Mary Beth Evans
(KAYLA, DAYS)
■ Upon realizing Bo’s sinister game plan, Mary Beth Evans was riveting in her portrayal of Kayla’s anguish, anger and determination to get the brother she loved back.
Arriving at a mysterious villa, Kayla yelled at Bo about their rough travails. As she paced back and forth, Evans’s body language told the story of how frustrated and fed up she was. As Bo spoke obliquely about building an empire in the style of his father, Victor, Evans’s blank look communicated Kayla’s bewilderment. Then she huffed, charged up to Bo and called out his “crazy talk”, her stare steely-eyed as she defiantly reminded Bo that the Kiriakis empire is a crime syndicate and that Victor was a vengeful, vicious man. Softening her voice, she noted that the Brady family was rich in love. “Deep down, you know that,” she added, her tone pleading.
Bo was undeterred, insisting that his childhood had been built on lies, not love. With undisguised incredulity, Kayla shook her head in disgust as she countered, “This isn’t really you.” Desperate to reach the unreachable essence of her beloved sibling, Evans shifted Kayla’s gears to appeal to the Bo she believed was still there at his core, imploring him to remember Hope, Ciara and Shawn. “They’re your family,” she wailed, tears filling her eyes. Failing to get a reaction, she waved her fists furiously, then composed herself, told him he was free to parade around like “a little Victor” if he wanted to, but she was going home. At that, she began marching toward the door.
Bo stopped her and put his gun on the table. Evans didn’t flinch. She shot him an admonishing look and injected Kayla’s voice with sarcasm as she challenged, “You gonna shoot me, Bo?”as Bo clarified that he needed her help completing Rolf’s work on the age-reversing serum, Kayla recalculated her options, resigning herself to the fact that, at least for now, she was stuck in Greece just as Bo was stuck in Megan’s mind control.
Striking the perfect balance between sisterly sass and self-preservation, Evans’s impassioned performance was the emotional heartbeat of this unpredictable tale.