In March, John Oliver made a plea on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to all of the American Soap Operas that he wanted to appear on one of their shows. Well, as soon as General Hospital and Days of Our Lives heard that, they called his people and made him a deal he could not refuse.
Yesterday, he made his debut in Port Charles, and it is better than anything any of us could imagine. And that was only the first of the three episodes he will be appearing in.
Actually, I need to take back what I said about it being better than anything we could have imagined. Nancy Lee Grahn, who just signed on to play Alexis Davis for three more years, had her own ideas for what he could do on the show that she has been on for almost 30 years. To hear what she had planned for him, then click here!
Deidre Hall is celebrating 50 years of playing Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives. That is quite a milestone, so Today had her on the show today to talk about it.
However, Craig Melvin wanted more from her than just talking. He wanted her to slap him, and she did. How was his acting? Let’s just say it is a good thing he has a day job, and she has been doing the same one for half a century.
Not that you can tell because she looks better now in her 70s than she did in the ’70s. I am assuming that possession is her secret!
Did you know that we almost didn’t see her get possessed? The actress originally turned the job down when they offered it to her because she thought that she was the Soap Opera’s last choice and everyone else had declined playing the role.
Thankfully, the producers told her she was the first choice, and she took the job. And 50 years later, she is still there.
And she is not going anywhere. As long as her key card works, she will enter Salem!
General Hospital has a new man coming to Port Charles, and his name is Jonathan Bennett. The actor, who got his start on All My Children in 2001, will play Joe Fitzpatrick. And that is all we know for now about his character, according to Soap Opera Digest.
Bennett is best known for playing Aaron Samuels in 2004’s Mean Girls. However, in recent years, he has become a Hallmark hottie.
Before Ryan Gosling was in love with Eva Mendes, there was another woman who possessed him—her name is Marlena Evans.
That was his little secret, which he kept until about three weeks ago. What happened then? That is when he was a guest on Joshua Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. During that episode, he revealed that he watched Days of Our Lives as a kid, and Deidre Hall was his first acting teacher. Not only that, he praised the actress for her acting and how committed she and other Soap Opera actors are to their difficult craft.
When word got back to her, she thanked I’m Just Ken for his kind words and invited him to the set of the Peacock Daytime Drama. And when he heard that, he told her to name the date, and the time, and he will be there.
But he didn’t stop there. Today, Hall revealed that he sent her a present, “Ryan, just when I thought I couldn’t feel more adored… your ‘wall’ of flowers arrived. Unnecessary, but greatly appreciated.”
Mendes better watch out because she might lose her man to another woman, and she can’t compete with his first love! And she is lucky to find a man as humble and giving as the father of their two children.
Now, let’s talk about his first love. How can she be 78 years old and still look like that? She is just as beautiful and vibrant as the bouquet of flowers he sent to her.
The other day on Joshua Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ryan Gosling professed his respect and admiration for Soap Opera actors and all of the hard work they put into their craft.
The actor highlighted the legendary Deidre Hall and how watching her possession storyline was an excellent acting class for him.
Word got back to her, and she invited him to come to the Days of Our Lives’ set anytime he wanted. And she promised that Marlena Evans would protect him from any possession.
Well, he heard about her offer, and he has a message for her. “Deidre Hall! Are you kidding me? Yes! This is a very enthusiastic yes to a very cordial invitation to visit you on set. I will be there to thank you in person for being my OG acting inspiration. It wasn’t Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront. It wasn’t De Niro in Taxi Driver. It was you. And I want to thank you for your offer, anytime, anywhere. You tell me, I’ll be there.” Then he added, “I am not worried about the possession. I’ll say a Hail Mary before I get there. I’ll be fine. And see you on set.”
As someone who grew up watching DOOL, I fucking love this, and I love him for bringing attention back to the hard work that Daytime Drama actors do every day on the set.
Seriously, watching this whole thing unfold is like watching a Soap Opera in real life. I hope this is not the conclusion of this storyline because I need to know what happens next. Will I’m Just Ken and Dr. Evans have a The Notebook moment? I think Eva Mendes will give him a Hall Pass if the opportunity arises.
I feel like the sand in the hourglass waiting for the next day of my life with these two!
Even though Days films about a year in advance, I hope they find a way to write a cameo in for him. It did wonders for Dick Van Dyke, who won a Daytime Emmy for his appearance on the Peacock serial.
Finally, run out and see Gosling’s movie Project Hail Mary in honor of him being such a good guy. And to Ms. Hall, it is playing at Universal and the AMCs in Burbank, so after he comes to set, y’all could go see his film together. Can you tell that I live close to where they shoot my favorite Soap?
