Kristian Alfonso returned as Hope Brady on Days of our Lives today as news of Doug’s (Bill Hayes) death spread.
Days has begun to pay tribute to Bill following his death in January, with Doug passing on Thanksgiving Day.
It was a tear-jerker episode that saw Kristian in all her glory as Hope, mourning the loss of a man who meant the world to her on and off-screen.
Next week, Hope will return to Salem to say goodbye to her father.
Ahead of her latest return, Kristian opened up about her biggest regret involving Bill.
Sadly, the regret was also a blow to Days of our Lives fans, who were deprived of a long-awaited reunion.
Days of our Lives star Kristian Alfonso reveals Bill Hayes regret
Kristian opened up to Soap Digest to talk about coming back to honor Bill’s legacy as Salem mourns the loss of Doug. It was a no-brainer for Kristian. All she needed was the call, which came very quickly.
The actress dropped the bomb that the last time she was back as Hope, the story was supposed to have Hope and Bo (Peter Reckell) end up back in Salem. Bo and Hope were slated to have some emotional scenes with Doug and Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes), but it was all scrapped.
Instead, Shawn (Brandon Beemer) shot Bo, who ended up in a coma, and they never made it to Salem.
“I will never get over that I didn’t get the opportunity [to play that] because I would have had scenes with Bill and Susan together as a family,” the actress stated.
Kristian added, “So that, I am very sad about. The whole story idea was great and I was looking forward to it. But anyway, things changed and were out of our control. But that would have been joyful and super-fun to shoot.”
What else did Kristian Alfonso say about her Days return?
Not having final scenes with Bill only made Kristian’s return even more special and sad. Kristian admitted to Soap Opera Digest that being part of Doug’s death and memorial was “bittersweet” for her.
“It’s always lovely to see everyone, but the circumstances were extremely sad. So sad, because it was so real.” Kristian stated that the entire cast wasn’t just saying goodbye to Doug but also to Bill and their legacy, adding, “He was such a huge part of the show.”
What helped Kristian the most was knowing she was surrounded by family. Days of our Lives remains her family no matter how long she’s away.
Kristian was welcomed back with open arms by many, including Susan, Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), Lauren Koslow (Kate), and Eric Martsolf (Brady).
The actress also teased that Doug’s funeral helps kick off Bo’s return, but fans must be patient because it won’t happen quickly.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock.