Soap Opera Digest August 22, 2022

After being introduced on BEYOND SALEM: CHAPTER 2, Abigail Klein makes her debut on August 17 on the main NBC soap as Stephanie Johnson. “It’s been the best ride … a blast,” says Klein, who began filming in March, a couple of months before tackling the Peacock special. “We were shooting both of them simultaneously. That was fun because I’d already had a few episodes of DAYS under my belt before we did BEYOND SALEM, which was really cool.” Klein, however, had to keep mum about her new full-time soap gig. “Because [we shoot] so many months ahead, I had to keep it under wraps,” she notes. “The only thing I ever shared [on social media] was being on BEYOND SALEM. I’m so stoked to finally be able to say, ‘Hey.…

It’s a tense time for Trina and her loved ones as the jury completes its deliberations and prepares to hand down a verdict. Begin Co-Head Writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor, “Trina knows she’s done everything she can on her own behalf, and been true to herself in the process. She is resigned to — though afraid of — a likely guilty verdict. Still, she hangs on to a glimmer of hope that truth will win out….” In the courtroom, Spencer wrestles with whether to tell Trina how he truly feels about her. “Spencer is desperate to unburden himself to Trina,” explain the writers. “But she’s already suffered so much as a result of their unspoken feelings. Spencer can’t help thinking that speaking those feelings would only compound her suffering.” Despite her…

Now that Sheila is dead, Steffy can breathe a sigh of relief that Finn’s mother is no longer a threat. “Steffy doesn’t wish death on anyone, but let’s just say she’s not losing any sleep over this news,” says her portrayer, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. As for Finn, “Steffy can tell that Finn has been affected by Sheila’s death. Even after all she put him and the rest of the family through, she is still his birth mother, and it can’t be easy for him to hear how everyone else is happy that she’s gone.” Steffy reconnects with Taylor and Thomas, and Thomas shares that he wants to have his son back in his home for good. “Oh, Steffy takes charge of that conversation,” muses the actress. “She and Taylor are in…

Chad and Jada search the DiMera secret room for evidence regarding Abigail’s murder and discover Leo’s hideaway, while Shawn tries to get a confession out of the weasel, who’s in custody at the police station. “Leo is scared for sure,” admits his portrayer, Greg Rikaart. “He thinks that things look bad for him because there is, in fact, evidence against him. It’s not evidence that he committed murder, but it’s certainly circumstantial evidence that puts him at the scene of the crime.” However, Leo won’t ’fess up to anything, despite Shawn’s aggressive questioning. “Leo keeps declaring his innocence,” says Rikaart. Leo calls in a lawyer, Sloan, who arrives at the precinct and deduces that the police don’t have enough to hold her client. “Leo for sure feels bullish after his initial meeting…

After talking to Billy about informing Johnny that he and Connor are half brothers, Chelsea decides she should broach the subject with Victoria as well. “It’s a pretty big ask and Chelsea realizes that she shouldn’t put Billy in the middle,” says Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea). “She knows that she should be the one to go directly to Victoria with this request.” Chelsea shows up at Newman Enterprises, where she engages in some idle chit-chat with Victoria until Victoria asks the real reason for Chelsea’s visit. “Chelsea knows that Victoria has her own set of issues and problems these days, so the timing will never be great,” Egan points out. “Chelsea basically says, ‘I think it’s time that Connor knows he has a biological brother in town.’ Chelsea believes that Johnny…

with Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, GH) Let’s talk about Willow’s epic fainting spell at the Metro Court pool. “Someone said to me, ‘Just go with it, you have to really fall.’ And, obviously, Maurice Benard [Sonny] was freaking awesome and caught me, because I really fell. He did a great job catching me and it was really fun.” You really committed, replete with your eyes rolling toward the back of your head! “I feel like I’ve seen that when people faint in movies or television, so I just tried to do that. Laura Wright [Carly] texted me a photo when it aired, like a screenshot, from the fainting, and she was like, ‘This is funny. So glamorous!’” Before she collapsed, Willow was having a pretty heated confrontation with Nina. There is some debate among…