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Jill Johnson/jpistudios.com
Becoming Poppy
The slow reveal of the character of Poppy has been an intriguing journey to undertake for her portrayer, Romy Park. “I think that she’s evolved quite a bit, in fact,” Park offers. “From the start, and I don’t know if it was picked up [by viewers] or not, but I certainly tried, attempted this — I always play every character like I have a secret. Because that’s what people do in real life, even the best of us. We all have secrets. We carry them. And when you’re an actor, you try to wear it on your sleeve a bit more. I’m glad now that I think people are really seeing that she does have secrets. In the beginning, I had no idea what those secrets were, because her story wasn’t established yet.”
Park is delighted that the layers of Poppy’s nature are being unraveled. “I’m glad that now it’s kind of coming full circle, because of course she has secrets,” Park notes. “And it’s not necessarily bad secrets. This is just for herself. She doesn’t want to air her laundry out. I love the evolution of her, because she’s definitely becoming a much more grounded character. In the beginning, she was just nice and sweet. She was ‘the good mother.’ And, as good as a person can be, that’s not what a real person is. We all have different sides to ourselves. Multiple facets. And we wear multiple masks when we talk to different people. And I think that we’re starting to see all those different masks. And more so to come. And that is incredibly fun to play.”
As the story unfolds, Park finds joy in the discovery. “Every time I get a new script, I’m like, what’s happening? What’s happening? It’s like reading a novel. So suspenseful.”
She’s Arrived
Some would say that being a part of a love triangle or a murder mystery means you have finally arrived in the soap opera world. For Park, it was something else. ‘“I felt like I arrived once I knew Don Diamant [Bill] was my love interest,” she declares. “He’s so established, and I know he’s also a fan favorite. And I just enjoy him so much. I was like, ‘Wow! They put me with one of the veterans of the show!’ I was really gobsmacked. And just really flattered. In the beginning, when I was recurring, it was just like my little circle with Luna, RJ, and Li. And then it was starting up with Don, but it wasn’t quite there yet. And now I’ve had scenes with Brooke, and now Katie. And it’s such incredible fun. So I wouldn’t say I’ve arrived anywhere. I don’t think I’ve earned it yet. My plan is to earn it. And I hope I will.”
With the recent deaths of Tom and Hollis, it looks like the show is gearing up for a good old-fashioned murder mystery, and with the reveal of Poppy’s past relationship with Tom, Poppy’s smack in the middle of it.
She is certainly being given a juicy opportunity now that suspicion has fallen on Poppy regarding the recent deaths of Tom and Hollis, particularly in light of Poppy’s past with Tom.
“The things that have been established already about [Tom and Poppy’s] history, that is out,” muses Park. “If any more comes out, I’m certainly curious about it,” the actress reflects. “As far as the murder mystery goes, I think it’s so much fun. Because really, so many people have a motive. I mean, not only does Poppy have a clear motive, but so does Sheila. And they’re making out that, you know, why was Justin there? Does Bill have anything to do with it? He’s got to be there for a reason. And why did Jack come back? All of a sudden, Jack is back. And then Li just happened to be there and not help when Tom was having a heart attack or cardiac arrest and passed out on the ground. So there’s so many suspects. I think they did a wonderful job with that. And it could be any one of us.”