Carly (Crystal Chappell) is bound to come between Hope (Kristian Alfonso) and Bo (Peter Reckell)
As the daytime soap audiences continue to shrink and such long-running shows as Guiding Light are being cancelled, one way to generate buzz and get lost viewers to return is to bring back favorite characters from the past. ABC’s General Hospital just lured actor Jonathan Jackson to reprise his role as Lucky Spencer and film actor James Franco is doing a guest spot. CBS’s Young and the Restless created some controversy when legendary Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) quit but then quickly returned. Over at NBC, its only daytime serial left on the air, Days Of Our Lives revived the character of Carly Manning, who once was the second love of Bo Brady when his beloved Hope (Kristian Alfonso) was believed to be dead. Now, as Bo and Hope go through their own marital struggles, Carly is back and her original portrayer Crystal Chappell (who was freed up when GL recently ended) is in her shoes.
Chappell and Peter Reckell (Bo Brady) took questions from journalists recently about how Carly’s return is going to upend the Bo/Hope marriage as well as dealing with a little case of murder.
Don't get too cozy, Carly!!
How easy was it for Chappell to get back into a rhythm with Reckell? “Peter’s just a kind guy, so it was very easy to work with him and I think we have a nice easy energy with each other and learned to trust each very quickly out on set. And the character of Bo is just that classic hero. He’s the guy you want around. He’s the guy you want as a friend and as a romantic partner. And, you know, he’s that perfect guy.”
Chappell also said she’s very happy that Carly wasn’t in a good place upon her return. “I love that she’s come back and she’s imperfect. I love that she seems to be really, really good at the doctor thing and then just a total loser when it comes to relationships. So I appreciate that about a soap character. But, yeah, as much as she would like to think that she can handle everything on her own. She needs Bo and knows that they’ll come through.”
Reckell also shared his excitement for the story possibilities that come from the return of Carly (and Crystal), “There are two levels. First of all, just Bo and Hope have been together for so long and the writers have found it difficult to make our stories interesting. And bringing Carly back just obviously makes it a lot more exciting and interesting on a lot of new levels. When Crystal was here before Hope wasn’t here and so there’s a lot of history with both these women and so it’s pretty intense. And then on the other level of working with two amazing actresses it makes my life fun.
Besides Guiding Light and Days, Chappell has also appeared on One Life To Live. Is each soap essentially the same or is the opposite true? “You know, they’re all different,” she said. “I think between my husband (actor Michael Sabatino) and I we’ve done six, seven or eight soaps. Yeah, so every environment is different. But the process is pretty much the same so with the exception of Guiding Light the last year and a half that was very different.”
All that said, was it easy for Chappell to step back onto the Days set? “To tell the truth, it’s hard. You know what it is I wanted to come back but I wanted her to be different. I wanted her to be different so I sort of still finding my legs a little bit although I sort of feel now like I’m getting it. But everyone’s so nice and even just working my way back into this format has been kind of jarring because we were on hand-helds for a year and a half on Guiding Light so but everyone’s been great.”
Also returning to Days is the character of Vivian Alamain, who was responsible for burying Carly alive many years ago. Is the same spark there with actress Louise Sorel, who also reprised her role? “We’ve had some really, really great scenes. They’re writing it – with a lot of…I mean, it’s intense. But there’s humor in it too. They’re good adversaries, you know? They’re both strong women and Carly has got a murder under her belt…oh, that silly murder.”
As the overall television experience changes with new technologies and shrinking budgets, Chappell has created a soap, Venice: The Series exclusively for the Internet with many of her Guiding Light co-stars appearing in acting roles. Is the Internet where the actress thinks daytime is heading? “I think daytime will be around for a very long time. I think it’s going to have to adapt to the changing economy and changing viewership. But if it can do that I think it can have a long life. I don’t want to see it go away because I find comfort in knowing that they’re there to be able to turn on my TV during the day and follow some of my favorite stories. But, yeah, I mean, with that there’s the Internet and that’s – that’s moveable, that’s immediate. You can tune in any time you want. So, yeah, it’s a different way to watching, you know, TV shows or shows. I don’t know if that answered your question.
Days Of Our Lives is seen Monday thru Friday on NBC and replays are on daily and the weekend on SoapNet. Check local listings for times. Venice: The Series premieres online in December.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Personally, I think that the writers could have wrote a better storyline to upend Bo and Hope’s marriage without bringing Carly back. I do not like Carly. I didn’t like her the first time around when she was on DOOL. I will never like Carly. I was glad when she left the first time and never wanted her to return.
Wow. Even though you can’t tell, she’s pregnant and her husband is actor Michael Sabatino.