Kristian Alfonso will be reprising her role as Days of our Lives' Hope Brady. The announcement comes as a huge sigh of relief from fans who could not imagine the Peacock soap paying tribute to Hope's on-screen father, Doug Williams, without Hope.
Alfonso, who reported back to work at DAYS today, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to tell fans, "See you soon." A short time later, the official account of Bill and Susan Hayes replied with three red hearts.
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ó Bill & Susan Hayes (@DaysHayes) April 22, 2024
"My return is very bittersweet, because it is the end of an era with Bill gone," Alfonso told TV Insider. "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."
Of the many scenes she shared with Hayes over the years, Alfonso that that they "felt like I was with my dad because there was so much warmth and reality." Alfonso recalled Hayes as "very talented and an incredible actor and an icon."
Just over a week ago, DAYS held a press event to talk about all the past and presents stars who would be present for the on-screen tribute that will air in December. Alfonso's name was noticeably absent from the list, and it immediately set off alarms for long-time fans. As it turns out, Alfonso always planned to return to the show -- but it was for part of another storyline that would have been one fans would have loved.
"I'm sad that I did not get the opportunity to do the storyline that [head writer] Ron [Carlivati] had planned," she shared. "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."
Alfonso just marked the 41st anniversary of her first Days of our Lives appearance in 1983. In 1985, Alfonso received a Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Ingénue category. It was the first time that the Daytime Emmys had created categories to honor younger performers. Later renamed the Outstanding Younger Actress category and more recently merged into a gender-inclusive Outstanding Younger Performer category, 2024 is the first year since 1985 that the Daytime Emmys will not have a category specifically for younger actors and actresses.
Alfonso last appeared on DAYS in 2023 when Hope and Bo had their long overdue reunion.
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