DAYS Exclusive: Rachel Boyd On Sophia’s Baby Drama, ‘Complicated’ Feelings For Tate
Mother Issues: Sophia (Rachel Boyd, l.) and Tate (Leo Howard) want their baby to be adopted but Sophia’s mom, Amy (Shi Ne Nielson), must approve.
Sophia finally reached a compromise with her domineering mother, Amy, regarding the fate of her unborn child on Days of our Lives, agreeing to give the baby up for adoption (to a good Christian couple, her mom stipulated). Rachel Boyd (Sophia) chatted with Soap Opera Digest about the weighty decision, how her character really feels about it and her “complicated” feelings for her baby daddy, Tate.
Soap Opera Digest: Is Sophia secure in her decision to give up her baby for adoption, and does she think she’s made the right choice?
Rachel Boyd: At this point in time, yes. Sophia’s in a hard situation, because she doesn’t really know what is happening to her. It’s all still very new. She’s feeling a lot of anxiety and fear, but she knows what she wants for her future, and she knows what she wants for the baby’s future. She’s really adamant about making sure that those things happen and fighting to have that autonomy over her choices and her life.
Digest: Originally, Sophia wanted to have an abortion, but her mother wouldn’t allow it. Does she feel like this is the only other option that allows her to have a normal life as a teenager and to be able to go to college after the baby is born?
Boyd: Sophia knows what her goals are. She’s academically oriented. She knows what she wants for her future, but she hadn’t envisioned having a baby. That was obviously something that happened that she didn’t see coming. Now she’s working through the circumstances she’s been put under and not being able to make certain decisions that she wanted to initially. She was put into a situation where she had to pivot and find a way to make [her pregnancy] work for everyone else. I think that Sophia’s biggest challenge is that she’s in a situation where she’s trying to appease other people and make sure everyone else is happy, while still putting herself first. You’ll see how that creates other kinds of conflicts for her and harder decisions that she has to make in the future.
Digest: When Amy agreed to the adoption plan, did Sophia feel a genuine sense of relief?
Boyd: Oh yeah. When her mom agreed to it, Sophia was really happy. It was a really sweet scene, and you got to see the relationship between the two of them. Her mom really recognized how important [this adoption idea] was to Sophia. She realized how responsible the decision was that Sophia was making and how much she cares about the family that the baby is going to. Her mom even told her, ‘I love you and I want you to be happy.’ Hearing those words meant a great deal to Sophia.
Digest: You took over this role smack in the middle of a big pregnancy story. What were your initial impressions of Sophia and how she’s handling everything?
Boyd: Sophia is under a new set of circumstances than she was when she first [began appearing] on the show. She’s pregnant and also dealing with having to navigate that pregnancy and an overbearing mother who wants to take control over the choices that affect Sophia, her life and her goals. Coming into the show at this point, she has new motivations that transcend beyond just wanting to get Tate to love her back. Now she’s motivated by the fact that she needs to get her own life back, and she wants the best life possible for this baby as well.
Digest: Speaking of Tate and their relationship, Sophia’s pretty much said that it’s okay for him to be with Holly. But we know that deep down, she still has feelings for him and probably fantasizes about a future with Tate. How would you describe her feelings regarding her baby’s father?
Boyd: Complicated, for sure. She’s 17 and it’s hard. Love can feel like this big thing that comes and overtakes you at that age, and it feels like the end of the world if it’s not going your way. Sophia ultimately wants Tate to want her back. At this point she understands that he doesn’t and that he’s interested in someone else. That’s really hurtful for her, but she isn’t inserting herself between him and Holly. Then again, she is pregnant with his baby, so there is going to be some butting heads and stuff. Their relationship is not only about the three of them. There’s also a baby involved. There are kind of four people and moving parts happening, and that’s going to create some drama.
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