Have you ever wondered how Ciara Brady and Claire Brady have gotten their names, or why Chanel or Coco have been getting all of the attention in this fictional town of Salem, simply because of who they are and their mysterious past?
Well, we’ve got the answers for you as ‘Days of Our Lives’ head writer Ron Carlivati recently sat down with Soap Opera Digest to discuss how he names his characters. Keep reading for everything you need to know.
Speaking to the publication in a new interview, Carlivati was asked if he knew what the names of his characters from the get go. The scribe put it this way: “Well, let’s use Chanel DuPree for an example. I was calling her Coco in my mind, never thinking that it would be the ultimate name; it was a placeholder name.
‘Days of Our Lives’ Spoilers: Head Writer Ron Carlivati Dishes ON How He Names His Characters
So we kept saying, “We’re looking for Coco, we’re looking for Coco.” And then it was like, “What are we going to call her really?” And then all of a sudden, when we were brainstorming the name, one of the other writers said, “What about Michelle?” And Michelle was the name and I liked it, but it didn’t feel completely right. And we were going with that and then someone else said, “What about Chanel?” and I said, “Done. I love it, I love it, I love it.”
Carlivati was also asked if the name helps find the right actor for the role. His answer is quite surprising. “It doesn’t always. Usually, you’re trying to find an actor to match a character,” he said, adding, “Because Paulina has a few bucks, in my mind, I had someone like the character of Whitley in mind from A DIFFERENT WORLD. I had a little bit of an idea that it was a snobby, spoiled girl, and when you see Precious [Way, ex-Chanel], she’s not exactly that person. There’s an element of that to her, but we went a little bit in a different direction with the character once we saw her. And you start to realize, too, who you might pair her with, and that can change based on who that actor is.”
Carlivati also says that he’s also agonized over name choices in the past. He explains: “I think sometimes it can make or break a character, and I used to belabor it to death. Now, with the pace at which we do this, you’re like, “We just have to name the person.” I remember back on ONE LIFE TO LIVE [where Carlivati was head writer] when we brought on Farah [Fath], I was like, “What is her name going to be?” I went around the mulberry bush until I came up with Gigi. And Morasco was the name of a girl I went to St. Ambrose grammar school with who was not named Gigi. She was Tracy Morasco. At first, there is sometimes that pushback: “Gigi Morasco? What kind of name is that?” But I think it helped define who she was.”
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