ICYMI Courtney Hope Interview

Courtney Hope was just 3 years old when she decided she wanted to be an actress. “I would tell my mom that all the time and she thought about getting me an agent, but I was so hyper,” Hope relays. “I was all over the place, up and down and under the table, so she said we’d wait until my 12th birthday. Well, on my 12th birthday, lo and behold, my mother gave me presents and I said, ‘These are great but I want an agent,’ and she said okay. Long story short, I’m here.”

Determined to fulfill her dream, Hope moved from her home in Texas to Los Angeles when she was just 16. “I actually came out for the first time at 14 and stayed with friends,” she recalls. “Then, my grandma and my parents would come back and forth, and on my 16th birthday, my parents bought a house out here. I finished high school early and started college and they moved out, so that was a big birthday for me. It was a whole new life.”

Hope didn’t give up on her education, and continued her studies while she was pursuing an acting career. “I’m only 25 credits away from my degree in psychology,” she shares. “I love the human mind so I want to continue with it because it really does go hand in hand with what I do as an actor. My grandma got her degree when she was in her 80s, so I have time.”

A working actress for over 10 years, Hope’s steady determination is paying off in Hollywood, as well. Before landing on the soap, she scored guest roles on shows like NCIS, BONES and CRIMINAL MINDS, and recurred as Una on TRANSPARENT. “That actually was the first full-on family that I had gotten to work with,” she says. “They’re all great actors and it was a really cool experience. Jeffrey Tambor is wonderful, as is Judith Light [ex-Karen, ONE LIFE TO LIVE]. The table read was like watching a play. I did like five episodes and they were crying and singing and laughing and dancing. I was like, ‘Am I at a table read or am I watching a play [laughs]?’ They just love what they do so much that they would ask nothing less of themselves than to be in the moment at all times. They had daily devotionals. In the morning, someone would stand on the box and they’d connect with everyone before they even started the day because family and being present are of the utmost importance to them.”

They are to Hope, too, who was making connections in the daytime community long before she landed her B&B gig. “You meet a lot of people on the audition circuit and I’ve been friends with people on soaps for years now,” she smiles. “A lot of my friends are from DAYS: Casey Deidrick [ex-Chad], Mark Hapka [ex-Nathan], Molly Burnett [ex-Melanie]. My ex-boyfriend, Chad Duell [Michael], is on GENERAL HOSPITAL and we’re still really good friends, best friends, and through him I met other people on his show, like Chloe Lanier [Nelle]. It just spirals. The soap world is a whole world within itself, from what I’ve seen over the past however many years, and once you’re in, you’re in.”

It’s that sense of family that Hope says she likes most about her new job. “I knew from the audition process that this was a great place to work,” she declares. “When you go in, some rooms are icy cold and this one wasn’t. It was warm and welcoming and a great playground. The first day I stepped on set, John McCook [Eric] gave me a massive hug and said, ‘Welcome to the family! If anyone bothers you, let me know.’ He’s like a big papa bear. In my first week, Rome [Flynn, Zende], Pierson [Fodé, Thomas] and Ash [Brewer, Ivy] did a good job of showing me the ropes and showing me around. And of course, I’ve gotten very close with my Spectra group. It was a fast connection with each of them, which is cool. We were saying just the other day that it’s only been two months but it feels like we’ve been together for a really long time — and hopefully, we will be!”

A few months into her gig, the actress is getting to know her alter ego better. “When Sally and I came on the scene, we were both trying to prove ourselves in many different ways,” Hope notes. “She wanted to be taken seriously as a fashion designer and as a human being and over time, we’ve seen more colors that she’s gotten to express. Thanks to Thomas, and her little sister, Coco, now her heart is in the equation. It’s not just financial or occupational. Obviously, continuing to fight for Spectra Fashions is a huge passion of hers, but seeing where love and friendship can take her is now part of the adventure.”

Bonding Moments

Hope was thrilled to be invited along on the show’s remote to Sydney, Australia. “It’s a rough life,” she mock sighs. “Woe is me. Well, I guess somebody had to do it. Are you kidding me? It was great, and not just from a, ‘I got to go to Australia!’ kind of way. Coming on to the show and not being there for very long, there were only certain storylines and people that I got to connect with, so being in Australia with a select group of people and getting to hang out with the cast outside the studio, I really got the chance to get to know everyone. I really feel like it was a welcoming ceremony into the BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL family and if they want me to go someplace else, I’ll begrudgingly go if they ask [laughs].”

Just The Facts

Birthday: August 15

Hometown: Plano, TX

Deep In The Heart: “I actually was born in Michigan but I moved to Texas when I was like 8 months old, so that’s where my heart is. Sorry, my Michigan family. I love you guys [laughs]!”

All In The Family: “My mom’s name is Sandy. My dad’s name is Phil. They’ve been married for 30 years and are my mentors in love and in life. I have a younger brother named James who just turned 21. He’s my best friend. And I have three older half siblings on my dad’s side. My brothers live in San Francisco and my sister lives in Thailand: Jill, Phil and DJ.”

Dog Daze: “My dog’s name is Stevie, after Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac is one of my favorite bands. Stevie is a beagle/boxer mix. She talks, she’s sassy and she’s independent.”

Big Red: “Everyone asks me if I dyed my hair because the shade is so similar to Darlene’s [Conley, ex-Sally] but no, that’s my natural color.”

A Dancer Dances: “I grew up dancing. I love telling a story through the movements of the human body.”
Official Website: www.courtney-hope.com