Daytime Royalty Deirdre Hall Interview (corrected) (Read 300 times)

[slyn11]

Daytime Royalty had the opportunity to speak with Deidre Hall (Marlena) about her return, “Days 2.0”… and Twitter!

There has been a lot of information coming out about the show’s “reset” on September 26th. We’ve heard about returns, exits, new sets, and a change in storytelling. Hall tells us that there have also been some changes in her character since we last saw her two and a half years ago. Hall explains that this “was time she spent protecting her husband and saving his life. So when we return in September, what you see is a couple who is so deeply bonded. John has survived his crisis for the most part. They are truly one now. There is no space between them. They are devoted. They are trusting. They are as deeply in love as they’ve ever been in the past, and they work as a team.”

Hall was excited about some other aspects of the show as well. It was recently announced that Sarah Joy Brown has joined the show as Madison James. Hall is quick to express her excitement at the addition of the soap veteran. “Sarah is a consummate entertainer. She is so watchable. My friend Jane Elliott is very similar. You never know what they’re going to do. They’re who you want to be when you grow up. They’re delicious, deep, rich characters.” Hall told us that she’s also excited that Brown will hopefully be bringing the fan following she already has along with her. “She hits every scene and makes it better than it was before she got there.”

Hall was also enthusiastic about the return of Christie Clark (Carrie), with whom she has worked since 1986. “She’s all grown up, which is interesting for all of us. [Behind the scenes] we’re no longer talking about what she’s going to wear to prom; we’re now talking about her children.” (Clark and her husband have two young daughters, to whom Hall is referring.) “She’s a grown up, and she hits the stage with that presence and depth. It’s great fun to work with her again.” Hall spoils that she has already had many scenes with Clark: “She is integral to our storyline.”

Of course, Carrie is not returning alone: Patrick Muldoon (Austin) will be with her. “[Muldoon] was a great favorite of the audience many years ago, and the two of them are highly watchable," Hall previews. “It isn’t just John and Marlena and Carrie, it’s Carrie and her husband. Carrie and Austin are in a tenuous situation, and John and Marlena are in a tenuous situation. They all have incredible odds to overcome, and they do it because they’re a family.”

In addition to her excitement over working with these old old friends, Hall tells us she is looking forward to working with new friends she’s met on the book tour for the show’s 45th anniversary. Over the last year, Deidre has taken her book “Deidre Hall’s Kitchen Close-Up” (available at Amazon.com) on tour with Greg Meng, Eddie Campbell and their book “Days of Our Lives 45 Years: A Celebration in Photos.” Several other past and present Days stars have also participated. We were particularly curious about Hall’s newfound friendship with Molly Burnett (Melanie). Hall tells us the two of them met briefly before Hall left the show in 2009, but they never worked together. “I thought ‘Oh, she’s delicious. She’s so funny and so fresh.’ I always say to her, ‘Honey, you’re the star of the show. Your energy is so compelling.’” Hall also credits Burnett with having taught her to use Twitter and Facebook.

Speaking of social media, Hall also tells us that she is enjoying her daily close interactions with fans. She tries to tweet about either her character or the goings-on in her own life once a day. She has been surprised with the response: “It’s brought an unexpected closeness to the fans. I did not expect that. I thought I was as close as I could be to fans.” Hall’s twitter handle is @deidrehall, and her Facebook page is The Deidre Hall Fan Page.

Hall’s first episode is not slated to air for nearly two more months, but Hall is not worried that the viewers will lose interest before then. “The show is actually making changes day by day, so the show is getting better day by day. We’ll break out of the chute on the 26th with all of the new changes. New writing and new producing and the new sets. That’s the day that it all comes into focus for us.”

Hall informs us that she was not aware of the “mini-plots” Days has begun to air during commercial breaks. On Monday, August 1, there was a short clip of John and Marlena’s 1991 pier reunion, and today there was a clip from Jack and Jennifer’s wedding. Hall said she actually found out about the flashback from Facebook. “That’s how I find out stuff. It’s… how I get my information sometimes.” While she didn't know anything about what aired Monday, she did tell us that she knew something was going to happen eventually. “Greg [Meng] had spoken briefly about putting us all back into the show once in a while.”

Hall is very enthusiastic about the new writers. “What Darrell and Marlene are doing is working as a brilliant team. They know these characters, and they are writing stories that are human relatable stories.” So what can we expect? “This is now the new Days 2.0 show. What you’re going to see are all the old wonderful moments that were traditional for Days and what made it so popular. We’re returning to those old days, but it’s updated. We’re stepping away from things that were farfetched and sometimes unbelievable, and we’re going back to the core family values of Days of Our Lives. We’re doing stories from the headlines. We’re doing stories about families who lose everything. We’re doing stories about people that have been together all this time and only survived because they’re together. We’re doing interfamily stories, and it’s so rich, and it’s so replenishing. It’s not just a show that people who have fallen away over the years should return to. People who have been hungry for a sense of family need to come and discover it.”

Finally, we asked Hall what her favorite thing about the character she has been playing for nearly thirty-five years. She was quick to respond, “Her strength. Her newfound strength. You’re going to love it.” We have no doubt we will.

[jaysdelina]

When we're being told what we're going to love,what we're going back to,that makes me nervous.I want to be able to turn on the TV and discover it for myself.But it sounds to me,and I could be wrong,that this is going to turn into the "John,Marlena,Carrie and Austin"show.I REALLY don't want to see that.

[DancingDays]

I, too, am growing tired of hearing how much I'm going to love the re-boot, so I think I'm going to stop reading interviews with Deirdre and/or Drake. She keeps saying the same thing and it's starting to feel like over-kill. I'm gonna like it! I get it! Oy.

[jaysdelina]

Exactly DD,lol.I admit,I do try to be optimistic,and I think I read the articles in the hopes that someone will say something different.Already though,they're cramming Drake and Dee down our throats.They aren't the only people returning,someone else returning should give an interview.I get that Drake and Dee were popular (frankly I'm not fond of either one),and probably still are popular,but so was Matt Ashford,so was Ivan G'Vera.Where are their interviews?Quit cramming Drake and Dee down our throats and interview someone else for god's sake!

[slyn11]

Loved what she said about Molly and Sarah Brown. Two of my favorite soap actresses.

[fluffysmom]

I think it's all about them because they can bring in more viewers than Carrie and Austin. I'd like to see an interview with Matt Ashford though.

[jaysdelina]

Exactly fluffy.We seem to have airdates and departure dates for pretty much everyone,but where's Matt's?We've heard about Christie,Patrick,Dee,Drake and Ivan's returns several times now,but really nothing about Matt.I don't like that.

[fluffysmom]

Mybe they want to try to keep it more of a surprise.