Deidre Hall is one of the most recognizable names (and faces) in daytime television. She has played Dr. Marlena Evans on “Days of Our Lives” since 1976, and her 5,000th episode of the series aired on May 12, 2023.
Last year, Hall lost both of her long-running co-stars within months of each other. Drake Hogestyn (John Black) and Wayne Northrop (ex-Roman Brady) both worked closely with Hall for decades. Earlier this week, the soap vet sat for an interview on the new CBS podcast “Soapy,” hosted by Greg Rikaart and Rebecca Budig. She spent some time reflecting on losing both of her leading men in rapid succession.
Days of Our Lives stars Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn
Hall told Rebecca and Greg on their new podcast that it was a “terrible loss. Drake was brought up short by that because it happened so quickly. And Wayne, Wayne, I hadn’t seen Wayne for about a year. We used to go up to the ranch, the kids and I. Two men so full of life. So full of adventure, and excitement, and joyous families. And to lose them both within months of each other, ridiculous.”
In her interview, Hall explained some of the difficulties that come with working in soaps, and how trusting and being able to lean on your co-stars does make all the difference in the world. She likened her working relationship with Drake Hogestyn to a “safety net.”
“I call it working without a net. I would go out there with Drake and just think, you got me. I got you, you got me. Okay fine,” she explained.
Wayne Northrop Helped Deidre to Handle the Pressure
The pressure of working in soaps has been well-documentednseveral episodes and hundreds of pages of dialogue come to life each week. It’s not an industry that every actor is cut out for, but Hall says that it was Wayne Northrop who helped her handle the fast pace. He felt it was crucial to leave the work behind after the day wrapped up.
“Wayne used to say, whatever happens, ‘when I leave here, NBC will be in my rearview mirror. We got it! It’s there! It’s in the can. We get to go home now,’” she said.
The cast of “Days of Our Lives” decided to do something in Drake’s memory, so they organized a walk to raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer. Hall shared that the team made a significant amount of money for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).
