Victoria Konefal made her debut as DAYS’s new Ciara on December 1. Here’s what the newcomer has to say about getting the role.
The role, which marks her first big break, took a while to land. “I had been auditioning for about two months,” she recalls. “My agent got me an audition, and Marnie Saitta, the casting director, brought me in about four or five times before I went in for testing. Then I tested and then I tested again. So, after two months of that, I finally got the role.”
Konefal worked with Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire) and Lucas Adams (Tripp) in her audition scenes. “I never tested for anything before, so it was really overwhelming being on the set and seeing all of the amazing talent walking around and doing their thing,” she admits. “It was pretty nerve-wracking, but I felt really great and confident about it once it was all over. And here I am!”
Konefal was getting ready for work when she got the official word that she’d been hired. “I was on my way to my waiting job in North Hollywood, and I got a call from my agent and they’re like, ‘Guess who the new Ciara is going to be on DAYS OF OUR LIVES?’ And I was like, ‘Who?’ And they were like, ‘You!’ And I just freaked out. I was about to drive, but I had to have my boyfriend drive me because I was too excited. I didn’t trust myself behind the wheel. I was a little too jittery.” She promptly gave notice. “I walked in and I was like, ‘Guys, uh, sorry, but I’ve got something great,’ ” she says.
Though the young actress wasn’t familiar with the soap, “My mother is an avid DAYS watcher,” reports Konefal. “She moved to America from Poland, and when she first came to America, she didn’t know English at all. She watched DAYS OF OUR LIVES every day for three years until she learned English. I watched it a lot as a kid with her, but not in my adult life. I will be, though!”
Needless to say, her mother was thrilled to hear she had landed the role. “Oh, she was ecstatic,” nods Konefal. “The funny thing is, her favorite characters on the show were Bo and Hope Brady, and I end up being their daughter. That whole fact to her was unreal. She was really, really excited.”
As for what to expect from Ciara when she returns to Salem, Konefal previews, “She is one badass chick. She is super-strong. I think she is an inspiration. She isn’t afraid to get what she wants, and she is a character that I’m really, really fond of and I’m really excited to be portraying. It’s been a dream come true.”
