Ava Vitali
Ava Vitali | |||||||||||||||
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Days of Our Lives character | |||||||||||||||
Portrayed by |
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Duration |
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First appearance | February 8, 2008 | ||||||||||||||
Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||
Introduced by |
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Ava Vitali is a fictional character from
Casting
"I identified with all of them on a human level. I must find a common human thread with all the characters I play; otherwise, I fear I would be playing a caricature. Carly and Ava were the most dynamic and colorful. Reese was the most normal, yet she had the most historic impact. The storyline I was in with Eden Riegel (who played Bianca Montgomery) was nominated for a GLAAD Award, and I feel very proud of the work that Eden and I did portraying the first same-sex married and parenting couple. We tried to bring honesty and integrity to the story we were given. I was so proud of the show for bringing the issue to the forefront and for being a part of it."
— Braun on which of her daytime roles she most identified with.[1]
In January 2008, it was announced that
Braun later returned to Days of our Lives in the role of
In July 2015, it was announced that Braun is reprising the role of Ava, as part of the show's fiftieth anniversary celebration, first airing on December 9.[11][12][13] Braun departed on March 1, 2016.[14]
Actress Sara Fletcher voiced Ava one episode in 2017, airing April 10.[15] On September 2, 2020, Soap Opera Digest exclusively announced that Braun would again reprise the role of Ava.[16] She returned during the November 13, 2020, episode.[17]
Storylines
2008
Ava first appears in early February 2008, stalking
Convinced that Hope is Steve's wife, Ava is visited by a therapist, who questions her sense of reality.[18][20] Escaping from her guards, Ava kidnaps Hope, who she believes is Steve's wife Kayla Brady, and holds her hostage at the Vitali compound.[18][20] Driven with rage, Ava demands Hope call Steve, who catches onto the scheme and calls Hope's husband, Bo Brady and tells him to not involve the police.[18][20]
Ava then pressures Steve to have sex with her, a suggestion Steve denies doing, blaming his injuries from the plane crash.[18][21] Ava, however, plans to seduce Steve in hopes of making the person she believed to be Kayla jealous.[18][21] Before she can execute her plan, Bo and the real Kayla infiltrate the Vitali compound. Ava, in turn, orders her guards to kill them all.[18][21] When they fail, Ava shoots Hope; Bo then goes to shoot Ava, but is protected by Steve. When questioned by a hurt Hope about why she hates Steve so much, Ava goes into detail about her "almost wedding day" of how Steve left her. Steve explains that while he had doubts about the wedding, he was abducted by Stefano DiMera's henchmen. Though shocked by the revelation, Ava becomes agitated and pops pills.[18][21] Able to escape, Bo calls Abe Carver, who arrives to the Vitali compound with Roman Brady.[18][21] Abe and Roman are able to calm the situation, arresting Ava.[18][21] While under arrest, Kayla reveals that the pills Ava was taking, were the cause of her paranoia over Steve and the Brady family.[18][21] As a result of her actions, Ava's father, Martino Vitali, shows up in Salem.[18][21]
Later,
Moving on with their lives, Ava and John later toast to their newfound relationship.[18][24] Trusting Ava, John reveals his plans concerning the recent disappearance of Paul Hollingsworth and his plans to pin the disappearance on Philip.[18][24] When Ava's faced with possible charges of the plane crash earlier in the year, she hires EJ DiMera as her attorney. When EJ alerts Ava that the new judge in her trial could not be bribed, she breaks bail and makes the decision to leave the country.[18][25]
2015–2017, 2020–2022
In December 2015, Ava manipulates Joey (James Lastovic), Steve and Kayla's underage teenage son, into "helping" her reunite his parents to orchestrate her plan of revenge. Joey is unaware of her past. Steve and Kayla discover Ava is back in Salem and assume Joey has been working with her, but he denies it. After months of Ava preying on Joey, he admits to her that he is in love with her and he kisses her but Ava rejects his advances and reveals that she is "dying" from leukemia. Kayla finds them together talking in her hotel room and demands that Joey stay away from Ava. Ava continues to manipulate Joey's romantic feelings for her and his attraction to her only grows stronger. Joey confides in Steve about his feelings for Ava and is shocked to learn about Ava's past and that she may have given birth to Steve's son. Ava knocks Kayla unconscious, causing a hematoma, and kidnaps her. Ava then coerces Steve to either have sex with her or she'll let Kayla die to which Steve agrees under duress to secure Kayla's release. She then gives Joey Kayla's location to free her. Steve is reunited with his family but Steve's "betrayal" leaves Joey angry and bitter. Learning that Ava planned on framing his mother for attempted murder (she drugged herself with morphine in Kayla's home) a drunken Joey smothers a drugged Ava in a hospital bed, with Steve willingly implicating himself in the murder.
In November 2020, Ava returns to Salem, alive and working with
Later, she begins a relationship with Jake DiMera which leads him to propose to Ava, but he is shot by a robber and is killed. Gabi Hernandez convinces her to lie and say the two were married before Jake died so she would have Jake's share at DiMera Enterprises and help oust EJ as CEO. However, EJ soon caught on to the deception and, with newly resurrected Stefan DiMera, exposes Ava and Gabi's plot. He blackmails Ava to leave Salem or go to prison for fraud. She leaves but soon returns and enlists Xander's help in kidnapping EJ's mother for ransom. During this time, Ava begins hallucinating Charlie convincing her she is doing the right thing in getting revenge on EJ. The plan go wrong when Xander has a change of heart and lets Susan go. At the meet spot, Ava prepares shoot EJ for kidnapping Tripp in retaliation but Susan intervenes and is kidnapped again. Ava drives recklessly while EJ is in pursuit and, under Charlie's guidance, drives off a cliff with her and Susan in the car.
She survived and decided to plant a bomb at Susan's memorial service to kill EJ, but Tripp arrives and she tries to warn him before the bomb goes off but it's too late. Ava is among the injured and her sanity slips away when she mistakes Tripp for Charlie and attacks him. She was committed to Bayview for treatment.
References
- Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps. Michaelfairmansoaps.com. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "DAYS: Trading Places". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. 2008-02-04. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- SoapCentral. Soapcentral.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- ^ Kroll, Dan. J. (2008-09-18). "Tamara Braun joining AMC as Bianca's girlfriend". Soap Central. Soapcentral.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- ^ "And The Winners Are..." Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. 2009-03-02. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- ^ "Comings and Goings". Soap Opera Digest. Vol. 37. March 8, 2011. pp. 12, 13.
- ^ "Huge DAYS Casting Change!". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. 2011-04-04. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ Kroll, Dan J. (2011-02-15). "Natalia Livingston out, Tamara Braun to rejoin DAYS". Soap Central. Soapcentral.com. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ Nobles, Omar (2011-02-15). "Natalia Livingston Out, Tamara Braun In At DAYS!". TV Source Magazine. TVsourcemagazine.com. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ Fairman, Michael (2011-02-15). "BREAKING NEWS: Tamara Braun IN, Natalia Livingston OUT as DAYS Taylor!". Michael Fairman On Air On Soaps. Michaelfairmansoaps.com. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- American Media, Inc. Archivedfrom the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Comings and Goings: Tamara Braun (Ava Vitali)". Soap Opera Digest. (Vol. 40, No. 50). December 14, 2015. p. 10.
- ^ "Comings and Goings: Tamara Braun (Ava Vitali)". Soap Opera Digest. (Vol. 41, No. 10). March 7, 2016. p. 15.
- ^ Ken Corday, Albert Alarr and Greg Meng (Executive producers); Dena Higley and Ryan Quan (Head writers) (April 10, 2017). Days of Our Lives. Season 52. Episode 13063. NBC. Days of Our Lives Transcript Monday 4/10/17.
Ava: My precious baby boy. I honestly think my whole life has been building to this. I can't wait for you to be born. I'm going to love you so much. One thing, though, honey, you need to know. There are people out there who are going to say they love you... when they don't. They just want to get close to you so they can hurt you. Trust your mom on this. She knows. But not to worry. I'll be there to help you. It's so exciting. Once you're born, people are gonna see how much I can love. I'm gonna give you this recording on your 21st birthday. Won't that be something? To know how much I loved you before you were even born?
- American Media, Inc.Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- SheKnows Media. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Yearly Update for 2008". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Yearly Update for 2008 – February". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. February 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Yearly Update for 2008 – March". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. March 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Yearly Update for 2008 – April". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. April 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Yearly Update for 2008 – May". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. May 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Yearly Update for 2008 – June". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. June 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "Yearly Update for 2008 – July". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. July 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Yearly Update for 2008 – August". Sony Pictures Television. Daysofourlives.com. August 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved July 3, 2012.