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Those who arrived for work on the Days of Our Lives set on Monday, April 22, got to see a very familiar face… Kristian Alfonso was back in action, taping scenes for the show’s upcoming tribute to Bill Hayes, who passed away on Friday, January 12. Fans of the Salem soap won’t soon forget all of the storylines she was a part of that featured her character Hope and Hayes’ Doug, who had played her onscreen father since her debut in 1983.

TV Insider caught up with Alfonso about her latest Salem comeback, which the actress described as “very bittersweet, because it is the end of an era with Bill gone.” She went on to express how “very sad” her return was this time around. “I am appreciative that they came to me to include me in their series of shows honoring Doug and I’m very happy to see everyone, but I’m entering the studio with a heavy heart.”

Of the many years she shared the screen with Hayes, Alfonso reflected back on her first scenes with the beloved actor and how he was “very loving, very welcoming.” However, even though he was a legend in the genre, she stated, “My personal relationship and my working relationship with Bill, it was home. Doing the scenes with Bill, I felt like I was with my dad because there was so much warmth and reality.”

Of the fact that she didn’t get to work with Hayes one more time, as had been planned during her last return in 2023, Alfonso added, “I’m sad that I did not get the opportunity to do the storyline that Ron [Carlivati, headwriter] had planned. It was great; [Bo and I] returned to Salem to reunite with our families and I would have had father/daughter scenes with Billy. What Ron had written was beautiful and emotional and it was a fantastic story. I was 100 percent for it and the fans would have loved it.”

More: Another daytime fave returns to our screens

And we would have loved to have seen them together again too.

With the actress back, for a little while anyway, not only are we excited to see Hope but Alfonso is looking forward to working with the old gang once again, including Melissa Reeves (Jennifer), as well as Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), Stephen Nichols (Steve), Josh Taylor (Roman), Victoria Konefal (Ciara), Brandon Beemer (Shawn) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie).

“I’m excited to be working with Susan and Brandon and Victoria, of course, as well as Mary Beth and Steven,” Alfonso shared. “And I love the sweet moment that Roman and Hope have.”

And for all of you “Bope” fans, Alfonso told the outlet that viewers shouldn’t “give up hope” of their storyline picking up once again in the future.