As “Days of our Lives’” Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady) will tell you, she’s really done it all when it comes to soap storylines — so much so, it’s even tough for her to name a favorite! “I can’t remember all of them, but one that comes to mind very quickly is the Princess Gina storyline, when Bo and Hope were in New Orleans, the storyline when we went to London and Bo and Hope got married, but it wasn’t just about them getting married, it was about them finding the bad guy and them on an adventure and them in Miami, the prison storyline, nighttime Hope when she was basically drugging herself and not realizing it, the storylines that I’ve had that involved Billy and Chelsea,” she lists. “There are so, so many!”
Of course, that’s no surprise, because the actress has been portraying Doug and Addie’s daughter since April 14, 1983, meaning that, outside of a couple of extended breaks from daytime, she’s had 30 years of storylines! “I can’t believe it,” the actress says of her big anniversary. “It’s like ‘blink’ and I’m here.”
Fortunately for Alfonso, whether she remembers them all or not, she’s enjoyed every single storyline she’s had the privilege to play. “I have to say whole heartedly that with all of our writing teams that have come and gone, and producers, they have always written incredible story for me,” she says, adding that she avoids pondering about the future. “I never try to second guess and say, ‘Well, I wonder what Hope can do now,’ because I’m sure, 100 percent, hands down, they’ll always come up with something better than me.”
But one thing the actress would like fans to remember is that, even though it’s tough to imagine Hope without Peter Reckell (who walked away from his role as Bo Brady late last year), the two haven’t always been partners in crime. “I’m doing great, and Hope is fabulous,” she says of Reckell’s absence. “I’ve had many stories without Pete, without Bo, as Bo has had many stories without Hope. I think they’re standalone characters as well as a great couple.”
“Of course, I miss having Pete,” she continues. “I miss seeing him every day at the set, but he’s enjoying life and traveling a lot and having a great time. He had been thinking about [leaving] for a while, and that was his decision.”
As for how his absence will affect Hope in the long run, Alfonso is unsure. “Bo hasn’t given her a reason to move on yet, but she is becoming frustrated,” she reveals. “We will see, and I’m excited to see what the writers have in store.”
When it comes to her 30th anniversary in Salem, the actress (who hardly has time to celebrate as she prepares for the launch of her spring jewelry collection, Believe, which you can get a sneak peek of here), would like to include fans in her joy. “I would just like to say to the fans a huge gigantic thank you for all of the love and support they have given me over all of these years,” she says. “[They’ve made] me always feel so welcome.”