Victoria Konefal knew from a young age that performing was her future. “When I was 7 years old, we had a school class field trip to see The Hobbit in an off-Broadway theater production company and my mom chaperoned,” she recalls. “At the end of the play, I leaned over to my mom and said, ‘Mommy, I want to do that.’ ” Konefal’s mother, who once had her own dreams of acting, “signed me up for that off-Broadway production center and I worked with them for a couple of years.” Konefal continued to hone her skills throughout her educational years. “I went to a professional performing arts middle school and then I went to a professional performing arts high school, LaGuardia High School, and that’s where they trained me for four years. It was like acting boot camp.”
After a brief stint in college, she and her friends road-tripped to California, where Konefal was moving to pursue her career. Her timing, however, was not ideal. “I decided to drive out to California in the middle of one of the biggest snowstorms in history,” she remembers. “I thought I was going to outdrive the snowstorm but I ended up not doing that. I ended up driving for 23 hours straight to try to outrun the storm and instead of taking one straight route to California, I ended up just driving in S’s across the country because I was trying to run away from the weather!”
The East-to-West Coast adjustment, she describes, “was difficult in the beginning. I was starting to pay my own bills and get car and health insurance, and all of these adult things that I had to do were suddenly my responsibility. It was a real learning experience. I think that I learned more in the year that I took off of school and in L.A., working and being by myself, than I ever learned in ‘school-school’, if that makes sense. I learned so much more about life and what real life means.”
It wasn’t long before she scored her first gig, guesting in the ABC hit MODERN FAMILY in scenes with Sarah Hyland (ex-Heather, ONE LIFE TO LIVE). “That was really great,” Konefal enthuses. “It was my first big production that I was a part of. It was kind of surreal being surrounded by so much talent and so many professional people. It was a lot less intimidating than I thought it was going to be because everyone was so welcoming.”
A couple of Lifetime TV movies followed: DEADLY EXCHANGE, where she worked with soap alums Lindsay Hartley (ex-Arianna, DAYS et al) and Jason-Shane Scott (ex-Will, OLTL), and then another, THE WRONG CRUSH, with Lesli Kay (ex-Molly, AS THE WORLD TURNS), who saw something special in the young actress. “When we were filming THE WRONG CRUSH, she asked me if I would ever consider being in a soap,” Konefal says. “And I told her, ‘Of course.’ She reached out to someone she knew to try to get me an audition and it didn’t really pan out but I ended up getting an audition for DAYS OF OUR LIVES anyway.”
Seven, to be exact, and the process, Konefal relays, was quite rigorous. “I went in with like 11 pages of work prepared to audition with and I got to the office and they switched the sides on me and I had no idea. There were a handful of girls in there, as well, who were in the same boat as me and some of them did get the changes, but half of us didn’t, so we had to sit and memorize a seven-page scene right before our audition. That was the most nerve-wracking audition I’ve ever been on!”
Another round of auditions, followed by a screen test came next, and then Konefal got the job. “It was so incredible just to have been fighting for something for so long and get the news that you did it,” she smiles. “All your hard work has been accounted for, and you accomplished what you set out to do and it’s the best feeling anyone can ask for.” Her mother was pretty thrilled, too. “Her dreams are coming true just by watching me do my thing out here. She’s overwhelmingly proud of me and proud of herself for raising me. It’s definitely her favorite show of all time.”
Konefal reports that her on-screen mom, Kristian Alfonso (Hope), provided a lot of help in her early days on set. “Every question I had she was more than willing to answer. She was always there for me if I needed to read, if I had a question on the way a scene should flow or what choices I would make. She was always there to support me.”
JPI
The actress is also close with co-stars Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire) and Lucas Adams (Tripp). “Olivia and I are great friends,” Konefal says. “We hang out outside of work often, we have a softball league that we play on together. I call Olivia my little ball of sunshine. Every time I see her on set, I run up to her screaming and give her a big hug because I just love her so much and I love her smile. Everything about her aura is what I like to surround myself with, as well as Lucas! Lucas is amazing.”
Eight months into the gig, Konefal is settled in. “I feel like I’ve been there for a while,” she reflects. “I did feel like the new girl for maybe four months, but after then I started getting more used to it. You go in every day and it becomes a routine. It stops being scary and it starts being something familiar. Now when I walk into the studio, I feel like I’m walking into a second home.”
And she hopes to get as much as she can out of her Salem experience. “I want to be like a sponge and I want to absorb everything that I can because the talent involved in producing a show like this is incredible and the work ethic is also through the roof,” she praises. “I want to learn and I want to take what I can to be the best actress I can be.”
Just The Facts
Birthday: October 29
Hails From: Brooklyn, NY
Siblings: Has an older sister, Magda, and an older brother, Patrick.
Taken: Konefal’s boyfriend, Cory, is a music producer.
Must-See TV? “GAME OF THRONES. I dressed up like Khaleesi and my boyfriend dressed like Jon Snow. My dog was supposed to be a dragon but the costume didn’t come in time. I was dragon-less!”
Out And About: “I like to garden. I like to dance and work out and I love camping. I love being on the beach, I love going to Yosemite, I love being in the wilderness. Even though I’m a New York City girl, I’m definitely a tomboy at heart.”
Just Relax: “I like to read a nice book. I like to drink a steaming cup of cinnamon mint tea. That’s my ultimate relaxation right there. I like to put on candles; I have my little aroma therapeutic oil diffuser that puts out peppermint and tea tree and patchouli. And flowers I love! I love filling my house with lilies because it’s so pretty and so relaxing to look at and smell. I’m very scent-oriented when it comes to relaxation.”
Snacks Of Choice: “Popcorn, oh, my goodness. I love
popcorn and Halo Top ice cream, Cinnamon Roll and Red Velvet. That’s my go-to combo. It’s the sweet and salty. It’s the perfect mixture.”
Crowning Glory
In 2015, Konefal was named Miss Poland USA. “That was really great,” she enthuses. “My whole entering that contest had a lot to do with me getting closer to my Polish roots in America. It made me very proud to be a part of a community in America that is focused on my heritage and my culture.” During her reign, “I had to go to charity events, balls and dinners to discuss the Polish Veterans Society. My favorite part of the experience was I got to be in the Polish Day Parade in New York City. I got my own float and had a crown and sash and everything and I was waving hi to all of the little princesses in the crowd and they were blowing me kisses. It was one of the sweetest experiences ever. I felt like a real Polish princess.”
