Ashley Jones (Bridget) and Kelly Kruger (Eva) will appear again this week on B&B, and they gave Digest the exclusive scoop on their returns — and their off-screen bond.
Soap Opera Digest: What brings your characters back to L.A.?
Ashley Jones: Well, Bridget is still a practicing doctor, and she comes into Los Angeles often for different medical conferences, so naturally when she’s there, she wants to check up on her family.
Kelly Kruger: Eva is in L.A. for work. She’s helping out with the Forrester Foundation, so she’s working with Katie and Paris.
Jones: We’re being cryptic because we can’t give away story. We’re in town for … stuff [laughs].
Kruger: Yeah, we really can’t say more than that.
Digest: Do you have scenes together?
Kruger: We do not. I wish we did.
Jones: I could see that happening someday. Bridget is a Forrester, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for her to get involved in what’s going on with the Forrester Foundation.
Digest: What was it like to be back in the CBS studio for the first time post-pandemic?
Kruger: I have such good memories from this building, but right now at this time with the pandemic, it can be a little isolating. But as soon as I get on set, there is this burst of amazing energy. You are constantly welcomed back with open arms. It’s like this warm feeling of seeing my family again.
Jones: I’ve been blessed to continually come back, nearly year after year after I went off contract, so I never feel that far away. And, we are close outside of the set. But yes, it is different because of Covid. Kelly gets to share a [dressing] room with Darin [Brooks, Wyatt, Kruger’s real-life hubby] for obvious reasons, so she’s not alone in her room, but you don’t get to socialize or run lines. I would just sit in my room by myself waiting to be called. You can’t hang out in the makeup room or on set. There’s no commissary, so it is very different. I am very much looking forward to the day when Covid is in our past.
Digest: How did you two become real-life friends?
Jones: We’ve always found each other whenever we were at events and we’d always end up in a corner talking.
Kruger: Ashley and I haven’t even worked together but we got super-close about a year ago, right before I had Everleigh. It’s hard what we do, to work and always be present as parents, especially in a pandemic. I’ve gotten so much great advice from all the other girls here who are moms, so that bonds us, for sure.
Digest: Should Bridget and Eva decide to stick around in L.A., who do you think would make good love interests for your characters?
Jones: Oh, I think there could be myriad choices. My go-to, and Heather [Tom, Katie] is going to hate this, but Katie came in on Bridget’s turf many times in the past. She took away her husband, Nick, so there could be a good triangle there [with Katie’s ex, Bill]. I love a good triangle and playing that kind of conflict.
Kruger: Well, Eva has already hit on Liam in the past, and considering my husband plays his brother — and Darin and I love working together — that could be fun.
Digest: When you’re working at home and also taking care of the kids, do you ever get to catch the show?
Kruger: We watch it every night once Everleigh goes down. That is our 8 p.m.
Jones: B&B and Y&R [where she played Megan] are permanently DVRed for me and I catch up whenever I can, especially if there’s something specific I’ve heard from one of my friends about a storyline I wanted to see, so yes, I like to stay connected with what’s going on.
Digest: What’s the secret of the long-lasting friendships you share with each other and your castmates?
Jones: It’s really because of the Bell family. Personally, they’ve helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life and I will forever be indebted to them, and to B&B specifically. I feel like I was a late bloomer in a lot of ways, and I really grew up on that show. It really shaped me through those bonds that I formed back in 2004 and beyond. And when I was not on contract, I have not been off the canvas completely. Brad [Bell, executive producer/ head writer] has always been so gracious to me, and I am so appreciative of that.
Kruger: We really are lucky, and I attribute that to Brad. It’s the way he runs the show, and it’s also in the people he hires. He is such a family guy. And, I feel like everybody on the set feels the same way. In all the media I’ve ever worked in, I’ve never experienced anything like the kind of relationships we have on this show.
