The Bold and the Beautiful has cast soap opera newcomer Kimberly Matula in the contract role of the now-teenaged Hope Logan, the daughter of Brooke Logan and her bad-boy son-in-law Deacon Sharpe.
"Kimberly is a vibrant and talented young actress," B&B's executive producer and head writer, Bradley P. Bell, said in a statement. "I look forward to seeing her bring Hope' to life."
If you feel like it was just yesterday that Brooke was giving birth to Hope, you're almost right. Hope was born on-screen in July 2002. Soap operas are known for occasionally playing fast and loose with characters' ages, but Bell says that there's a good reason for "rapidly aging" Hope.
"Aging the character of Hope to a teenager allows us to bring the next generation of Logans to the forefront, as well as play a broader range of the Forrester vs. Logan story," Bell explained. "Hope's presence at Forrester Creations, as well as in Brooke and Ridge's home, sparks an intense competition between Hope and her step-sister, Steffy, as well as creates new conflict between long-time rivals Brooke and Taylor, as each woman is determined to protect her own daughter."
A native of Forth Worth, Texas, Matula was the vice president of the thespian society in high school and moved to Los Angeles a mere ten months ago to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an actress. Though her B&B role is her first job in daytime, she does have previous professional acting credits under her belt. She's appeared as Tara in the Lifetime made-for-television movie Queen Sized and she's guest-starred on CBS' hit comedy How I Met Your Mother.
Matula began taping The Bold and the Beautiful on November 19, 2009. Her first airdate is scheduled for January 11, 2010.
