We thought there’d be talks for a Beyond Salem 3, and then, DAYS went to Peacock. I wasn’t sure if they’d come to us or not, but they did.”
DAYS Love Story
Alfonso adds that she and Reckell were pitched a story — one that fans are looking forward to seeing unfold. “That’s why I decided to come on board,” the actress says. “It was incredibly flattering and to work with Pete, Mary Beth [Evans, Kayla], Stephen [Nichols, Steve], Drake [Hogestyn, John]…amazing!”
Both performers are grateful for the fan support that has never wavered. When Bo was off the canvas, the show’s writers paired Hope with Rafe (Galen Gering). During a spat, Rafe told Hope he knew what his problem was — “I’m not Bo!” When that scene was played on a ginormous monitor at the annual Day of DAYS fan event at Universal Citywalk, the DAYS fans in attendance went wild. The moment was a clear indication that Bo and Hope’s romance was never going to die.
“The cool thing is that the writers are listening to that,” Reckell notes. “The audience wants us there. Albert [Alarr, co-executive producer] is listening to them, which is cool. It’s given us another shot at Bo and Hope. It’s quite a journey.”
Kristian Alfonso & Peter Reckell: Together Again
Reckell returned to DAYS in 2015 after Bo had been away from Salem for years; alas, Bo seemingly died in Hope’s arms. Given Megan’s longtime obsession with Bo, she’s the perfect person to bring on to help reintroduce the character. Longtime DAYS fans recall that Megan, the late Stefano’s (Joe Mascolo) daughter, has been obsessed with Bo for years.
“I have to say that Miranda has done a great job, a tremendous job,” Alfonso raves about her on-screen nemesis. “She’s playing this character to a ‘T.’ She played a DiMera perfectly. [Megan’s] a great villain; she does not apologize.”
“It’s fun to get back in the sandbox,” Reckell says of playing Bo once more. “I’ve had an amazing time raising my daughter [Louden]. She’s 15 now.” When the actor returned to the Los Angeles area last year to tape Beyond Salem 2, wife Kelly Moneymaker and Loden visited him for a few weeks.
The question that DAYS fans want answered is when are Bo and Hope going to reunite on-screen. “I have to say that Ron [Carlivati, head writer] and Ryan [Quan, associate head writer] have really done an incredible job by coming up with an interesting, complex [story],” Alfonso praises. Adds Reckell about Bo and Hope, “We’ve been separated by circumstances before and then, found our way back to each other.”
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