Entertainment Network:



Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans, 1976-87; 1991-present)

Digest: Was there someone who showed you the ropes when you first started working at DAYS?

Hall: I was working with John Clarke [ex-Mickey] and he was wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. And he would say, "It's all fine, it's a family, you're gonna be great, here's how you do this."

Digest: Is there something at the show that you'd still like to accomplish? Have you ever been interested in directing, or is there some story that you'd like for Marlena?
Hall: I am so happy doing what I'm doing. I can't imagine anybody else's job I would want, any other character. I think Lauren [Koslow, Kate] gets to play wonderful stuff from time to time. But the producer has to be here every day. The director has to work on the scripts at home. The writers are always under deadline. The wardrobe people, it's an endless job. I can't imagine [Richard Bloore, costume designer] ever walking into a store without his hands pulling things off the racks for actors. The hairdressers and makeup people are great. But I think I have the best job in all of television and I don't work every day and I don't work all day and I get phenomenal people to play with. Drake [Hogestyn, John], Wayne [Northrop, Alex], Lauren and I are having such fun, we shouldn't be allowed to get paid for it.

Digest: Do you have a favorite storyline?

Hall: For me, I liked possession, I loved stalker and the Hattie story. I loved the Hattie character, loved what she [Andrea Hall-Gengler, Deidre's real-life twin] did with it, loved helping her with it, loved that she was Marlena's unsavory twin.Peter Reckell (Bo Brady, 1983-87; 1990-92; 1995-present)

Digest: Looking back is there a storyline that you liked so much that you would do it over?

Reckell: Yeah, there are probably lots of storylines that I would do over, especially the ones that took us out of the studio. That was always fun. It's sad that we don't have that kind of liberty anymore. It's always fun to go out and do stuff on remotes. But those very powerful, romantic storylines, too, like stealing Hope away on the motorcycle from her wedding. Actually, when I first came back to the show [in 1995], it was a pretty powerful romantic circumstance with Hope and figuring out that she's Hope, and Bo and Hope just connecting, and Bo was still connected to Billie because he thought Hope was dead. It was a complicated story with lots of feelings and really powerful stuff. And having two actresses like Kristian [Alfonso, Hope] and Lisa [Rinna, ex-Billie] to work with was fun.
Digest: I can imagine. As much as Bo and Hope are Bo and Hope, you still had success with other actresses, including Lisa and Crystal Chappell (ex-Carly; GL's Olivia). Did you take a different approach with each woman in terms of what you brought to Bo?

Reckell: I think the basics of what I do are just like a 5-year-old pretending to be Superman. Here I was pretending to be Bo under these circumstances and the feelings that the writer put down are the feelings that I had. Some people are easier to work with than others, or the chemistry of the relationship is different with different people, but if I'm playing that Bo is in love with a person, Bo is in love with that person. The writers are the ones who really dictate everything and I just go along with what they want me to do.

Digest: What's your favorite part of your job?

Reckell: That's one I haven't answered. I think it is that feeling when you've completely gone into the circumstance of the story and just disappeared in it. When the writing is good and is really supportive of the story and I don't have to work to make it happen, that feeling is really why I do what I do.

Digest: If you could pick a co-star to return to the show, who would it be?
Reckell: Bo's sisters [Patsy Pease, Kimberly, and Mary-Beth Evans, Kayla]. Bo had really, really good relationships with them and it would be cool to have that again. Bill Hayes (Doug Williams, 1970-84; 1985-87;1994, 1995, 1996, 1999-present) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams, 1968-84; 1990-93; 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999-present)

Digest: Is there a storyline that you would want to do again?

Susan: Well, Bo and Hope do a lot of detective work, and we had a run for a while as a happily married couple doing detective problem-solving. That was basically comedic, and I loved it. Billy loved it. Billy got to do dialects and costumes and ...

Bill: It was a funny time.

Susan: We had a head writer at that time who said, "Well, your skill is comedy. You two should be doing comedy." So, yes, I would like to see Doug and Julie do funny stuff as well as nostalgic stuff. But as we are used now, they kind of dip into the reservoir of good will and take a little sip of Doug and Julie. Up we come.

Digest: Bill, do you have a story that you want to play again?

Bill: I'll start right over, do the whole thing again, top to bottom.

Susan: That wouldn't be a bad thing. I'd hate to see you have to go to prison again, but whatever.

Subscribe to Soap Opera DigestSubscribe Give a Gift Renew Customer Service Subscribe

get sod everywhere