Days of Our Lives’ Peter Reckell On a Bo and Hope Reunion, Ciara and Ben’s Relationship and the Promise Ken Corday Made Him
Wait until you hear who made him laugh the loudest!
Much to the delight of his many Twitter followers, Peter Reckell recently carved out a little time to not only update them on his life but reminisce about his years as Days of Our Lives‘ Bo. By the time he’d typed his fingers to the bone (with an assist from wife Kelly Moneymaker), the actor — now living in New Zealand — had shared more than a few backstage secrets and even left fans with a sliver of hope that Bo and his Fancy Face might one day reunite.
As someone who is an active supporter of environmental issues, Reckell admitted that moving to New Zealand was one of the best decisions he and his family ever made. “We’re loving it here,” he tweeted. “Mountain-bike trails are the best, and people support the environment and the arts.”
While 13-year-old daughter Loden is familiar with her dad’s work on the soap which propelled her pop to stardom, it’s safe to say she’s not incredibly impressed. “I show her some [YouTube] clips now and then,” he said. “She usually laughs at me.”
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Asked if he has any mementos from his time in Salem, he revealed that the wardrobe department had given him all of Bo’s old clothes, many of which were passed on to his nephews. (He didn’t mention which of them had laid claim to that famous leather motorcycle jacket, however.)
When it came to behind-the-scenes stories, Reckell did not disappoint. Asked who made him laugh so hard that it was tough to stay in character, he responded with a name you might not immediately suspect: “Frances Reid,” he said, adding that when it came to the late actress who brought Horton matriarch Alice to life, “it happened all the time.”
Remembering the famous scenes in which Bo prevented Hope from marrying evil Larry Welch by literally riding to her rescue — to the tune of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” no less — Reckell told followers things didn’t go exactly as planned the day those sequences were taped.
In fact, he wound up in need of help himself!
“I rode the motorcycle to the location,” he recalled, “and [California Highway Patrol] officers stopped me on the freeway. So producers had to come back to save me because I was only wearing my wardrobe and didn’t have my license.”
But like many fans, his favorite Days of Our Lives memories involve the scenes which were shot on location in New Orleans. It was there, you’ll recall, that Bo and Hope finally were able to make love for the first time.
When another follower asked specifically about Jason Cook (ex-Shawn), Reckell said that he “always loved working with him, but the scenes where [Bo] was giving [his] son advice about girls were fun.
“Mostly,” he added, “because I am clueless myself.”
Then there were the scenes which never actually made it to air. “When Bo got upset, sometimes curse words would slip out,” his portrayer admitted when asked about his favorite bloopers. “So of course, we couldn’t use those takes.”
As for perhaps the most challenging scenes, those, he tweeted, were the ones in which Bo died in Hope’s arms. “It was very emotional,” he reflected, “saying goodbye as Bo and as myself to the cast and crew who’ve been my family for so many years.”
He did, however, receive something of a parting gift from executive producer Ken Corday. He “promised me that even though it was a popular thing to bring back or recast characters, he wouldn’t do that to Bo.”
As to whether or not he might ever consider returning to the show with former on-screen wife Kristian Alfonso (ex-Hope), he responded in a way which left the door open at least a crack: “Never say never.”
Were Bo to return — with or without Hope — he’d definitely have something to say about some of the decisions Ciara made in his absence. Asked how Bo would react to his daughter marrying a (former) serial killer whom she constantly compared to her beloved daddy, Reckell expressed faux outrage. “What?!!!!” he tweeted in character. “I need to speak to that girl!”
What say you, Days of Our Lives fans? Would you like to see Reckell bring Bo back from the dead, or at least swing by to pay a ghostly visit to those he left behind? Share your thoughts in the comments, then visit the gallery below as we look at 10 other characters we’d love to see return to the show.
