Black Magic
After Seventeen Years Of Playing Daytime's Most Complicated Character, DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Drake Hogestyn Is Still Charming The Masses:
It's hard to describe Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS) without gushing a little. Besides his obvious good looks, he's a genuinely nice man from Indiana who has remained remarkably ego-free in spite of the fact that he's one of the biggest names in daytime. Seated in his workout room at the studio, clad in sweat pants and an Abercrombie and Fitch sleeveless T-shirt, with his face scrubbed clean from the day's makeup, the laid-back star speaks romantically about his wife, passionately about his children, and respectfully about the role that he's played for the better part of the last two decades.
"Seventeen years...man, just like that (snaps fingers). It could've been seven days. Or seventeen hours. It's amazing," he marvels. He remembers his first day on-set as though it were yesterday - especially because he cut his script and got a visit from the Executive Producer. "I had a long paragraph that was really hard exposition, plus it was my first scene," he recalls. "When the camera came to me to say my lines, I shook my head and said, 'I'm out of here' and walked out. Al Rabin, our Executive Producer, walked up and was like, 'What was that? You just dropped all the dialogue.' I said, 'He doesn't know who he is, so obviously he'd be a man of very few words.' The truth was I had been in my dressing room literally writing out that scene longhand, and I just couldn't make that speech stick. So, I threw that b.s. out to Al, but it worked in my favor a little bit."
As did being paired with the popular Deidre Hall (Marlena). "We have something special," he acknowledges. "We play off each other really well and it comes across. It's kind of amazing. When the story is there, we can really make some good scenes." But he won't take credit for the success. "I've said it before. Anyone could've been cast in this role at that point," he demurs. "With the story that was being told, it was foolproof. The audience wanted Roman with Marlena."
But when he was revealed as John Black, Hogestyn's popularity never waned. The fans stood by him as he uncovered new identities and facts about his past. Again, the actor credits the writers with making John so beloved. "It was riveting story, which pulled the fans into the character," he says. "It's a thankless job being a Headwriter. I have often thought about it. How do you create escalating, interesting story for all the characters on the show? It takes a very brilliant mind to make all of that happen."
Hogestyn's dedication to the show, its producers and writers is evident during his contract negotiations, which, not surprisingly, are very low-key. "Want to know how my contracts work? First of all, I've signed four-year deals. The way it comes about is I'll run into Ken (Corday, Executive Producer) in the hall, and he'll say something like, 'Hey, Hogey. How many years do you have left on your contract?' and I'll say, 'I don't know.' He says, 'Wanna re-up?' and I say, 'Okay.'" And the actor doesn't ask for perks, like summers off or extensive outs. "Nope, nothing," he reveals. "My dad always said, 'Keep your nose clean, don't rock the boat, work hard and things work out.' I talk to my agent once a year, around Christmas, and she says to me, 'You haven't talked to me all year!' All is well."
One area of his life that has certainly worked out is his storybook romance with wife Victoria. The two met on a baseball field in Indiana when they were young. "I was fifteen and she was twelve going on thirteen," he relates. "We had big plans for our lives and big dreams. She was one of the motivating factors in my life, to try and provide something for her outside of Fort Wayne. I knew that even as a kid." The two split up in 1975 while Hogestyn pursued his baseball career. They spoke again in 1981, then a couple of years later and finally reunited and wed in 1986. Daughters Whitney and Alexandra arrived soon after, joining Ben and Rachael from Victoria's previous marriage.
Family time is at the top of the actor's priority list - he even schedules his workouts early in the morning so they don't conflict with it. "I'm desperately in love with my wife and children," he says. And he means it. What does he look most forward to? "Problems," he laughs, then rubs his hands together. "I kind of embrace problems. This is life. There are little pebbles in the road and we kick 'em out of the way and go over them. A lot of them are crises in the kids' lives that might seem inconsequential, but they are big deals. I like to be a part of all that. That's the best."
As far as his relationship with Victoria, Hogestyn says, "I'm very romantic - I'm a sap. There's nothing wrong with that." Though his daughters sometimes think differently. "I can't do any of that (romantic) stuff anymore. I mean, I can, but if they see me, they say, 'Oh, Dad, you have on that soap opera face again.' I'm like, 'Wait a second, kids. Maybe that has always been my face and that's why it's on the soap opera. Because I had it first!'"
And if it's up to the actor, he'll stick around that soap. "I never planned on being in this business," he reflects. "I've been pushed through different doors in my life. I've been blessed that I've had the right people in my corner at the right time. When we went through the network negotiations, I had time to pause and reflect a bit on how fortunate I am to be associated with an ensemble like this, with a show like this, that has had faith in me for a period of time, has provided a very nice way of life for me and for my family. I have a lot of loyalty and emotional attachment here. I'm just glad to be a part of it. I will remain here as long as they will have me."
Just The Facts...
Birthday:
September 29
Hometown:
Fort Wayne, Indiana
First Tape Date:
January 10, 1986
First Air Date:
January 23, 1986
John Vs Drake:
Drake Hogestyn: I'd like to be funny sometimes, but that's not John Black. He's a pretty serious guy. I have a chance to be funny when I'm with the fans (at appearances) one-on-one.
That's A Fact:
Drake Hogestyn: That's a Drake expression. They write it in. Sometimes there are certain things that feel comfortable when you say it and it doesn't change the plotline or character at all. It kind of identifies the character.
The Kids Are All Right:
Drake Hogestyn: Hogestyn's children are Rachael twenty-three; Ben twenty-one; Whitney seventeen; and Alexandra fourteen
Men's Health:
Drake Hogestyn: I enjoy feeling alive and exercise makes you feel alive. It's good to push your body and sweat and blow out all the junk in life. People ask what my hobby is and I always say, 'I don't have one.' But in reflection, I do. This is what I do. An hour-and-a-half a day.
Clothes Call:
Drake Hogestyn: The girls dress me. They demand that they dress me.
Friends, Indeed...
Drake Hogestyn is the only Drake on daytime, so when FRIENDS named Joey's character Drake Ramoray, we figured it couldn't be a coincidence. How did Hogestyn find out about it?
Drake Hogestyn: The kids brought it up to me. I don't watch a lot of television. A lot of times I'll be there with them, just so I can talk to them about it. It's another line of communication open. FRIENDS is obviously a fantastic show. I guess I work late on Thursdays sometimes and didn't get the whole gist of what was going on with the DAYS OF OUR LIVES connection. If that's the case, and they named him after me, I'm very honored.
Stephanie Sloane, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 6/17/03
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