Kristian Alfonso (Hope, DAYS) reflected on her career in and out of Salem as a guest on Digest’s podcast, Dishing With Digest.
Soap Opera Digest: In 1983, you joined the cast as Hope Williams. So first of all, tell us your audition story.
Kristian Alfonso: Well, when I was hired to do THE STAR MAKER [her first credit, a TV movie starring Rock Hudson], NBC had put me under contract for a year. At that moment, I was still living in Boston and I was still in school. They had approached me about, “What do you think about auditioning for DAYS OF OUR LIVES?” And it was actually for the same role; it was for Hope. At that time … terrified. All I could hear about were earthquakes. But that almost meant uprooting my whole family if I did, because I was underage, so that wasn’t going to happen. But all of these years later, the role came up again and I was out here [in L.A.] during pilot season because at that point I was in acting class, and realized shooting THE STAR MAKER that it was something that interested me. It was creative and fun. I was out here and auditioned for the role, a nervous wreck. I think probably the audience would be surprised to hear, too: I still get nervous. All these years later I still get nervous. “Is it going to be good? Is it going to be okay? Am I going to remember the lines? Is it going to work? Is it what the audience wants?” And all of this goes through my head a majority of the time when I’m walking out on set. It was being shot, the test, in the Horton house. I was already a fan of DAYS OF OUR LIVES because I would watch it when I would come home from school [so] being in that set, I was a nervous wreck.
Digest: So you played it cool?
Alfonso: I tried to! Of course I had that heat on the back of my neck and that lump in my throat of nervousness. I remember coming down the stairs and thought, “Oh, I’ll just come down the stairs and I’m holding onto the railing,” not knowing that little knob at the end is not attached. So of course I took a tumble and that’s not very impressive. I’m sure they were probably looking at me like, “Oh, she’s gonna be a liability.” Anyway, that test was with Wayne Northrop [ex-Roman], I believe. He’s very sweet. It was a good experience. And they hired me, shockingly. I was over the moon excited. And then they had called me a few weeks later and they were going to audition [actors to play Bo]. I said to my agent, “Oh, no. I’m not in town. Just tell them I’m not in town.” “Why?” I was so afraid, seriously, they would realize they made a mistake if they saw me again. I’m dead serious. I said, “Please just tell them I am back in New York. I am not available, unfortunately.” I had to go with that white lie. Cut to Peter Reckell was hired. You know, Tom Cruise read for Bo also.
Digest: Really?!
Alfonso: Francesca Bellini, who is one of our mainstay stage managers, was sitting on the plane with him. This is years and years and years ago. I guess he must have asked her, “What do you do?” And she said, “I work on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.” And he told her he had read for Bo on DAYS OF OUR LIVES!
Digest: When you think about coming onto the show as Hope and your early years in the role, what are your standout memories of that period?
Alfonso: You know, honestly, I will say that I am very grateful to [Creator] Betty Corday and [Executive Producer] Ken Corday in giving me the opportunity because I truly was the new kid on the block with the least amount of experience to walk on that set, and NBC, also, because it was a collaborative decision. But Betty, I heard, really rooted for me to be hired and to give the kid a try. And then to be given and be paired with Peter Reckell, who was also much more experienced and did a lot of theater and had been in the business for quite some time, I was very lucky. And the story! We had Shelley Curtis as our producer and Al Rabin [former executive producer] — I mean, it was a magical time. Did I realize what it was at that moment? No, because I was so focused on trying to learn my lines, be professional, look for that light, as I would sometimes get yelled at: “Kristian, can’t you find that light? Look for that light.” I’m like, “Oh, my God,” in my head. “There’s like 100 lights. Which light? They’re all on!” Frances Reid [ex-Alice], oh, my gosh, so amazing. Miss her every day. And Susan [Seaforth Hayes, Julie] and Bill [Hayes, Doug]. Oh, my gosh, seeing them for the first time…. Such a gorgeous couple, such a great show, something I watched, my family watched, and all of sudden I’m a part of that. I was in awe. I was nervous a good portion for a good length of time. And I’m still nervous, but that keeps that burning fire in my belly to do as well as I possibly can every day.
Digest: I know that you say when you went to New Orleans, that’s kind of when you got a first glimpse [of Bo and Hope’s popularity] because of your welcome at the airport.
Alfonso: It was absolutely insane. I remember being on the plane. It was Frances Reid and it was Shelley Curtis, Pete, myself … I’m not sure who else was on the plane with us. But we’re waiting to deplane and I heard music and I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. Pete, they’re playing our theme song. How crazy is that?” We come off the Jetway and there’s like an eight-piece band and there was over 10,000 people. It was so crazy insane. I just remember Pete was a little nervous, I was terrified because there was so many people. Everybody was so nice, but it was very close quarters. And I just remember Pete, like, I don’t think my feet touched the ground until he kind of threw me in the car headfirst in trying to protect me. I was amazed, but I don’t think it ever really did hit me. It was just such a different time also…. We had never shot out of the studio at that point for me.
Digest: Right, so then you were really up close and personal with your audience.
Alfonso: Yes, very. And everybody was amazing. It was so fun. It was so much fun shooting in New Orleans.
Digest: The ’80s were such a storied heyday for DAYS OF OUR LIVES. It was the supercouple generation. You were right smack in the middle of that with Kim and Shane, and Steve and Kayla, and Justin and Adrienne, and Marlena and Roman. What was it like on set at that time with all these superstars walking around at the height of their popularity?
Alfonso: During that time, I really did not recognize the popularity of all the couples, all I knew is that we were having a great time.
Digest: You left DAYS in ’87 and you joined the cast of FALCON CREST [as Pilar]. That was a pretty hot show then. What was it like to join that one?
Alfonso: FALCON CREST, oh, my gosh, Jane Wyman [ex-Angela]? Amazing. I’m gonna tell you a quick, fun story about Jane Wyman, who was so dear … They were doing a new setup for a new shot and we were just sitting there talking and the A.D. came over and said, “Excuse me, Ms. Wyman, the First Lady is on the phone for you,” because she was [previously] married to Ronald Reagan. So she looked at him and said, “I am very, very busy.” So the A.D. left and you could see that he was nervous about coming up to say this again. “Excuse me, the First Lady says she really needs to speak to you.” “And I told you I am busy.” And then she’d look at me. She called me McGillicuddy. Why she called me McGillicuddy, I don’t know, but I never questioned it. I was sitting with Jane Wyman, the movie star, who was so lovely and helpful and just really, really welcoming. So then the A.D. returned and said, “Excuse me, I know you’re busy — the President of the United States is on the phone. He would like to talk to you.” She looked at me, she said, “McGillicuddy, excuse me,” and up she got and off she went!
Digest: You have a pretty im-pressive list of people you’ve worked with.
Alfonso: I’ve been so lucky. I really have been incredibly blessed in so many different ways…. I’ve been back to the show since ’94 and I must say that it really, truly has flown by. I cannot believe it’s been 20-something years! I love where I work, I love the people that I work with and I feel very, very fortunate. Some days are better than others, but I have to say, I would not want to be anywhere else.
Digest: In 1998, you started playing Princess Gina. What did you think the storyline would be at that time? Could you have imagined that 21 years later she would still be a factor on the canvas?
Alfonso: Well, Ken Corday called me 21 years ago and said, “Kristian, how do you feel about singing and playing the piano?” I said, “If you want ratings to stay up, you don’t want me to sing.” All the Christmas shows, Peter Reckell would tease me and sometimes cover my mouth. Finally I was like, “Okay, I won’t sing, I’ll just lip-sync!” He’s smiling at me because there’s not a peep coming out of my mouth. I am just lip-syncing. Anyway, back to Princess Gina. He was silent for a moment and then he went, “All right.” If I had known back in ’98 when I first heard about the story, I probably would have been so nervous and really overwhelmed with the storyline, never realizing how huge it ended up being, playing all of the different characters and then remembering what Hope said to Princess Gina and Princess Gina talking to Hope and trying to keep it all straight. The double, who would have to play opposite me, I would think about what I would do physically and to share that with her so she could do it on the over the shoulder shot and then of course turn it around and have to remember what I told her but also relay to her and remind her during this line or on this beat I did this with my arms so it wouldn’t be so difficult in editing and so it would match…. What I really loved about the Princess Gina storyline, also, [was] working with Joseph Mascolo [ex-Stefano]. I got to work with everybody as Hope, as Princess Gina. It was truly an amazing time.
Digest: What memories of him can you share with us?
Alfonso: Oh, my gosh, Cupcake — that was my nickname for him because Joseph had such stature and had such presence. Watching him as Stefano could be a little scary, but then it was like that mustache twirl of a childlike quality from within. Such a marshmallow inside, so I would call him a cupcake because he was sweet and kind. I loved working with Joe. I completely missed not having him here, of course, and miss not having him here for this
storyline, because he was so much a part of this storyline back in the ’90s. I miss him today as a person. I miss him as a co-star.
Digest: What does it mean to you to be such a big part of the fabric of the canvas of Salem?
Alfonso: I’m very grateful to still have a job there, do what I love, work with people that I love. I feel very blessed. I am so grateful to be able to walk through those doors every day and be a part of DAYS OF OUR LIVES … Ken Corday, I take my hat off to, 54 years, that’s amazing. Your parents are smiling.
Digest: There is some pretty exciting story coming up on DAYS for you and for the rest of Salem. What can you tease about what fans can expect in the near future?
Alfonso: Buckle up, but buckle up with two belts because it’s going to be a ride and you’re going to have to watch. I’ve said this before and that was around the 50th. There are a lot of twists and turns and you’ll be gasping on some accounts. Even I, who reads all the scripts, was also gasping. “What? Oh, my God. This is amazing!”
Digest: We are definitely excited to watch. We thank you so much for joining us today and sharing all of your wonderful memories with us.
Alfonso: Oh, my gosh, thank you. And, you know, may I please just take a moment? I want to thank the readers and the listeners and the viewers for all of their support and their love through all of the years of supporting me, supporting the show, supporting the character of Hope. Truly, it’s the best character in any of the other shows that I’ve been blessed to work on [and] I really enjoy playing her and discovering the next facet of her. So thank you all so very much.
To hear this podcast and more, go to iTunes, Google Play or soapoperadigest.com.
