Exclusive: B&B's Jacqueline MacInnes Wood On Steffy's Life Or Death Peril!

CBS

Down But Not Out: Thanks to two-time killer Luna, Steffy "is at her lowest point," according to her portrayer, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood.

Steffy — who, in true soap opera heroine fashion, has already survived such grave threats to her survival as being presumed dead in a shark attack, nearly drowning in a bathtub, falling off an ATV, plunging from a cliff, developing an addiction to opioids and being shot by her mother-in-law, Sheila Carter — has once again found herself in a life-or-death situation: murderous Luna has taken her hostage after Steffy pieced together that Luna was a two-time killer.

Dire Straits

While Steffy is living a waking nightmare, the news of her character's latest battle was news to the ears of her three-time Daytime Emmy-winning portrayer, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. The actress tells Soap Opera Digest , "I love when I hear that Brad [Bell, B&B's executive producer/head writer] is writing Steffy into a predicament."

Getting to play out the terrifying story twist opposite Lisa Yamada (Luna) has only upped the pleasure factor for Wood, who declares, "Lisa is great. She brings her everything to her performances and she’s a terrific scene partner. There is a lot of give and take and resetting on scenes like these. She plays evil really, really well."

The actress was tickled when she learned that Steffy was going to be the first character on the canvas to deduce that Luna was responsible for the untimely deaths of both Tom and Hollis. "Yes, I sure was," she says. "I think because of her history with Sheila, Steffy’s superpower might be that she can recognize a sociopath when she sees one."

But her skills as an amateur detective won't necessarily be enough to save her, as Luna has not only locked her up in a cage but has revealed that the building she is trapped in is poised to be demolished. Sighs Wood, "Steffy is desperate. She thinks she’s going to die." Especially since Luna also took it upon herself to poison her hostage. "She’s also very frightened that Luna is going to drug her again," Wood nods. "It’s up on the top three worst moments of Steffy’s life."

Because Steffy has every reason to fear that Luna has tainted the food and water she is offering to Steffy, she is going without even basic sustenance, and as her hunger and thirst increase, so, too, does her desperation. Observes Wood, "She gets very weak. So on top of being scared that she’ll never see her children, Finn, or her parents again, she’s scared that her not eating or drinking is making this so much worse.

To The Rescue?

Steffy's hopes of someone , anyone , coming to her rescue are dim and growing dimmer by the minute. "I mean, she told Finn she was leaving [town] and why would he ever have any reason to suspect there was a problem?" Wood points out. "It’s not as if she just vanished out of thin air."

Plus, Luna makes it clear to Steffy that she is more than willing to let her die. Steffy's reckoning with the seeming likelihood that she won't make it out of this alive "definitely starts Friday [August 30] when she’s at her lowest point and basically laying in the cage but probably truly comes next week when Luna reveals more to Steffy about her past and why she killed Tom and Hollis," hints Wood.

Of course, B&B viewers know better than to count out Steffy — or Finn, for that matter. Says Wood, "Unbeknownst to Steffy, but obviously the viewer knows, Finn has realized something is very wrong. Steffy and Finn are connected and I’m sure he won’t back down."

But unless and until a hero (or heroine!) comes along, sums up Wood, "It’s bad. She’s exhausted, hungry and probably still has drugs in her system." Still, the actress reminds, Steffy has a lot to fight for, and a lot to fuel her resolve to survive. "Without a doubt, her children, Finn, and her parents, Ridge and Taylor" are keeping her going, she says, adding, "Steffy is Stephanie’s granddaughter and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to strength and courage."