Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell opened up in a new interview about playing Hope and Bo on Days of Our Lives and the characters’ 40th wedding anniversary. Alfonso explained that the pair only realized their characters had become a true supercouple after they were mobbed by fans at the airport. The pair is returning as their iconic characters in new episodes of Days of Our Lives. Kristian Alfonso was one-half of a soap opera supercouple, but it took her some time to realize. Alfonso and Peter Reckell — better known as Hope and Bo on Days of Our Lives — spoke to Swooon in a video published May 23 about their on-screen alter egos’ long relationship, including their characters’ 40th wedding anniversary.
Alfonso, 61, first joined Days of Our Lives as Hope Williams in 1983, taking over the role and bringing the character into her adult era. Reckell, 70, joined the series as the new character Bo Brady at about the same time. Bo was a rebel on a motorcycle who soon fell for the rich and spirited Hope. The actress explained that she and Reckell first realized how strongly fans were reacting to them when they went to Louisiana to shoot on location in 1984. “We were on the plane, we landed in New Orleans, and I heard music before deplaning, and I was like, ‘Pete, they’re playing our theme song… Can you believe it?’ ” Alfonso said. Days of Our Lives used “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” a duet by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson, as the couple’s theme.
“When we got off the jetway, there were thousands, thousands of people…. There were more people than when The Beatles arrived [in New York City in 1964], if you can even believe that,” she continued. As for the couple’s connection and why viewers adored it so much, Reckell said, “The love in that relationship was always there. No matter what was happening underneath, when we looked at each other — and lots of audience members say that — when we looked into each other’s eyes, you could see the love that was just ever-present.”
“Good producers and writers, they lean into whatever you’re bringing,” Reckell said of how their chemistry was translated into storylines. “You look back on that time, and what they gave us was just incredible. The support they gave us, the writing they gave us, we were just so extremely fortunate to have this whole Days of Our Lives holding us up.”
Bo and Hope married for the first time in 1985 in a “royal wedding” given to them by a British royal named Lady Joanna in thanks for their help saving her life. The wedding’s exteriors were filmed on location in England, and the moment is considered one of the most expensive soap opera weddings ever. Reflecting on the 40 years since the wedding, Alfonso told Swooon, “It feels like we blinked, and here we are. I’m at a loss for words, shockingly. It’s incredible, it’s just incredible, that we are still involved with Days of Our Lives and still a part of it.” The wedding itself was stressful for the pair, they explained. “For some reason, the two of us basically hung on each other because that was the only thing that was a safe place,” Reckell said. “There was so much pressure on that one moment.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Both Bo and Hope left the show in 1987, but returned in the 1990s. In 2000, the characters had a second wedding, and in 2008, they renewed their vows. Bo died in a 2016 plot, but (in true soap opera fashion) was later resurrected. Alfonso left the show in 2020 after 37 years, but returned two years later with Reckell for the spinoff Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. The pair announced their full return to Days of Our Lives back in September. Whether another wedding is in the cards, fans will have to wait and see.
