JC Olivera/Getty Images; Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
Galen Gering (Rafe) and DAYS co-star Cherie Jimene (Gabi).
Acclimating to a new TV sister, actress Cherie Jimenez, who took over the role of Rafe’s Days of our Lives sister Gabi from Camila Banus, was initially a point of concern for Galen Gering (Rafe). He had worked with Banus for well over a decade, and over the years had developed a special brother-sister bond with Banus.
Their close relationship, the actor admits, led him to have some concerns about whether he would be able to forge a similar rapport with a new actress. “Absolutely, that was one of the things that was in the back of my mind,” admits Gering. “First and foremost, I was like, ‘Oh, God. How do you move on from there?’ Because that was certainly one of my favorite elements or aspects to working with Camila, the relationship we had [off camera].”
So far, Gering has been pleasantly surprised. “Cherie has fit in,” he declares. “It was great, because when she just got here, we sat and talked for hours. We hit it off from day one about life and [our] journeys and all that stuff. So it was cool, because we could hit the ground running knowing that there was an understanding and trust there. She’s a great actor and a great person and super-fun to work with. She definitely has similarities and also distinct differences from Camila, who I also loved and adored.”
Gering did his part to fill Jimenez in on backstory and key Gabi moments. “There were definitely some questions, and there will probably continue to be questions that she’ll have,” he notes. “She was asking about [Gabi’s daughter] Arianna and what that relationship was like, what our family situation was like, and, to a certain degree, what our history was like.”
Throughout it all, Gering and Jimenez have slowly developed a bond all their own. “I think that the relationship that I have with Cherie is different, but it’s also really cool,” shares Galen. “It may evolve more into the one that I had with Camila, but that’ll sort of depend on how they continue to write things for us. I mean, it’s obviously very early on — but I will say very early on, it’s been great. They did a great job in casting Cherie, and I’m excited about what the future holds for the Hernandez family.”
