Days Of Our Lives’ Peter Reckell & Kristian Alfonso Name The Role That Almost Went To Tom Cruise

After “Days of Our Lives” star Kristian Alfonso’s big reveal, she tried to jog co-star Peter Reckell’s memory, asking if he remembered when Frances Reid — who played Alice Horton from 1965 to 2007 — was on a plane with Tom Cruise. “They started talking and she said she worked on ‘Days of Our Lives,’” Alfonso explained. “And he was like, ‘Oh, I tested for the role of Bo.’” Reckell then hilariously quipped, “Man, I could have been using that for the last 40 years.” 

The beloved soap star also admitted that he had lied to the producers when they asked him to shave his beard off, claiming, “I’m keeping it for something else I’m up for.” Concerned they’d lose Reckell, they gave him the part. The actor then recalled that the first time he and Alfonso met was for rehearsals on their first day of shooting. Thankfully, his prior experience on “As the World Turns” helped to guide them both through the soap acting process. 

Regarding the two becoming a soap opera super couple, they noted that the powers that be would put actors together to see whether they had any chemistry, to which Reckell remarked, “I admire the writers and producers for doing that. And they see what you can do, and then they take stories in that direction.” Cruise, on the other hand, also notably missed out on the lead role in “Edward Scissorhands,” per Dazed Digital, but he did pretty well for himself regardless.