Kristian Alfonso reported back to work at the Days of our Lives set Monday, April 22, as Hope Brady to take part in the show’s on-air tribute to Bill Hayes, who played her on-screen father, Doug Williams.
“My return is very bittersweet, because it is the end of an era with Bill gone,” Alfonso begins. “So to return to Days is very sad. I am appreciative that they came to me to include me in their series of shows honoring Doug and I’m very happy to see everyone, but I’m entering the studio with a heavy heart.”
Alfonso, who recently marked 41 years since she made her Days debut in 1983, has many warm memories of Hayes. “I remember my first scenes with him,” she recalls. “He was very loving, very welcoming. That he was very talented and an incredible actor and an icon, that all goes without saying, but my personal relationship and my working relationship with Bill, it was home. Doing the scenes with Bill, I felt like I was with my dad because there was so much warmth and reality.”
The actress wishes they could have worked together once again, as they were scheduled to during her last appearance on the soap in 2023. “I’m sad that I did not get the opportunity to do the storyline that Ron [Carlivati, head writer] had planned,” she shares. “It was great; we returned to Salem to reunite with our families and I would have had father/daughter scenes with Billy. What Ron had written was beautiful and emotional and it was a fantastic story. I was 100 percent for it and the fans would have loved it.”
Now, Alfonso is looking forward to sharing scenes again with her co-stars, including Melissa Reeves, who plays her on-screen cousin Jennifer. “It’s been years!” she exclaims. “I’m so excited to see her, to work with her, to giggle with her, to eat delicious food with her, to talk about our families. Just to catch up. It doesn’t matter how much time passes. We always just pick up right where we left off.” She’s also thrilled to work with Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Johnson), Stephen Nichols (Steve Johnson), Josh Taylor (Roman Brady), Victoria Konefal (Ciara Weston) and Brandon Beemer (Shawn Brady). “I’m excited to be working with Susan and Brandon and Victoria, of course, as well as Mary Beth and Steven,” Alfonso adds. “And I love the sweet moment that Roman and Hope have.”
While she knows fans are eager to see the storyline between Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope pick up again, Alfonso states, “What I will say is don’t give up hope.”
Howard Wise/Peacock
Whether or not she comes back again after this visit, Alfonso will always treasure her Salem experience. “I feel incredibly grateful that I ever had the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible show and the legacy that it holds,” she reflects. “I’m very blessed. I’ll always be very blessed, regardless if I ever return to do more shows or finish the storyline or not. I will always be eternally grateful and so appreciative to Days of our Lives and to Ken Corday [executive producer] and the fans that kept me going.”
Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock