♥ Ongoing Days 1997 ♥ Note on soap magazine publication dates and content of articles/interviews regarding multiple soap stars: Many of the monthly or every other month (and sometimes quarterly) magazines back in the 1980's would be on the newsstands a long time before the date on the actual magazine. We've noticed, for instance, that DAYTIME TV magazine did an interview with Drake in late 1986 about his upcoming wedding, which was scheduled for December 1986, yet the interview didn't appear until the July 1987 issue several months later. Therefore, it might be a bit confusing to read about his "upcoming" wedding in an interview dated July 1987 when you happen to know he was married in December 1986. We've tried to date the articles to match the date on the magazine, regardless of when the events talked about took place. Hopefully it will make sense as you go along! We've also edited some of the articles/interviews to just include John's storyline, since this is a Drake/John website. We've left out comments and sections about other actors or storylines unless they're involved with John's storyline. This too should be very apparent and clear when we've done that so it makes sense and you don't have to skim through a long article to find the "John parts." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ RoundUp SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Where do you keep your SOAP OPERA DIGEST Award? Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS): Drake Hogestyn: They are in Rubbermaid boxes, wrapped in old baseball shirts. There is a secret room/crawl space in my bedroom and that's my little attic. When I was in high school, I found awards and letter sweaters of my dad's in our attic. I thought that maybe someday my kids would go back in the crawl space and find my stuff. SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 3/11/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Laugh In Think this story has been all work and no play? Think again... "We've been cracking up doing the fantasies of John and Susan," smiles Drake Hogestyn (John). "They're crazy. The scene where Susan took out the teeth and John told her that he loves her, I was cracking up. I have never had to do so many takes in my life. We couldn't do it. I had the fifth-grade giggles." Davidson has also had a hard time keeping the laughs to a minimum. "I can't keep a straight face looking at him, because I have these teeth on and he's like, 'You are the most beautiful woman in the world,'" Davidson says. "I was laughing so hard, I was on the floor. I couldn't get through it the first time we did it." Stephanie Sloane, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 5/13/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ The News Pssst! PG-14 - Not! Remember the scene where DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Susan dressed as Kristen - was moments away from a passionate romp between the sheets with John? Well, Drake Hogestyn (John) ad-libbed a line during their encounter that never made it on the air. "John had just come back upstairs to their bedroom with a bottle of champagne - Baron Rothschild 1989," Hogestyn explains. "Susan was in bed and said, 'That didn't take long,' and he said, 'Not as long as our lovemaking; now if I could just get this bottle open.' Well, I opened that bottle up, the cork shot off and the champagne sprayed out everywhere. So I looked at the bottle and said, 'I know how you feel, Baron.'" Seconds later, Drake heard a loud cut from the booth. The risqué line was a no-go. "It was one of those spontaneous moments. I thought it was funny," he says in his defense. Obviously, the people in the booth didn't consider the remark PG-14-appropriate. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 5/13/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ The Gossip - East Coast, West Coast Juicy Tales From All Around The Towns Mr. Mom: Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS) will be taking care of his kids solo during an upcoming weekend when his wife, Victoria, accompanies daughter Rachael to Baltimore for an open house orientation at Johns Hopkins University. "Rachael's been accepted," Drake says, proudly noting that his eldest is graduating as valedictorian of her high school class in June. While they're away, Drake will tend to the rest of the kids: Ben, Whitney and Alexandra. Drake anticipates that everything will run smoothly, and already has a full agenda. "There's a Brownie event, ballet class, horseback riding, a swimming meet…" The kids won't starve; Drake says he cooks a lot. "I've got a friend, Chef Harry, who moved into Malibu about six months ago. He does THE TODAY SHOW and has given me his cookbooks." Meanwhile, the kids apparently like their old man's meals. "And that's what counts," Drake says, noting that he whips up everything from potato salad to soup to chili. However, Drake's favorite meal to prepare is breakfast, especially since he got his new double-burner griddle. Drake saw an ad for it in a magazine one day. "I thought: There it is. That's what I've been lacking in my life." Now Drake can have three things going on at once - omelettes, bacon and pancakes. "I make the best pancakes (that look like) Mickey Mouse. It's all in the way I pour them." Ladies, take note: Drake also cleans up when he's through. "I do dishes good. I'd make a good husband, wouldn't I?" Janet Di Lauro, SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 5/20/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ First With The Last Word News Flash Hogestyn Passes On Primetime For DAYS: Drake Hogestyn (John) recently passed up an opportunity to star in the upcoming Shelley Long sitcom PUT THE SEAT DOWN, opting to stick with his day job of more than twelve years. "DAYS is where I want to be," Hogestyn tells SOAPS IN DEPTH. "In my mind, there was never any doubt about that." The actor, who reportedly has signed a new long-term contract with DAYS, was courted by Columbia Pictures to appear in the series. Long, who is from Hogestyn's hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, personally picked the daytime heartthrob for the show, and he agreed to do a pilot only if it didn't interfere with his DAYS schedule. The actor was ready to strike a deal until Columbia Pictures informed him that he'd have to leave the soap, he says. "I didn't want to sacrifice any aspect of my job. I like the grind of daytime. I like working every day, and the storylines still stimulate me, even after twelve years." Although Hogestyn is offered outside projects on a regular basis, so far, he hasn't come across a role that could come close to equaling the satisfaction that he gets from playing John. "The character is still very fresh to me," he says. "I've been John Black, Roman Brady, Romulus, Father John." "He keeps shifting, yet at the same time he stays in one place. It's a challenging role that has never left me looking for greener pastures." NBC SOAPS IN DEPTH, 5/20/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Ins And Outs Who's In: DAYS OF OUR LIVES Drake Hogestyn (John Black) The actor has signed a new long-term contract with the show. "This is where I want to be," he says. For more on Hogestyn's decision to stick with the soap, see DAYS News, page six. (See "First With The Last Word News Flash" above.) NBC SOAPS IN DEPTH, 5/20/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Our Favorite Leading Men They're As Different As Night And Day... Our Favorite Leading Men: Their differences? Ex-baseball player Drake Hogestyn expected to last three months as DAYS OF OUR LIVES' amnesiac John. Eleven years later, he's signed through 2001. Eric Braeden joined THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS as Victor in 1980, after an extensive career that included a lead role in the television series RAT PATROL. Braeden will be featured in the upcoming blockbuster TITANIC, which he filmed simultaneously while doing THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. After a moderately successful stint as ALL MY CHILDREN'S Nico, Maurice Benard found smashing success playing Sonny on GENERAL HOSPITAL. But he will quit this summer to try his luck in other venues. Their similarities? All three are devoted family men who strive to make their work as believable as possible. All three have won SOAP OPERA DIGEST awards in the past two years. All three would rather do anything other than sit for a photo shoot. (Thanks for the cover, guys.) And all three have gigantic followings. A successful leading man is made of one thing, according to Drake Hogestyn: a successful leading lady. "I say that in all sincerity," he smiles. "I have been blessed to be paired with some of the strongest women in daytime, like Deidre Hall (Marlena), Eileen Davidson (Kristen/Susan/Mary), Genie Francis (Ex-Diana; Laura, GENERAL HOSPITAL), even the newcomers, like Staci Greason (Ex-Isabella). There's something special about each lady. They have this glow unto themselves that you can lock into, and it makes you perform differently with each one..." Strangely, both Hogestyn and Benard, who are now considered among daytime's elite, were not originally hired as long-term players. "I had no idea what soap operas were about (when) I signed on January 10, 1986," Hogestyn laughs. "My role was to bridge the time between February sweeps and May sweeps. At the time, it looked like a three-month deal." Yeah, three months and eleven years. Is Hogestyn surprised by his astounding success? "Maybe someday, I'd like to say, 'WOW, I had extraordinary popularity,' but that day hasn't happened," he admits. "I think it's a DAYS thing. Somehow, DAYS has tapped into an audience that...even if they say they won't watch again, they're not going to turn it off. If I walked off the show tomorrow, it wouldn't make a blip on the screen. I can name fabulous actors who have left our show and the show keeps going on. It's bigger than the sum of its parts..." Hogestyn is also a firm believer in good story, and credits the whole DAYS team for his success. "There have always been strong stories," he praises. "If you don't have the story, you don't have anything..." Unlike Hogestyn - who is happy focusing on DAYS every day - Eric Braeden recently split his time between Newman Enterprises and working on the most expensive film in history... Even Hogestyn - with the ink still wet on his new contract - admits that when a leading man has gotta go, he's gotta go. "I still get excited getting up and going to work," he shares. "But I told (my wife) Victoria that whenever that drive to work in the morning gets long, I will know that it's time." Carolyn Hinsey and Stephanie Sloane, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 6/10/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Help! My Character's A Moron! When A Character's IQ Dips Into The Double Digits, What's An Actor To Do? There are plenty of daytime characters who rely on keen insights and shrewd powers of observation whenever danger and deception are near. And, well, there are also plenty who, uh, don't... Blind trust has thrust DAYS' troubled John Black into some silly situations as well - like, say, accidentally marrying the woman who was posing as his scheming fiancée, Kristen. "John is noble and he loves Kristen," explains his portrayer, Drake Hogestyn. "Trust is all you have in a relationship, and he would never believe for a second that Kristen was untrustworthy unless it was proven to him." Unfortunately, Hogestyn, like Peck, has trouble convincing fans of that. "People are saying, 'Couldn't you see what was going on?' And I say, 'No, John doesn't see what you see.'" But the actor receives glowing praise from Eileen Davidson, who plays the sources of John's ire: Kristen and Susan. "Drake has been so great during this story because he has had to be stupid, yet maintain dignity," she notes. "It's hard." Adam Kelley, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 6/24/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ NBC Gossip DAYS OF OUR LIVES Triple Delight: Emmy presenter Eileen Davidson (Kristen/Susan/Mary Moira) wore a stunning, one-of-a-kind dress to this year's awards. "I had it made," explained Davidson. "I design a lot of the clothes I wear to the award shows; it's kind of a knockoff of something I wore a couple of years ago. I changed it around a little bit." Co-presenter Drake Hogestyn (John) joked, "She's really big on curtains." The midriff-baring, velvety creation was quite a change from the nun's habit that was recently added to Davidson's DAYS wardrobe for her newest character, Sister Mary Moira Banks. But Davidson isn't fazed by playing three roles at once. "The only thing I've found to be really challenging about it is the time consumed. It's frightening how easily I can play those other two roles; they come way too naturally." SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 6/24/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Soap People DAYS OF OUR LIVES Fan Club Weekend Dining With Drake: Dinner host Drake Hogestyn and his wife, Victoria, entered the ballroom to the theme from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and the popular actor immediately invited a series of women out on the dance floor. When one dance partner actually screamed, he joked: "How long has it been since you've screamed?" "A long time!" she exclaimed. Later, Hogestyn prodded a Canadian fan named Hazel into doing her best interpretation of Susan. When asked how he keeps a straight face when playing opposite Susan, Hogestyn replied, "It's not easy." He recalled that the first scene they did together required about eight takes because he and Eileen Davidson couldn't stop laughing. Hogestyn also admitted that he and Davidson had a near catastrophe at the Emmys. "We started to turn and her dress slid under her shoe and for a second, I thought we were going down." Jaime Lyn Bauer (Laura) attended the dinner with her mother. Frank Parker (Shawn) was a wild man out on the dance floor. He had several ladies eager to teach him how to do the Achy Breaky Heart, but was too busy to attend the Macarena session. Roark Critchlow (Mike) took lots of time with each individual fan, and a radiant-looking Lauren Koslow (Kate) posed and signed autographs for each admirer... SOAP OPERA NEWS, 6/24/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ NBC Gossip DAYS OF OUR LIVES Here To Stay: Drake Hogestyn (John) literally had no clue what he was getting into when he signed his DAYS contract. "I had no idea what soap operas were about," he admits. "I signed on January 10, 1986, and they were just starting February sweeps. My role was to bridge the time between February and May sweeps, so at the time, it looked like a three-month deal. I had absolutely no idea that they build couples and I remember when I told my mom that I had a new job, I said it was on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. She said, 'Oh good, you're going to be back here in New York.' And I said, 'No, it tapes right here at NBC.' She shook her head, 'It can't be ONE LIFE TO LIVE.' I said, 'Well, it has a "live" or a "life" in it, and I'll be working with Deidre Hall (Marlena).' And she said, 'Well, she's the big thing on DAYS.' My feeling back then was that I would take it a show at a time. Now, here I am - eleven years later." SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 7/15/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ The Inside Track: On The Road With Soap Opera Festival's Joyce Becker The sweet voice of Alexandra Hogestyn awakened me in my Toronto hotel room at 7:10 in the morning. "My mom and dad asked me to tell you that we arrived safely and are going to sleep until noon. Bye." Her dad, Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS), his wife, Victoria, and Alexandra and her two sisters had arrived in Toronto for our Paramount Canada's Wonderland Soap Opera Festival. At noon, on a beautiful Friday just a few weeks ago, I finally got to meet the Hogestyn girls in the lobby of the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel. This was the fourth year Drake joined me in Toronto, and it's a holiday that my husband Allen, Drake, Victoria and I have looked forward to for the past four years. "I'm sorry our son, Ben, couldn't be with us," Drake said, "but he's a star on his water-polo team, and sports for a teenage boy certainly have to come before bonding with family." Victoria told me everyone was in a fog because of the time change - but the fog didn't last long when Drake asked who wanted to go shopping. All three girls, seventeen-year-old Rachael (who goes off to college in September), eleven-year-old Whitney (who already has dibs on Rachael's room) and adorable seven-year-old Alexandra (who only wanted to know where the nearest toy store was) took off like a shot. The best surprise came, however, when poppa Drake announced he was taking the family to see the musical BEAUTY AND THE BEAST that night. The Hogestyns came back to the hotel about 4:00 PM loaded with bundles, and Drake took Whitney and Alexandra to the swimming pool, while Victoria and Rachael napped. That night, after Victoria made sure the kids ordered room service - complete with huge chocolate chip cookies, milk and Mylar balloons (as a gift from the hotel) - she and Drake joined my husband and I at Truffles, one of the top-rated restaurants in Canada. Most of the conversation revolved around the mixed emotions the entire family had about Rachael leaving for college. "Although we have the other three children under our roof," Drake said, "it just seems strange that our little girl is suddenly a young adult." Drake, Victoria and the other three kids are taking Rachael to Baltimore, where she'll enroll in the Class of 2000 at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University. "We are already planning for Parents Weekend at the end of October," Victoria laughed. During our elegant meal, I asked Drake and Victoria if they would give me an exclusive interview for SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE on how they feel about their first child leaving the nest. They both said they'd be happy to...in fact, Victoria said, "I'd buy a magazine with a story like that." So within the next few weeks, you'll be able to read this one-on-one interview. We had just ordered our fattening but delicious desserts when in marched Roark Critchlow (Mike, DAYS) and his wife, Maria. The Critchlows, who hail from Canada, decided to make their Toronto excursion a second honeymoon, and came two days early. "This is really the first time we will be away from our children, who are being watched by my folks, and it feels strange not hearing one of them say 'Mommy,'" Maria said. Although they were served a small meal on their flight, Roark and Maria helped us polish off our desserts. Saturday morning, after we ate breakfast together, I joined the Hogestyns on a shopping tour in and around Toronto - and all I can tell you is that Drake and Victoria are two of the neatest parents in the world! (Photos and story of that shopping spree will be appearing in SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE during the next few weeks.) Then I rushed back to the hotel to greet Victor Alfieri (Franco, DAYS) and Bryan Dattilo (Lucas, DAYS). Although Victor thought he was going to bring his mother to Toronto, she wasn't able to leave Rome in time. "Momma will not be able to come to the United States before September," Victor told me. "I promised that I would bring her to New York City after she sees Los Angeles. I think that I will then bring her to your home for a meal...okay?" I was thrilled to oblige. Since this was Victor's first trip to Canada, he was eager to see the sights - and he started with a quick walk to the Gap. Once again, my dear sweet Bryan Dattilo came for the weekend wearing sneakers, old snow socks, his knee brace, a pair of running shorts and an old T-shirt. "I never remember to pack clothes, and my mother always yells at me," Bryan said. Well, Bryan's mom, Peggy, will be happy to know that not only did I go shopping with her son, but Victor went with us to make sure Bryan bought "beautiful things," in the words of Victor. We must have spent two hours in the Gap while Bryan tried on several pairs of black jeans and drove us crazy trying to pick out a shirt to go with them. None of us could agree on a shirt! After two hours, we went with the first one we had chosen! After the shirt, it was the belt (another twenty minutes!), and then socks. I told Bryan that he has to get his act together and go out and buy a wardrobe. All of the shopping made Bryan and Victor hungry - and remember that they were joining my husband and me for dinner not even two hours later - so they had to eat. We stopped in at a 1950's diner called Flo's and, after much mind-changing, they finally ordered food. Victor in fact, tasted his first root beer. "I don't drink beer," he said initially. After we explained that this was a soda, he took a sip...and I don't think he likes root beer either." As we walked back to the hotel, Bryan and Victor did a lot of window shopping and autograph signing. Before Bryan went upstairs, he also had to stop and buy a toothbrush and toothpaste. "What was in the luggage you carried up to your room," I asked. "Air," Bryan laughed. We had asked Maria and Roark Critchlow to join us for dinner, but the pair wanted to dine alone. They did a little shopping, visited a museum and went to a small pasta restaurant near the hotel for a candlelit dinner. At a great nouvelle-cuisine restaurant on Bay Street, Bryan, Victor, my husband and I enjoyed a great meal. Afterward, Bryan and Victor walked along Yorkville Street (a very youthful and "with it" part of town) and my husband and I met Victoria and Drake for a cup of coffee. "It was worth bringing my family here to watch their faces as they watched BEAUTY AND THE BEAST come to life on the stage," Drake said. On Sunday, we all rendezvoused in the lobby and set off for Paramount Canada's Wonderland. Don't miss next week's column to find out what these four leading men from DAYS had to say to their legion of fans. SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 9/9/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Special Section Picture Perfect We asked some of soapdom's most esteemed stars to dust off their scrapbooks and reminisce about the times of their long-running characters' lives. Here, actors recall some of the behind-the-scenes memories that accompany the photos in their albums. Carrie, DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Most people wouldn't consider an early twenty-something actress to be a veteran, but Christie Clark has been on DAYS OF OUR LIVES since 1986 (she took two years off from 1990 - 1992). Here's a look at Carrie's scarred and marred past. 1. "I was twelve here, but I look even younger, about nine. I had only been on the show about six months and I remember Carrie had a crush on Frankie Brady (Billy Warlock, now GENERAL HOSPITAL'S A.J). Storyline-wise, Jonah and Carrie were hiding out in the forest and saw a mad scientist with Eugene and Calliope. I was kind of nervous in the beginning, but I was so passionate back then about learning my lines and knowing what I was doing. Stephen Nichols (Ex-Steve, now GENERAL HOSPITAL'S Stefan) was wonderful - he would always help me out. Peggy McCay (Caroline), too." Also pictured: Patsy Pease as Kimberly and Mary Beth Evans as Kayla. 2. "Look at my nails here! I haven't gotten fake nails for so long! That's me with Michael Bays, who played Julio. He now goes by the name Constantino. (That's his real name.) He was Carrie's first boyfriend; they worked in the movie theater together. Emilio was his brother and Jennifer liked him, so we hung around a lot." 3. "I had just been there a year or so when I did the scar story. Patrick (Muldoon, Ex-Austin) was around then. It was pretty weird because I'd go to the commissary or walk around with that scar on and I just felt so embarrassed. That was good to do because I felt what it would be like to really be scarred. Drake (Hogestyn, John) was awesome. I am so lucky I got to work with him growing up. If only all men could be like him. In the story, Roman wouldn't let Carrie and Austin date because he was in the gambling ring and fighting. Things have sure changed!" 4. "Austin Peck had started about a month before this wedding. It was hard because I was used to Patrick, and now, I was supposed to be in love with this guy. Patrick was always Austin to me, and that was my first time with a recast love interest. It was interesting how we tried to make it work. Austin and I went to Disneyland and tried to get to know each other. We jumped on a trampoline and learned our lines - all these different things. I guess it worked." SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 9/16/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Postcards From Toronto DAYS' Drake Hogestyn Shows His Family - And Fans The Time Of Their Lives In Canada For the past four years, Drake Hogestyn (John) has been coming to Toronto every summer to participate in my "Men of DAYS" Soap Opera Festival at Paramount Canada's Wonderland. He's always brought along his wife, Victoria, and made time to see the city by coming up several days before the Sunday show. Drake and Victoria have been eager to bring their children with them, and this year, realizing their eldest, Rachael, was leaving for college, they finally made the trip a family one. The Hogestyns wasted no time making this a true vacation, taking only a short nap at the Four Seasons Hotel upon arrival, before rushing to Canada's top department store, Holt-Renfrew, to buy Rachael bed linen, towels and knick-knacks for her dorm room. All of the women - Victoria included - bought several pairs of shoes and sweaters. What did Drake do while all of this was going on? "I approved color and held the bags!" he exclaimed. After Holt-Renfrew, it was time for a snack at a local coffee shop and then to the shoe store Cole-Hahn, where Drake, as he has done for the past four years, bought himself a few pairs of beautiful shoes. "This time we approved the color," daughter Whitney chimed in. The family zipped from store to store, picking out special gifts for brother Ben, who stayed home to participate in a sporting event. "When you're a teenager and sports are your thing, it's hard to give them up for a family outing," Drake explained. That evening, the girls were allowed to order room service for dinner and see a movie on the television. For Drake and Victoria, it was dinner at the four-star restaurant, Truffles. On day two of the Hogestyns' holiday, Drake was anxious to show the girls the Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower and the Skydome, where the Toronto Blue Jays play baseball. Then it was on to more stores for the girls' favorite pastime - shopping. Later, as the family walked along the streets of the upscale Yorkville section of Toronto, Drake, who's always gracious to his fans, stopped to sign some two dozen autographs. Theater was on the agenda for that evening. The family enjoyed a performance of the mega-hit Disney musical BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The next day was the Soap Opera Festival at Canada's Wonderland. The girls were in awe of the 15,000 people who screamed and applauded when their father and three of his co-stars, Roark Critchlow (Mike), Bryan Dattilo (Lucas) and Victor Alfieri (Franco) appeared onstage. "I told you it was wild," Victoria said to her daughters. Little Alexandra kept her fingers in her ears as the noise got louder. Between shows, as always, Drake visited with the members of his fan club, who traveled from as far away as Pennsylvania and Ohio to see him. After doing several interviews, the entire family took in the park, going on a few rides before the second show. Drake absolutely loved the roller coasters. As the Soap Opera Festival wound down, there were hugs all around as the Hogestyns' very special family holiday also came to an end. Joyce Becker, SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 9/30/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ NBC Backstage News And Gossip DAYS/SUNSET BEACH - Paint Platoon: It's a jungle out there as guys wage war with paint. From DAYS to SUNSET BEACH come reports of paintball battles. DAYS' Drake Hogestyn (John) has taken to the trend with his son, Ben, and Ben's friends. "We set up an area and have our boundaries and rules so no one gets hurt," explains the actor. "Running around sand dunes, over sand dunes, climbing in trees - it's fun guy stuff." Hogestyn likes to lead his troops near his home in an area thick with foliage and a rushing creek, perfect for playing jungle warfare... Anne Marie Allocca and Lorraine Zenka, SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 10/7/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reel Life/Real Life Although John and Marlena have spent years dodging hurdles in their quest for love, Drake Hogestyn doesn't have to deal with the traumas that John does. With happiness on the front burner in real life, Drake enjoys wedded bliss with his lifelong love. Drake and his wife, Victoria, will be celebrating their eleventh anniversary on New Year's Eve and according to the actor, things couldn't be better. "I'm the luckiest man in the world," he beams. "It's a roller-coaster ride of a relationship because we went through all of the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff and all of the high school years together. I've known Victoria since I was fifteen and she was twelve. I met her on a baseball field. Her friend, Lisa, was riding a bike and Victoria was on the handlebars. It was the seventh inning of the game and I saw her ride by. I just went 'boing.' Call it what you want - fate, love at first sight." Their wedding day was something Drake was ready for. "Our wedding was very simple," Drake recalls. "I told Victoria that I would marry her if it snowed. We went to Connecticut and it snowed. I had already prepared for it. We had the ceremony in Redding, Connecticut, which is a typical New England town. It has the four-way stop signs, an 1820's church and a little Victorian house where they filmed VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. We had a very simple ceremony with just the immediate family attending." There was just one snag. "My brother videotaped the wedding, but someone turned off the camera. Well, at the reception, someone turned the camera back on and taped over the whole ceremony and everything up to that point. We got a big laugh out of it, though. It was just apropos." Ever since, for Drake, home is where the heart is. "I go to work, I come home and it's the family. That encompasses all of my time and that's the way I want it. It's just so rewarding and so rich. I'm a very lucky man!" SOAP DISH, 11/4/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Gossip Jungle Gym: Talk about immersing yourself in a role. When Drake Hogestyn (John) learned that his character would soon be called upon to rumble in the jungle, he decided he needed to beef up a bit. "I wanted John to look as built as possible," he says. So for several weeks, he adopted a bodybuilder's training regimen. (Please Note: The words "carbs" and "bod" were changed to carbohydrate and body in this article to keep consistency throughout our website. We always refrain from using shortcuts or abbreviations, even though the magazine chose to do this for space constraints.) Aside from "eating a lot of carbohydrates and red meat," Hogestyn would arrive on the set a few hours before his call time - as early as 6:00 AM - to work out his stomach and arms. It was tough, but the results paid off. "I gained some muscle, which I think was really appropriate for the jungle scenes," he comments. "The scenes also involved a lot of physical activity, and the workout helped." This is not the first time that Hogestyn has changed his body to fit a storyline. In 1994, when John was locked in the dungeon at Maison Blanche, the actor dropped twenty-two pounds to make his scenes "as realistic as possible," he says. "If you've been locked in a dungeon, you can't look as though you haven't skipped a meal in weeks." NBC SOAPS IN DEPTH, 11/4/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ For Your Information Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Recent fad I admit to trying myself... Drake Hogestyn: Is snowboarding a fad? SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite actors... Drake Hogestyn: Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson, Sean Connery, Kevin Kline. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite actress... Drake Hogestyn: Meg Ryan. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite movie... Drake Hogestyn: HEAVEN CAN WAIT. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Greatest fear... Drake Hogestyn: That Victoria will leave me. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: How I want to spend New Year's Eve 1999... Drake Hogestyn: With the whole family together, it doesn't matter where we are, watching GENERATION X, a film I did. (OOPS! This is wrong. Typo alert! The name of the movie was actually just GENERATION, not GENERATION X.) SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite television show... Drake Hogestyn: It used to be CHEERS; now I just watch news and sports. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite musical group... Drake Hogestyn: The Beatles. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Something you'd be surprised to know about me... Drake Hogestyn: I'm so organized I have a meltdown if I can't find the right lid to a Tupperware container. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Currently reading... Drake Hogestyn: INCA GOLD, by Clive Cussler. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite book... Drake Hogestyn: THE BOURNE IDENTITY by Robert Ludlum. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite food... Drake Hogestyn: Steak and vodka penne pasta. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Least Favorite food... Drake Hogestyn: Anything with hair in it. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite comfort food... Drake Hogestyn: Ice cream. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite song... Drake Hogestyn: "Hello" by Lionel Richie, and "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Favorite item of clothing... Drake Hogestyn: Jeans. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Greatest achievement... Drake Hogestyn: Up until now, being a successful father. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: I can imitate... Drake Hogestyn: Roman Brady. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: If I couldn't be an actor, I'd be... Drake Hogestyn: An oral surgeon. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Cause I most believe in... Drake Hogestyn: Responsible parenting. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: If I had one wish... Drake Hogestyn: Every child would be raised by a responsible mother and father. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Most treasured possession... Drake Hogestyn: My children. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: First thing I do when I wake up in the morning... Drake Hogestyn: Kiss my wife. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Last thing I do before I go to bed... Drake Hogestyn: Kiss my wife. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Best quality... Drake Hogestyn: Striving to do the right thing. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Worst quality... Drake Hogestyn: Procrastination. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Biggest regret... Drake Hogestyn: I've lived such a life that I don't regret anything I've done. Even the bad choices have taught me something. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Something that makes me see red... Drake Hogestyn: Spouse or child abuse. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: If I could live anywhere, it'd be... Drake Hogestyn: I enjoy wherever I am, because my wife and children make it paradise. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Celebrity I'm often mistaken for... Drake Hogestyn: It used to be the late Ricky Nelson. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: What I dislike most about my appearance... Drake Hogestyn: My right calf. I was run over by a police car when I was fourteen. My right leg broke in half between the knee and the ankle, a complete laceration. The whole leg was severely damaged. As a result, my right calf extended. I'm sure the leg, knee and foot problems I've had on the right side of my body are a direct result of that accident. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Greatest love... Drake Hogestyn: Victoria. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Smartest thing I ever did... Drake Hogestyn: Getting back together with Victoria and marrying her. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: Qualities I like most in a mate... Drake Hogestyn: Trust and self esteem. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: My hero... Drake Hogestyn: My dad, Bill. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: My epitaph... Drake Hogestyn: That's all, folks. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 12/2/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ In The First Of A Remarkably Revealing Two-Part Interview DAYS' Drake Hogestyn Tells... How The Ace Of Diamonds Won - And Lost - His Queen Of Hearts DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Drake Hogestyn (John) has lived a life of full days - and nights. He played pro baseball in the New York Yankee organization before becoming an actor - in an unusual way. One day, Hogestyn decided to answer a Columbia Pictures newspaper ad requesting a one-hundred-fifty-word essay in which applicants told why they'd be a good actor. He was among just thirty chosen out of seventy-five-thousand to go to Los Angeles for an intensive acting workshop. Here, the DAYS superstar discusses his past, his present and his hopes for the future with SOAP OPERA NEWS reporter Jeffrey Epstein. SOAP OPERA NEWS: What's harder, baseball or acting? Drake Hogestyn: Baseball. You have to be really good - you have to be a cut above. To survive in the pros takes great physical ability. I didn't have the greatest physical tools, but I made up for it with desire and hustle. I'd see athletes who had tremendous talent but wouldn't use it - wouldn't put in the time on the field. If I'd been blessed with those tools, I might have been the first forty-four-year-old in the World Series! The mental aspect of baseball is what separates good players from great ones. SOAP OPERA NEWS: And acting? Drake Hogestyn: You can't just take anybody off the street and make them a ballplayer. But you could probably go out on the street with a great big net, scoop up twenty-five people - a lot of people will hate me for saying this - bring them in here and you'd find quite a few who could become actors. I've made analogies between acting and baseball many times. You learn to focus and concentrate, and you practice as you play. You block out the camera crews like you block out the crowd - and give one hundred percent. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Can you tell the story of how you met your wife, Victoria? Drake Hogestyn: I was fifteen. She was twelve. It was on a baseball field on the south end of town. I had never played there. I was playing center field against First Federal Bank with their blue and snow uniforms. Down the left field line, I saw two girls on a bike. Victoria was sitting on the handlebars, and I was thinking, "That's so dangerous." I wasn't ready, but Cupid shot his arrow. I looked at her and went, "Baseball? What inning? What's the score?" It was designed to happen, for whatever reason. They rode away and then they rode back. It was the last inning of the game. There were two outs. They rode right out into the outfield. The umpire yelled, "Stop the game!" I said, "What are you doing?" And she said, "Just wanted to see what you look like." Then they rode off into right field. The ball was hit into right center field. I caught it on the run and started chasing after her. I whistled to my buddy Steve, who was sixteen and had driven me to the game. The bike was riding down the street. I'm running in my spikes - click, click, click - and Steve is in the car behind me as we went in and out of neighborhoods. The girls pulled up in the front yard of this house, got off the bike and ran inside the house. I ran up and knocked on the door. Obviously, they had run in there and said, "Mom! Some guy chased us home from the park!" Their mom answered the door and said something like, "Don't you ever follow my daughter home again!" and slammed the door. Steve pulls up in the car and went, "Hogey, this is so cool! My uncle lives across the street!" (laughs) So we went next door and played pool in the basement, keeping an eye on the window. A couple of hours later, the girls left the house with the mom and got in the car. Steve and I followed them back to the ballpark, which was part of a big complex. There was a pool and a water ballet going on. Mom dropped them off and we walked up and sat down next to them. Victoria looked at me, and that was the beginning. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Sounds like love at first sight! Drake Hogestyn: I fell in love with her immediately, and there was the little boyfriend/girlfriend thing. I'd wake up at one o'clock in the morning and use my pole-vaulting pole to slide out my second-story window. I'd get on my bike and ride all the way across town, through a bad part of town, just to drop notes in her mailbox. We kept that going until baseball got in the way. It was always in the way, but I'd planned on becoming a dentist. She was going to be in a dental program and we hoped to have a practice together. We had it all planned. I turned down baseball teams like the St. Louis Cardinals. I was going to be a dentist. When I was fifteen, her mom would let me come over on a Saturday afternoon to watch the television game of the week. That was my time with Victoria. I could sit there. Instead of touching her, Victoria and her mom made me this thing they called a "squishy." It was nothing more than material with the alphabet on it, stuffed with a bunch of laundry bags. I'd go over there and they'd give me the squishy, which was displacement activity from putting my arm around Victoria. Whenever the Yankees would play in the game of the week, I'd tell her, "I'm gonna play for the Yankees one day." She'd go, "Yeah, right." Senior year of college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, a couple of different doors had opened up. I'd taken my dental board exams. The baseball draft was going on. I wasn't picked in the first two days, so I figured I wasn't going. I wanted to be drafted just from an ego standpoint. Then a reporter from the TAMPA TRIBUNE told me I'd been drafted by the Yankees. Last-round draft pick - but the Yankees! The reason I went to Ft. Lauderdale for junior college was because the Yankees trained there. I used to pester them. I'd say, "Need an extra player?" I wanted to see what it was like to play with pros. Choosing baseball was one of the major decisions I've made in my life - and it cost me Victoria. She wanted a station wagon and picket fences, but I had to try baseball. I didn't ever want to say, "What if?" It was the biggest heartbreak of my life. The second biggest was July 4 of that same year. I was with the Oneonta, New York Yankees. I was playing shortstop and went up to bat. Bases loaded. I was hitting the ball really well, and they knew it. So they changed pitchers. They brought in this big guy - he was six-foot-eight. I'd hit against him before and didn't like him. I step up to the plate and hear someone scream, "Hogey!" Time out. I stepped back and saw my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jack. Then I saw my mom and dad. Dad was supposed to be in Germany as far as I knew. They walked in right when I was up to the plate, facing a guy I hated with bases loaded. First pitch, I swear - and I hit enough balls to know - I caught it too low on the bat. I threw the bat away in disgust and trotted toward first. But then I realized the ball wasn't coming down! My hands are still ringing from the hit, and this ball goes 440 feet to dead center field and over the scoreboard for a grand-slam home run. Mom and Dad got to see it. First professional game they ever saw me play! Dad took a bunch of pictures, but didn't have any film in the camera! As I got on the team bus in the parking lot, Mom goes, "I got something from home you might want to see." So I stuffed it in my back pocket and said goodbye. Later, I thought, "Oh, what's that thing in my back pocket?" I pulled out this newspaper article. I see a picture of Victoria. She'd just gotten married. So here I was embarking on a professional career - a decision I'd made knowing full well it would take me away from the love of my life. My parents got to see me play a great game - and I hadn't had that many! Then to see news like that. You go from the penthouse to the outhouse in a heartbeat. SOAP OPERA NEWS: In any event, it (Victoria's first marriage) didn't work out! Now you're married and have four wonderful children, Rachael and Ben, from Victoria's previous marriage, and Whitney and Alexandra, your daughters together. What makes a successful marriage? Drake Hogestyn: In our case, we were friends. We watched each other grow up. My parents tried to keep me away from Victoria. They knew I was in love with her. They thought any second I'd say, "Forget school, forget everything! I'm going to work in the copper factory and we're going to get married." I have to believe there's a greater picture that I don't understand. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Who in your family watches the show regularly? Drake Hogestyn: Victoria probably watches it - and not just to see what I'm doing. She's caught up in the storylines just like everyone else. Rachael watches it now in college. She's become very aware of the show's popularity on college campuses. She's called home and said, "My friends yell at the television set." She and her friends in Malibu have always been like, "Oh, yeah, he's on a soap opera." Because they know me, they know it's work. For people who are removed from that, it becomes a huge fantasy and a huge amount of fun. Rachael is starting to tap into that; she talks to me in a different way about the show. I said, "If you want me to tell you what's going on..." SOAP OPERA NEWS: How's Rachael doing at school (Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland)? Drake Hogestyn: Quite well. The separation was difficult. But maybe the whole reason for Victoria and me to get together again could be because Rachael is going to change the world. She's so intelligent and so with it. She's the girl who stopped eating red meat at age four because she realized: "This is animals." Had Victoria remained in Indiana, Rachael may have never had this opportunity to expand. They're tremendous children and Victoria is the world's best mom. She's there all the time for them - and that's what it takes. They can always trust that she'll be there. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Was it hard to raise your children in Hollywood? Drake Hogestyn: I don't bring the show home. I'll do my work with them as they do their homework, so they see it's an ongoing process. If I was an architect or a doctor, I'd still be bringing something home. There's not a picture or an award in the house that deals with acting. Growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana was Norman Rockwell-esque. I had my paper route at 3:00 AM. I'd walk the neighborhood. You always felt safe. You can't do that anymore. I've got to talk to all my kids at a very young age about individuals who don't have boundaries. I feel like I'm taking away their innocence, but I have to prepare them for what's happening out there. Plus in Malibu, you have the decadence of people who have everything. Kids learn no values from that. They have to have dreams and learn how to work for something. (To be continued next week.) Jeffrey Epstein, SOAP OPERA NEWS, 12/2/97 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Drake Hogestyn: Days Of My Life (Part Two) Concluding his exclusive, two-part interview, the Salem superstar reveals (among other things) why his sitcom deal with Shelley Long fell short. DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Drake Hogestyn (John) has lived a life of full days - and nights. He played baseball in the New York Yankee organization before becoming an actor. He married his childhood sweetheart, Victoria, and they have four children. Here, this soap opera superstar concludes his exclusive in-depth interview with SOAP OPERA NEWS reporter Jeffrey Epstein. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Do you ever wish you had been able to continue playing baseball? Drake Hogestyn: I have no regrets. I only remember the good times. The great games. The grand slams. The game-winning hits. Oh, every once in a while, I'll remember waking up at 3:00 AM when the paper boy would throw the paper next door and hit the storm door. That would wake me up and remind me to get out of bed. I was stuck to the sheets because of the "strawberries" that never healed all season long, because I'd slide into bases head first. I'd fill the tub with water and go get my neighbor's newspaper. Then I'd have to ease myself into the tub because I was so stiff. I'd read the paper for forty-five minutes, then fold it back up, walk next door, put it back on their stoop and go back to bed. You forget about those moments. The aches and the pains. In the minor leagues, you play the same schedule as they do in the majors, one-hundred-sixty-two games, but you play it in a month-and-a-half less time. They try to weed you out. Mentally, you have to be very strong to play that game. And physically strong too. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Did you ever have to play through an injury? Drake Hogestyn: I played through a broken elbow. Ron Davis, who ended up in the big leagues, was pitching, bases loaded. Bam! He hit me right on the elbow. I went 'He broke my freaking arm!' The next game, I took another one in the elbow. My batting average dropped forty-three points in a month! I had to learn to hit a whole different way. You find other ways to win. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Six months ago, your deal to do a sitcom with Shelley Long fell through. How do you feel about that in retrospect? Drake Hogestyn: It would take something very powerful to pull me off DAYS. I don't want to leave the show. It's like baseball - you're in the batter's box every day. I first met Shelley in our hometown when we hosted our 200 years of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I had watched CHEERS, of course. She gave this heartfelt speech about being from Fort Wayne, and all of a sudden, she started talking like Diane Chambers. As she's going on, there's a slow murmur, then a chuckle, then laughter. She turns and looks at me. She goes, 'This always happens to me. Is he doing something back there?' Then I started doing a Chevy Chase thing behind her. It was one of those moments. I guess she saw the tape of it and thought I was funny. She came to me with a project in mind. So we met with all the people, and my stipulation was that I didn't want to leave DAYS. But when it came down to the signing, it didn't work out. Maybe trying something different with someone I would've liked to work with would've been fun. Instant gratification from an audience - just like baseball. But I came out a winner. I'm still here working, when a lot of those primetime shows come and go. SOAP OPERA NEWS: Do you deal in the past, look toward tomorrow, or do you live for today? Drake Hogestyn: All three. It's important to remember the past so you can duplicate the good things and stay away from the bad. I'm trying more to live for now. Growing up, I always set things up for the future. Then you realize your oldest daughter is off to college. Where are the years going? I read that ninety-seven percent of our worries never materialize. So we beat ourselves up over a lot of things that never come to fruition. On my day off, after I take the kids to school, I drive down the coast, look at the ocean and the mountains and say 'I'm the luckiest man in the world.' I go to the stable and watch my daughter Alexandra horseback ride - and see the smile on her face. I go to ballet with Whitney and watch her dance. And Ben with his water polo - when he hears me whistle and sees me. Those moments are what you live for. Like the Isabella storyline on DAYS - it goes by so fast. Jeffrey Epstein, SOAP OPERA NEWS, 12/9/97