Days of our Lives fans haven't been able to stop dancing since news broke that Peter Reckell was reprising his role as Bo Brady for both the network version of the soap and the second season of its Peacock spinoff Beyond Salem. The actor's return engagement is in ghost form, but there's always hope (pardon the pun) that Bo will eventually come back in the flesh, especially now that Reckell no longer lives in New Zealand and now resides in Alaska, which is much closer to Los Angeles.
In the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest, Reckell reveals that being Stateside allowed him to participate in his recently aired DAYS scenes -- but not without a little bit of hoop jumping!
"When the call first came, I had no idea that I was going to be back in the Northern Hemisphere and I was just going to do a voiceover," he shares. "They had actually shot the scene with another actor, so, Stephen [Nichols, Patch Johnson] and everybody played this scene with another actor, and [my wife] Kelly's got a studio and I was just going to do the voiceover stuff and match it up. They did that, and then it came about that I was going to be on the same continent, so, I just came down and did the scenes. They actually brought in an actress to play my daughter [Ciara], but Ben and Steve were played by stage managers, and then in editing, they put it all together. It was like doing a movie. I've heard it was a very cool thing and just a surprise."
Fortunately, Reckell was able to reunite with his DAYS co-stars during the filming of Beyond Salem, a gig that he says came up after he did his scenes for the network version of the soap.
"In late January, when I came down to do [the network show], we sat down in the office, and [Albert Alarr, our co-executive producer] presented me with the storyline for Peacock," the actor says. "The writers came up with something that is really amazing; they came up with a really cool idea. And I was impressed about the storyline and grateful how they worked Bo in."
He was, however, a bit apprehensive about stepping back into Bo's shoes after such a long absence.
"I was a bit nervous because when actors have been out of the game for a while, there's a lot of things that can trip you up. But I was comfortable," he shares. "The other thing that really impressed me is that the energy around the show is just astounding. Everybody's so excited to be working and making a great show happen. When I left ten years ago, I was like, 'Maybe I just left in time. It's a sinking ship here.' But when I went in there, the energy -- the crew, the actors -- everybody's just so into making the best story happen that they can, and I was just happy to be there and people were happy to see me. The whole experience was just great."
Reckell adds that he was particularly impressed with Beyond Salem. "What they're doing with the Peacock show, it just sort of fits perfectly into who I am now," he says. "Someone asked me when I was in L.A., 'So, what do you see yourself doing? What is your future?' And I thought about it later, and that's something that younger people talk about. You know, I'm just keeping myself open. If something happens with Peacock, that'd be awesome. If something happens with DAYS, that'd be awesome. And just see what happens, what the reaction was from [my appearance on the network show], and then see the reaction from Beyond Salem."
So, does that mean Reckell is open to permanently reprising the role of Bo if the opportunity comes up?!
"I'm open to whatever, especially the Peacock show; that's like a perfect scenario, because I can come down and do a few shows and then come back home. We'll see what happens," he shares. "NBC and Peacock want to see what the reaction is, if it's worth it to them. And, they've got to gauge how important Bo and Hope [Kristian Alfonso] are to the show. So, I think there's a lot of stuff still up in the air for the people who write the shows, etc. And so, we're just going to take it one day at a time."
How do you feel about DAYS bringing Peter Reckell back for the network version of the soap and its Peacock spinoff Beyond Salem? What are your hopes for the character of Bo? Would you like to see him continue to make sporadic appearances as a ghost? Would you support him coming back from the dead? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
