Hope Logan is a fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera on the CBS network. The character was portrayed by several child actors since Hope's introduction in 2002, most notably Rachel and Amanda Pace. In 2010, the role was rapidly aged and recast with actress Kim Matula, who made her first appearance in January 2010. Matula departed the serial as a series regular in December 2014, but she made guest appearances in 2015 and 2016. As of 2018, the role is portrayed by Annika Noelle.
Introduced in 2002, Hope is the result of an affair between Brooke Logan and Deacon Sharpe, Brooke's then son-in-law. Upon Matula's casting, her main storylines revolved around relationships with former love interests Liam and Wyatt Spencer, and rivalry with Steffy Forrester, the latter of which mirrors the rivalry between their mothers, Brooke Logan and Taylor Hayes. Hope was most recently in a relationship with Thomas Forrester.
Matula was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series in 2014 for her portrayal of Hope. Noelle's portrayal later earned a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
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Casting
Between the years of 2002 and 2009, the character was played by child actresses, appearing as a young girl around five years old by 2007. On December 4, 2009, it was announced that Hope was to be rapidly aged (SORAS), with Kimberly Matula cast in the role. Signing on as a series regular, she began taping that same month, and made her first appearance on January 11, 2010. On November 5, 2014, it was announced that after five years with the serial, Matula would exit the role. She taped her final scene on November 6, and made her final appearance on December 12, 2014. In March 2015, Soap Opera Digest reported Matula would make a return to the series, in a guest capacity; she taped her scenes on March 4, 2015, and they aired during the April 17 and 20 broadcasts. In February 2016, it was announced she'd again make a guest return to the soap; she appeared on March 16, 2016.
In November 2017, Soap Opera Digest announced that actress Annika Noelle had been cast in the role of Hope; she made her first appearance on January 8 of the following year.
Characterization
The young adult character of Hope was first described as "A polar opposite of what her mother Brooke once was, Hope makes no secret of her more traditional and reserved views on sex and marriage." Matula has described Hope as "unlucky in love." Speaking on the character's dramatic aging and her storyline, head writer Bradley Bell stated: "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. '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."
Storylines
2002–2016
Hope was conceived during an affair between Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan). At the time, Deacon was married to Hope's half-sister, Bridget Forrester. Hope was born at the Big Bear Cabin and delivered by Stephanie. Deacon signed over his parental rights in 2007 to Ridge Forrester when Hope was taken from Brooke, as she was proven to be an unfit mother by Social Services. She was reported by Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). Nick Marone (Jack Wagner) was also a father figure for Hope when he was married to Brooke.
After the character is dramatically aged (SORASed), Hope is almost raped by a photographer, Graham Darros, but she is saved by Nick and Aggie Jones (Sarah Joy Brown). As high school graduation approaches, she meets Oliver Jones, a DJ who becomes her first serious boyfriend. Instantly, the assertive Steffy takes an interest in Oliver, teasing him in front of Hope for a reaction. At a fashion show, Pam Douglas tampers with a sign by removing the letters 'p' and 'e' out of Hope's name to create a sign that reads "Ho Logan." Then, at Hope's graduation party, Brooke has sex with Oliver, claiming she thought it was her husband Ridge behind the mask; this is revealed by a video that Steffy located. It was later revealed the video was tampered with by Justin Barber (Aaron D. Spears) and Liam Cooper (Scott Clifton), who worked for Spencer Publications – who are against Forrester Creations. Despite unresolved feelings, Hope forgives her mother and tries to recover her relationship with Oliver until she meets Liam.
Hope meets Liam Cooper, who was soon revealed as the son of Bill Spencer Jr. Hope and Liam forge a friendship but there is something more there which Oliver sees whenever they are together. Liam and Hope fall deeply in love. Their love grows despite Oliver trying to win back Hope by making her jealous. Liam and Hope's relationship faces hardship when Amber falls pregnant after supposedly sleeping with Liam, and Liam is thought to be the father. Amber manipulates Liam every chance she gets and causes problems for Liam and Hope. Hope tries to move on, but Steffy encourages her to trust Liam. The baby is born, and it is quite evident the baby is not Liam's, turns out to be Marcus's baby instead.
Liam and Hope reunite, and he proposes to her. However, she wanted to use this as a way to promote her fashion line, so their wedding was planned for months ahead. Hope tells Liam she wants to wait to consummate their relationship after marriage, Steffy supports the relationship and Liam (who saves her from drowning when she hits her head after falling in the bath) until she hears so much about the pain Liam is going through. Steffy came to believe that Hope was not right for him and fell in love with Liam. Finally, the night before the wedding, Steffy is conned into collecting Liam from his bachelor party. Steffy says goodbye and good luck to Liam and offers a goodbye kiss. After witnessing the kiss, Hope takes off her engagement ring and leaves it at Liam's house. Hope spoke with Liam by phone and said that she does not want to get married, talk to him or see him again.
2018–present
Hope returns to Los Angeles in January 2018, at Ridge's request, to surprise her mother. She makes her intentions known of returning to Forrester. When Hope meets Sally Spectra II, she finds out that Liam and Steffy's marriage is in trouble, so she visits Liam to offer her support and friendship. Hope learns of Steffy and Bill sleeping together. Hope later starts to fall in love with Liam again. Bill manipulates Liam to believe that Bill and Steffy are involved. Liam leaves Steffy and their daughter, Kelly, and proposes to Hope. Liam decides to give Steffy another chance for the sake of Kelly, but Hope soon discovers she is pregnant from the one night she and Liam spent together before their aborted wedding. Steffy catches Liam and Hope making out behind the scenes of the Hope for the Future fashion show, and she breaks up with him. Steffy steps back and gives Liam to Hope because she can no longer be involved in a triangle for Liam's heart, and she needs to do what is best for Kelly. In August 2018, Hope and Liam wed in front of their friends, families, Steffy, and Taylor. They blissfully awaited the birth of their daughter & basked in the happiness they had always longed for.
In 2019, Hope and Liam are devastated when their daughter, Elizabeth 'Beth' Avalon Spencer, is stillborn. Dr. Reese Buckingham had stolen their daughter and gave them a stillborn baby girl. Steffy adopted the baby and named her Phoebe. Hope's marriage to Liam crumbles, and she meets Wyatt's ex-girlfriend Flo, who is searching for Phoebe's biological father. Hope welcomes Flo into their family and also helps Douglas heal from Caroline's death.
Afterwards, Thomas starts to be obsessed with Hope and manipulates Caroline's death by writing a fake letter saying that Douglas needs a mother and wants Hope to be that mother figure for him. Thomas also uses Douglas to convince Hope to be with his dad, which leads to Hope and Liam getting an annulment after wanting to fulfill Caroline's wish. Hope pushes Liam into being with Steffy and wanting him to raise Kelly and Phoebe together. Hope accepts Thomas's proposal. Hope almost had second thoughts about marrying Thomas, until Liam revealed that he and Steffy had sex one night. When Hope and Thomas are married, she still loves Liam, but wants to move forward with Beth being gone. Hope feels unconformable with Thomas's advances and does not want to have sex with him.
When Hope is about to go on her honeymoon with Thomas, Douglas reveals to Hope and Liam that their daughter Beth is alive. Hope believes that Douglas is simply confused and goes on her honeymoon with Thomas. Their honeymoon is cut short when Hope still refuses to have sex with Thomas. Thomas and Hope goes back to L.A. at Forester's, and Hope locks the office door. Liam storms in the office to tell Hope that Douglas is telling the truth: that Beth is alive, and Flo has lied about being Phoebe's birth mother. Hope at first refuses to believe Liam until he reveals to her that he confronted Flo, and Flo confirmed that she was never pregnant.
Reception
In 2022, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Hope 10th on his ranked list of The Bold and the Beautiful's Best of the Best Characters Ever, saying "Our Hope For the Future? More of this sweetheart, a born-to-be-distressed damsel who's striven to take the high road, whether she has been played by Kim Matula or Annika Noelle."