‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Victoria Konefal on the Unlikely Pairing of Ciara & Serial Killer Ben
Q&A
Like Sands Through the Hourglass…
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Pairing good girls with bad boys is a soap opera staple, but it may be premature to say that Ciara Brady (Victoria Konefal) and Ben Weston (Robert Scott Wilson) are headed for supercouple status on Days of Our Lives.
Still, there appears to be lots of chemistry between them, as Ben tends to an injured Ciara in the same (gulp!) cabin where he committed some of his most heinous acts before he became (we hope) rehabilitated!
Read on as Konefal weighs in on working with Wilson, if things are really over between Ciara and Tripp (Lucas Adams), and which of her castmates makes her laugh the most.
What were your thoughts when you learned you’d be paired on-screen with Robert?
Victoria Konefal: When I was briefed on who Ben was and what he’d done, I was excited to be sharing scenes with Robert. It means extra drama and more fun. I love the craziness of his character and was curious to see how they’d work him into Ciara’s story. Robert’s incredibly talented. He dives into his work and seeing that made me really excited to be acting with him.
Ben’s killed people. How does Ciara keep that in perspective?
It is a difficult situation. You have to step back from things and be objective. Why does Ciara care about him? What is the real reason she’s looking past this terrible history of his and why is she trying to create this friendship with him? Once I got those answers, I worked from there. I know what Ciara’s intentions are. Realistically, if you know a serial killer is on your block you run in the other direction.
It was interesting that the writers placed Ben and Ciara in the cabin where Ben committed some of his worst crimes.
I thought it was brilliant on the writers’ part to have Ben and Ciara share scenes in the cabin. It puts Ciara in a state of mind where she’s terrified because she knows Ben’s history and the history of the cabin.
There can be moments of levity even in dramatic situations. Ben quipped that Ciara was ‘a little heavy’ when he carried her to the cabin. Was that an ad lib?
No. That was not an ad lib. The writers wrote that for us. The way we played it was playful and not insulting. It wasn’t a big part of their conversation. It was put there to lighten the mood and humanize Ben to Ciara.
Your TV parents, Bo and Hope (Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso), are arguably soaps’ most popular couple. Have you watched their scenes on YouTube?
Yes. I have. When I found out I booked the role, I did a ton of research on YouTube and saw a lot of their scenes to see what my [TV] parents were like and to look for personality traits of Bo’s that are in Ciara.
Days is known for its romantic couples, perhaps more than other shows. Do you see who Ciara’s great love could be? Is Ben her OTP (One True Pairing)? Or is this all way too early?
I think it’s getting way ahead to think of Ben and Ciara as a romantic couple. They’ve just met and have barely started. As of right now, I think Tripp and Ciara are more the “OTP.” Ciara is the type of girl that somehow needs to be in a relationship. I think she’s always going to be looking for a boy. If she ends up finding her OTP then that’s amazing, but I don’t see her finding him for a little while. She’s still growing up and is finding out who she is as a woman.
Is Ben a hero or a villain this time? #DAYS pic.twitter.com/BPKYuaXvsI
— Days of our Lives (@nbcdays) June 17, 2018
Ciara’s unaware that Tripp and Claire (Olivia Rose Keegan) weren’t as traitorous as it appears. Can she repair her relationship with him?
Yes. There’s the potential for that. She also misses him as a friend. She really did care about Claire in many ways. She’s family but her betrayal is devastating. I do think there’s room to make up for what happened. I don’t think Ciara’s completely done with Tripp. She has been hurt by him. Once that hurt goes away, she’ll be in a less clouded state of mind and can make her decisions more rationally. That’ll happen once she receives all the information. She didn’t see Claire being manipulative. There’s room for reconciliation.
With Tripp. But Claire? Worst. Niece. Ever.
[Laughs] Oh, Claire sucks right now! Ciara doesn’t want anything to do with her.
As for Ben, we’re seeing other sides to him, but would you say he’s a ways off from getting his own ornament on the Horton family Christmas tree?
Yes. That is correct! [Laughs] It might take a couple of…decades before that happens!
Ciara appears to be starting to trust Ben, but how would she feel if she woke up some morning and he’s standing over her with a necktie and he says in that hushed serial killer tone that he does so well, ‘You shouldn’t have trusted me, Ciara.’
That’s the fear. Ciara really wants to believe that Ben has changed for real this time, but you never know what is going to happen. I want to hope that will never happen, but if it does she’ll lose it completely. After what’s happened with Theo (Kyler Pettis) and Wyatt (Scott Shilstone), she’s been betrayed. Being betrayed again (could) push her over the edge.
Can you talk about Ciara’s relationship with Hope?
Working with Kristian is absolutely amazing. We try to keep the love there regardless of the rebelling. They really do only have each other along with Shawn (Brandon Beemer). When Ciara returned to Salem she had a chip on her shoulder the size of a boulder. She didn’t want to hear anyone’s opinion. Now, Ciara and Hope’s relationship is stronger. Ciara’s finding out who she is as a person.
What’s it like working with TV grandparents Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Doug and Julie)?
I learn just by watching them rehearse and perform. Susan is marvelous to work with. She paints an entire rainbow with her eyes. There are so many colors to work with, so many different thoughts to pick up on underneath all the lines in the script. That’s the most important thing about acting – to make sure the thoughts the characters are feeling show through. It’s not just about what you’re saying, it’s about what your character is feeling. Susan does a great job at mastering that. I know that every day I go to set and Susan’s working with me that I’ll be laughing hilariously. That woman is a firecracker!
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