Victor Alfieri's AOL Q&A 3/17/97
Star: VICTOR ALFIERI
Role: Franco Kelly, DAYS
Birthday: July 30, 1971
Hails From: Rome, Italy
Family Ties: "[It's] not a big family, but a good family." An only child, Victor was raised by his mother and grandparents.
Days Debut: January 1996. Alfieri was actually a DAY player named Jose (the boat guy) before landing the role of Franco Kelly, which he began in June 1996.
TV Credits: Two TV movies: "An Urban Legend" with KIRSTIE ALLEY and "Sweet Temptation" co-starring BEVERLY D'ANGELO and MELROSE PLACE's ROB ESTES. He also made appearances on the TV Series NED & STACEY and MURDER SHE WROTE.
Been There, Done That: Though he plays a guy with a one-track mind -- namely breaking up the Salem supercouple Bo and Hope -- Victor has many interests. Victor began writing at age 14 (and still does today, when he gets the chance!), started to model and act on Italian television at age 18, and then went off to become a cop for two years before settling in L.A. He was always considered the class clown (and "the crazy one" in the family), and has aspirations to be a comedian one day.
THE MAN BEHIND THE CELL PHONE
How much do we know about DAYS mystery man Franco Kelly? Let's see... he's got an agenda, a cell phone... and he's full of amore for Hope. Since coming to Salem, Franco has stirred up all sorts of trouble for Salem's supercouple Bo and Hope, including playing a big part in their November 1996 non-wedding. Although Bo and Hope fans wish that Franco and his invisible boss would just go away and leave their favorite couple alone, don't expect VICTOR ALFIERI, the actor who gives life to this character many viewers love to hate, to be leaving Salem anytime soon. Recently, Alfieri took a moment to talk to DIGEST ONLINE about his DAYS role and hopes for the future of the mysterious Franco.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, how long have you been in the U.S.?
ALFIERI: Two years and four months.
DIGEST ONLINE: When did you decide you wanted to come here?
ALFIERI: About a week before I moved here.
DIGEST ONLINE: Oh, really?
ALFIERI: Yeah. [laughs]
DIGEST ONLINE: Had you visited before?
ALFIERI: Yes. I was a tourist in the summer of 1994.
DIGEST ONLINE: Would you rather be in America than Italy?
ALFIERI: Yeah, I like here because I like the movie business. I mean, I love Italy, but I like here for the business. I mean, just L.A., it is beautiful. I have never really been anywhere else in America.
DIGEST ONLINE: You've never been to New York?
ALFIERI: No, never. Just L.A., Palm Springs and Hawaii.
DIGEST ONLINE: What do you miss the most about Italy?
ALFIERI: My family and friends. I have a lot of friends there. I only have one or two friends here, but I have a lot back home. So, I miss them.
DIGEST ONLINE: Do you have a big family?
ALFIERI: No, not a big family, but a good family.
DIGEST ONLINE: Do you have any relatives at all in the States?
ALFIERI: No, nobody. Actually, my mother is here in town visiting. So, I don't miss her right now, but when she isn't [here] I miss her very much.
DIGEST ONLINE: You were a policeman in Rome, right?
ALFIERI: Yeah. Well, not only in Rome, all over Italy. Wherever they sent me.
DIGEST ONLINE: Isn't it true that in Italy you are required to do two years of military service?
ALFIERI: No, you have to do one year. But, I chose to do two. I decided that instead of wasting a year of my life in the military, cleaning toilets [laughs], I would be a cop. In Europe, it's like this. I don't know, maybe in America it's different, because if you go to be a Marine, it is something you chose to do and something you are not obligated to do. So, your training is better. But there it's very different [in the military]. So, I signed up to be a cop instead, and I liked it, so I signed for another year.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, you were in different parts of Italy?
ALFIERI: Yeah, I was in south Italy, Rome, Sardinia and many different areas.
DIGEST ONLINE: What was that experience like for you?
ALFIERI: Oh, I think it was the best. It taught me a lot, and it gave me the strength to go out on my own later to America. It taught me so much on how to rely on myself and do things on my own.
DIGEST ONLINE: Do you have a favorite place that you were stationed?
ALFIERI: Sardinia, because it was beautiful. It was a little scary -- the people are crazy -- but it's a beautiful vacation area. It's like Hawaii.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, how did you land your role on DAYS?
ALFIERI: I started, I guess, in January 1996, and I was a day player named Jose. I also did a couple of movies of the week and sitcoms, and then they called me in to test for the role of "Jordan." When I got the part, they decided to change the character's name to Franco.
DIGEST ONLINE: Now, where exactly is Franco from?
ALFIERI: Well, Franco's from.... from Italy, I think.... we really don't know much about Franco, he is a mysterious character... I don't really know. But they [the writers] know, you know. They have a really big story coming up right now for him.
DIGEST ONLINE: It's kind of funny that his last name is "Kelly," isn't it?
ALFIERI: Right. That's because his father was Irish. That's why his last name is Irish.
DIGEST ONLINE: What was your first day like on the DAYS set?
ALFIERI: My first day was great! Everyone there was very friendly and very nice. I enjoyed working with KRISTIAN ALFONSO (Hope) because she is a very nice person and she is very beautiful. And PETER RECKELL (Bo), although he's nice, he's not really beautiful [laughs]. I'm only kidding. I mean, I'm very lucky that I'm working on DAYS. Everyone is very nice, no one is conceited, no one is like, "I am the star of the show." They have all been very encouraging. You know, I have an accent and sometimes I get frustrated. But, they are always saying, "You're doing fine, don't worry." It's very nice, it's almost like having a second family there.
DIGEST ONLINE: One of the biggest questions and debates that we have online is: who pays Franco's paycheck. Who is his boss?
ALFIERI: That, I don't know.
DIGEST ONLINE: You don't even know yourself?
ALFIERI: No. The story, right now, is a little bit weak for Franco. So, right now, he's causing trouble, he's playing games to keep Bo and Hope apart.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, you don't think the identity of Franco's boss is going to be revealed any time soon?
ALFIERI: Yeah, maybe. Maybe soon. I think they're just waiting for the right time for it all to come out.
DIGEST ONLINE: Are there any plans to get more into Franco's past? Maybe give him a family, a relative, an old friend? We really don't know anything about him.
ALFIERI: Right, we don't know anything about him. Right now, he's still just this mystery guy. All we know is that he is in love with Hope, and he is waiting for her to forget Bo, so he will have a chance with her.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, do you think Franco is going to steal Hope away from Bo?
ALFIERI: He's not going to steal Hope. He knows that as long as she's in love with Bo, he doesn't have a chance with her. So, he's not going to steal her. All he is doing is waiting. Right now, Bo is pretending to be with Billie, and [Hope] thinks he loves Billie. Franco's waiting for her to forget about Bo, so then he would have a chance with her.
DIGEST ONLINE: What direction would you like to see Franco go?
ALFIERI: Personally, and I'm speaking strictly as an actor, for my acting, I would like to see Franco be very bad. I am a nice guy, and so if I am playing a nice guy, it's not much of a challenge for me. But, to play someone bad, that would be a challenge. For fans, I would like to see Franco be a good guy, so they would like him.
DIGEST ONLINE: Or, maybe, he'll just be a little bit of both.
ALFIERI: Yeah, well, I guess. I really loved playing Franco in the beginning, when he was really bad and just doing bad things. And all he ever did was fight with Bo. Now, he's pining away for his love, and he's a nice guy. That's okay, too, because that's like me, a nice guy. But, that's not as challenging to play.
DIGEST ONLINE: What is a typical day like on the DAYS set?
ALFIERI: First we get in, we go to makeup, then we rehearse our lines, [do our scenes] and go home. Nothing special, just work. You know, and I always try to keep it that way, because we're not there to fool around or anything. We're there to work.
DIGEST ONLINE: Do you hang out with anyone when you're on the set?
ALFIERI: Well, I usually run my lines with KRISTIAN ALFONSO (Hope), PETER RECKELL (Bo) and KRISTA ALLEN (Billie), so I hang out with them. I also hang out with Kristian because she is half-Italian, so she speaks a little Italian, and she is a very nice person. But, I hang out with everyone.
DIGEST ONLINE: What do you do when you're not on the set? Do you have any hobbies?
ALFIERI: Well, right now, I'm visiting places in L.A. with my mother. But, usually, I do sports like bike-riding and boxing, I go to the gym. And I work on my acting and my accent with my dialogue coach.
DIGEST ONLINE: I read somewhere that you like to write. Do you still write on your own?
ALFIERI: Yes, I write poetry and I write sitcoms, movie scripts. I mean, I used to write, but now I don't have the time. You know, in the soap opera, I study, usually, one script a day. So, I don't really have much time to write.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, do you see yourself in the future on the writing side of television?
ALFIERI: No, no. I don't know what the future holds, but my goal is to be a comedian.
DIGEST ONLINE: Do you ever do standup in L.A. or anything?
ALFIERI: No, but I do standup for my family.
DIGEST ONLINE: Do you cook?
ALFIERI: Yes. I'm Italian!
DIGEST ONLINE: What is in your refrigerator right now?
ALFIERI: Right now, what do we have? We have chicken, marmalade, milk, orange juice. That's about it. I don't keep any chocolates or anything like that around.
DIGEST ONLINE: What about breakfast cereal? Do you eat cereal for breakfast?
ALFIERI: For breakfast, I usually have some bread with marmalade, some strawberries, and tea.
DIGEST ONLINE: You're very health conscious.
ALFIERI: Yes. Tea is very good in the morning because it cleans out your liver. That's cleans out your liver, not clears. [laughs]
DIGEST ONLINE: What's your favorite Italian meal, and what's your favorite American meal?
ALFIERI: My favorite American meal is a hamburger, actually, the cheeseburger, I love the cheeseburger. Or steak. And my favorite Italian meal is lasagna.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, do you eat out Italian in L.A.?
ALFIERI: Sometimes, but it's not quite the same.
DIGEST ONLINE: So, you said it's just you and your mother in Italy. You don't have any brothers or sisters?
ALFIERI: No, no brothers and sisters. Just a dog.
DIGEST ONLINE: What's your dog's name?
ALFIERI: Al. I can't believe he's becoming famous, too! [laughs] It's a mutt. I found it on the street.
DIGEST ONLINE: Now, he's in Italy?
ALFIERI: Yes, he's Italian. He barks in Italian, not in English. If he came here, he wouldn't be able to communicate with the other dogs. He would bark with an accent. [When I first came to L.A.,] I used to have a parrot, but I had to sell it. As you know, parrots need a lot of attention, and I wasn't home a lot and couldn't give him the attention. His name was Ricardo, I had him for six months and it was very sad when I had to sell him. He's still in my heart, though.
Thanks to Dana for sending me this transcript