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THE STORY BEHIND CIARA’S SHOCKING DAYS RAPE

Vivian Jovanni

Chase’s assault of Ciara in today’s episode of DAYS gave daytime newcomer Vivian Jovanni (Ciara) some intensely emotional material to play. The actress says she was first clued in to the story well in advance of getting the scripts. “When Albert [Alarr, co-executive producer] and Josh [Griffith, co-head writer] told me that Ciara was going to be raped, I was nervous at first, but also very grateful to be getting the opportunity to explore this complex and layered storyline,” she says. Because of DAYS’s accelerated tape schedule, the actress kept the twist to herself. “I didn’t talk to anyone about it,” she recalls. “I didn’t even tell my parents because they are fans of the show. I don’t share storyline with them.” As for how she and co-star Jonathon McClendon (Chase), approached the scene, Jovannni explains, “We wanted the scene to be as realistic and spontaneous as possible. After they told us, we definitely got a lot closer. There wasn’t much dialogue to go over, so we didn’t really go over the script that much; we just talked about the emotional tone of the scene a lot more than anything.” Jovanni feels the powerful tale has helped her develop as a performer. “Playing emotional material like this has opened my eyes as an actor, because I never expected that scene to get as real as it did for me. Material like this is what helps you grow as an actor and I’m grateful for the opportunity.” For more information on rape and sexual assault, visit www.rainn.org. Look for the full story with Jovanni in an upcoming issue of Digest.

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