♥ Their Secret Plan To
Destroy John
A Can't Miss Preview...
Cover Story: The Secret Alamain Plan To Destroy John
Many years ago, when Lawrence and his brother Forrest were small children, a terrible tragedy befell the Alamain family...Forrest drowned in the swimming pool while Lawrence looked on, paralyzed by fear and helplessness. But recently in Salem, John, Isabella, Lawrence and Vivian were rocked by the staggering news that Forrest survived the drowning accident and is really John Black!
The hatred that John and Lawrence felt for each other only increased in intensity. This summer, Lawrence and Vivian plot the downfall of John Black before he can lay claim to his half of the vast Alamain empire, which Vivian has been enjoying for so many years. The first part of their plan engages John in EcoSystems, Incorporated, an environmental company owned by the Alamains. John begins to run the company, all the while being coached by Victor Kiriakis, who is trying to make amends with his family, as well as getting revenge on one of his greatest foes - Lawrence Alamain.
SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 6/30/92
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♥ Holding Out For A Hero
More on this exciting story from Executive Producer Ken Corday...
Just because John is a member of the Alamain family, don't expect him to be as evil as the rest of the family.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Executive Producer Ken Corday explains: "John will not be tempted to become involved in a life of crime. We can't change the man's soul, otherwise the viewers will get very upset. First of all, a lot of viewers have had a very hard time with the change in his identity. But although John has found out that he is Forrest Alamain, the same man is inside - a good man. If anything, this story gives him more of a leg-up in the heroic vein, as John takes an empire that has been used for wrong gains and does decent things for the community with it."
There's more brinkmanship ahead as John is allied with Isabella and Victor, and Lawrence is allied with Lisanne and Vivian. "John's not going to be hoodwinked into anything here," Ken points out. "He does have a brilliant mentor in Victor, who is familiar with the evil side of things. The strain of owning half of this empire will be seen with his relationship with Isabella. She's not too sure if this is the right thing. She's afraid that John might be drifting away from her. She of course becomes more and more obsessed with her newborn, Brady, and that might be the seed of conflict that will go on through the summer.
"Victor's situation will be changing and this story will not be sidetracked by big business machinations, and scenes of boardrooms will not be at the top of the list. Instead, you will be seeing what happens behind-the-scenes, like how this shatters Vivian's world because now she's left with nothing, and this gives Lawrence the upper-hand in a somewhat incestuous relationship...which should be interesting."
Corday adds that, "What John does with the money for the good of Salem is surprising. After Shawn is involved in a series of accidents and is shot in a robbery at the Fish Market, John immediately steps forward and offers to rebuild the Fish Market and build one of Shawn's lifelong dreams."
As this story unfolds, look for John and Lawrence to be at total opposite ends of the spectrum - John being good and Lawrence being evil. "The story connects with Carly and Bo as the summer progresses," Ken reveals. "There is a strong connection between the stories, and as everyone knows, Carly's child could be out there."
SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 6/30/92
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♥ Exposed
John And Hope's
Guilty Secret
"We Were Lovers!"
Cover Story - DAYS Outrage! Salem Long-Time Favorites John And Hope Discover Their Secret Lives As...Secret Lovers!
(Please Note: Our Australian friends have always been several years behind the United States and Canada in terms of storyline on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. We always make a conscious effort to arrange all of the articles on BASEBALL MEMORIES AND MALIBU DREAMS according to the issue date on the magazine, but because the Australian soap opera magazines like SOAP WORLD and TV SOAP are so far behind us on what they're seeing, we're going to list these articles by storyline instead of by publication date. Even though these articles might seem like they're not organized right because of the date "appearing" to be out of order, they are in order but it is according to the storyline going on in the United States and Canada, not in Australia.)
John and Hope were once lovers - loyal, devoted and totally inseparable! This is the shocking discovery made by Hope when she digs further into her puzzling past on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Trying to take her mind off problems with true love Bo, Hope instead discovers she was once deeply in love with John!
In a storyline sure to outrage fans, Hope (Kristian Alfonso) learns for the first time that Bo (Peter Reckell) may not have been the only man to claim a special place in her heart - and bed. Meanwhile, John (Drake Hogestyn) is rocked to think that for years there was another woman in his life besides Marlena (Deidre Hall).
It's not the first time there have been hints of romance between John and Hope. John once deliriously demanded Hope make love to him in the jungle, while Hope was obsessed with keeping him safe as they searched for a cure for Roman (Josh Taylor).
So, will we see John and Hope get together? And, if so, how will this affect Bo and Marlena? It would surely be one of the show's most controversial love stories!
Recently in the United States, fans were ready to storm NBC studios where DAYS is shot when Hope seduced John and made love to him in shameless scenes. The two characters are embroiled in a bitter custody battle over the baby whom John sired during their wild weekend abroad. (OOPS! This is wrong. John did not fight Hope for custody of Johnny. In fact, John stepped back from being a father to the baby and instead took a place behind Bo as Johnny's Godfather.)
Although these intense love scenes are two years away from local screens, we'll soon witness the pair's chemistry as they work to fill the gaps in their shrouded histories. In coming months, John and Hope leave their partners in Salem as they head to distant Switzerland to hunt for the truth. Hope depends increasingly on John who uses his detective skills to spot clues she missed.
He tracks down an old lady who knew "Princess Gina" intimately during her time in Europe. Hope is elated and grateful to John for finding this link to her past. But her gratitude turns to horror when the old lady reveals that "Gina" was the "envy of all women but faithful to one man."
When "Gina" asks who the love of her life was, she secretly believes she's about to hear Bo's name, reaffirming their deep love. But poor Hope is shaken to the core when the woman says: "He's right beside you, dear..."
John immediately refutes the idea, claiming he was in Salem for the entire time Hope was missing. He suggests it's a case of mistaken identity. But he's in turmoil, remembering the photos of him at a great party he and "Gina" allegedly attended together.
Viewers get a further hint that the old woman may be right through a flashback. It shows John saving Hope from Stefano's (Joe Mascolo) clutches a few kilometers from Maison Blanche, four years after she was presumed dead.
Maybe, in hindsight, it's a little too convenient to have been a spontaneous rescue? Perhaps John was with Hope the whole time, right up until Stefano tired of using them and turned them out?
Hope has long wondered what happened during her four-year disappearance from Salem. She'd been declared dead after Bo saw her fall into a vat of acid, but she later reappeared with no memory of where she'd been or her life as Hope.
For many months, Hope insisted she was a Russian princess named Gina, until her family and friends convinced her otherwise. But her real identity is again questioned in Switzerland as former acquaintances insist she's "Gina."
Certainly, John can empathize with Hope - his own history is eerily similar. When John first arrived in Salem, he was covered in bandages and unable to speak. Months later when his injuries healed, he couldn't recall his name or his past.
Although many now accept that John is really Forrest Alamain, nutty Vivian's (Louise Sorel) nephew, he's never been able to recall a single memory. Indeed, he's probably the only person in Salem who can truly relate to Hope's anguish. (OOPS! This is wrong. John has recalled some memories of his life as Forrest. He remembered thrashing in water while under hypnosis; this lead to him remembering that he 'drowned' in a swimming pool as a child. He was revived, but his death was faked and he was taken from his family. He also remembered dancing with a masked woman at a masquerade ball, who later turned out to be Danielle Stevens. He also remembered being given a baseball signed by Mickey Mantle. It came out that the ball was a gift to Forrest from Buddy Rose, a janitor that Forrest befriended in a New York City boarding school.)
So what will this new bombshell mean for John and Hope's legendary romances with respective partners Bo and Marlena?
For now, neither intends to take it too seriously. They can't remember the affair and don't have any solid evidence to back the claim. But one thing is certain - neither can look at each other again in quite the same way.
Vanessa Mace, Australia's TV SOAP, 1/02
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♥ DAYS Shocker!
The Kiss That Will
Change DAYS Forever!
Will John Or Marlena
Betray Their Love?
Four Weeks Of DAYS OF OUR LIVES Previews - The End Of John And Marlena?
Everyone's favorite couples have been torn apart on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, and things go from bad to worse this month when Marlena is drawn to an old love while John seems to be considering a future with someone new!
The Puppetmaster:
"The person pulling the marionette strings is on a power trip," explains Executive Producer Ken Corday, continuing with what seems like something of an understatement. "They are a control freak and an evil person."
This becomes more obvious than ever at the beginning of August, when the residents of Salem spend a special night at the Penthouse Grill, and the folks of New Salem are "allowed" to watch! While the island natives will no doubt be thrilled to catch a glimpse of the loved ones they unwillingly left behind, how will they feel about seeing proof positive that life does, indeed, go on?
Corday knows that fans are having a hard time dealing with that fact. "It's tough for the audience to accept John and Kate as a couple," he acknowledges. "But the reality is that one is a widower and one is a widow. That's part of the attraction. They're grieving at the same time."
Moving On:
Seeing John and Kate's closeness at dinner leaves Roman and Marlena with only each other to lean on. "Roman and Marlena are turning to each other for comfort," previews Corday, adding, "It will probably go further than comforting. This isn't them thinking, 'Well, they're never coming here, and we're never getting off this island, so let's be together.' It's a much deeper and more emotional story."
In a sense, being trapped on the island with Marlena is like a dream come true for Roman. "He's said to Marlena, 'I love Kate with all my heart, but you do know that you're the love of my life,'" says his portrayer, Josh Taylor. "He loves Kate tremendously. He just happens to be on the island with this woman who is the love of his life. It doesn't mean we can't have more than one love of our life. Roman would do anything for Marlena - even die for her."
And although Marlena's heart will always belong to John, "She knows that there is no love like the one they have," says portrayer Deidre Hall - the pull of the past draws her closer to Roman, and the two former lovers wind up sharing a kiss!
Mixed Doubles:
As Lauren Koslow (Kate) points out, the situation between her alter ego and John is different because they are completely unaware that their spouses are alive and well. "In this situation, Kate and John are the innocent ones." But she understands that there's something more than grief bonding the pair. "You would think (John is) someone Kate would have been interested in anyway," says the actress. "But he was always attached to Marlena!"
Viewers will be kept on the edge of their seats when DAYS is bumped off the air for two weeks to make room for NBC's coverage of the summer Olympics, but they won't want to miss a moment of the action when the soap returns on Monday, August 30. Because at the end of the month, dire circumstances bring Marlena and Roman closer than ever while, back in Salem, Kate convinces John that it's time to get on with their lives. And as Celeste begins to sense that a loved one is very much alive, John and Marlena share passionate kisses with other people! "John brings out Kate's better side," says Koslow, pondering an interesting question. "Would John bring her to the good side or would Kate bring him to a darker side?"
With the situation getting messier by the day, it's clear that the ramifications will be felt for some time to come. Confirms Corday, "It's going to take some patience on the viewers' part for the better part of a year to see how everything is resolved."
In the meantime, expect the months ahead to be filled with forbidden passions and emotional repercussions. As Koslow succinctly puts it, "You can't predict where this is going to go!"
SOAP OPERA PREVIEWS, 9/6/04
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♥ DAYS OF OUR LIVES -
Star's Shocking Return!
Cover Story: How - And Why - DAYS Brought Back The Popular Wayne Northrop For A Brand-New John And Marlena Tale - True North:
"It's a summer story for grownups - YAY! I haven't had one of those for a while," laughs Deidre Hall (Marlena) of the plot that brings back Wayne Northrop on August 1 as Doctor Alex North.
But first things first: Why Northrop and how did DAYS get him back? "We wanted to put Deidre front and center," explains Executive Producer Ken Corday. "She is one of the big stars on our show and has not had her own story for quite a while. This is a real specific internal story for her; it's something to really get her arms around. So, that was the original thought: Let's give Deidre her own story. Enter mysterious Doctor North, a highly credited psychiatrist stopping through town. We were thinking we could stunt cast this, get a 'star.' Then I thought, 'Why not Wayne Northrop?' so I called Wayne and said, 'Hi, you want to come back to the show?' He said, 'As what?' I said, 'Not as Roman. There's an interesting story where a mystery man comes to town and is involved in a very serious story with Marlena.' He said, 'Let me think about it.' He called me the next day and said, 'I'm up for it.'"
Corday admits he had concern about bringing back a fan favorite as a new character. "Of course," he says. "The same kind of hesitation we had bringing Josh (Taylor) back as Roman instead of Chris Kositchek. It's been a long time since Wayne's been on the show. We have a viewer base over half of which don't recognize him as the previous Roman. The other half will, and will be like, 'What's going on here?'"
For Northrop, who has been living outside of Los Angeles on a ranch with wife Lynn Herring (Ex-Lucy, GENERAL HOSPITAL/PORT CHARLES; Ex-Lisanne, DAYS) and their two sons, Hank, fourteen, and Grady, twelve, the call came as a surprise, but "I was more surprised by the circumstances I'm coming back under than anything else," he says. "I know it's happened on the show before, but I just know it's kind of weird. I'm just starting to get scripts and I automatically start going to Roman. I said, 'Oh, no, no, that's not it.'"
The actor, who portrayed Roman from 1981 - 1984 and then again from 1991 - 1994, is looking forward to being in Salem again. "When I left last time, there were no hard feelings," he says. "That's the way of daytime, nighttime. Things come to an end and you move on. But I'm excited about going back." As for the story, which will kick off next week, Northrop says, "I think it's a good idea, it's fun. It's gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out with the fans, those who are still around who are old enough to remember me!"
Northrop admits that he wouldn't have minded playing Salem's top cop again: "Even though it's been a while, when you create a character like that and it takes off, it's very gratifying and he's got a special place in my heart still. But as an actor, you do different things, and it's exciting to come back and create a different character."
Corday is quick to put the obvious question to rest: Will Northrop really turn out to be Roman, and Josh Taylor's Roman an impostor? "Is this a double-double switch where this really is Roman and Roman isn't? No," the Executive Producer insists. "I told him there's no twist on a twist here. I don't care who lobbies and how hard. 'Oh, we love Wayne, let's make him Roman again.' It ain't gonna happen. That's just not in the cards and that's in stone with Jim (Reilly, Headwriter/Consulting Producer)."
Hall was enthusiastic, to say the least, to learn that her former co-star would be returning. "He's my best friend; I was thrilled," she exclaims. "Ken told me that they had a new character coming in and what did I think of Wayne playing it? I think Wayne playing anything is fabulous. And he hasn't changed one shred, the rat! He's still as goofy and crazy as he always was." Adds Drake Hogestyn (John), "I love Wayne Northrop! The three of us always had fun working together in the past. We got downright crazy sometimes. I'm really looking forward to revisiting that chemistry again."
Hall has thumbs up for the story, too. "I'm mad for it," she raves. "I've gotten the first four or five scripts and it's better than I thought, so exciting. It's Jim cued-up, everything in line and it is so fabulous. What I get to play is the best. If the audience will stay with it and say, 'Yes, I will take that ride with you,' it will be a fabulous, fabulous six months." So, what can she say about the mystery plot? "It's a John/Marlena love story," Hall says. "The fans waited a long time for it. The killings, the island time, the pregnancy, it's all been a setup for the reunion and it's coming full bore."
Northrop signed a year-long contract, but if things work out, it could go longer. "We'll see at the end of six months," he says. "We'll both sit down and say what we're thinking and if it's still working and go from there. One's never sure. You can't go home again, isn't that what they say? But in certain ways, you'd like to recapture that magic you had the first go around and stuff. We'll see. It's gonna be an exciting adventure."
Roman Times:
Deidre Hall is excited about having all three "Romans" around. It's great working with Drake (Hogestyn), it was always great working with Wayne (Northrop), and Josh (Taylor) and I love working together," she smiles. "I took my boys up to Wayne and Lynn's for Memorial Day this year and when I told Drake I was going up to see Wayne, he said, 'Oh, man, I miss him! Please say hey for me!' He was lonely for him; we're all lonely for him. Viewers will be coming back for it; Wayne has a huge fan base." Here's a look back at Northrop's previous SOAP OPERA DIGEST covers:
Stephanie Sloane, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 7/19/05
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♥ Meet DAYS OF OUR LIVES'
Sexy New Mystery Man...
Will This "Pawn"
Capture A Queen's Heart?
DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Will This "Pawn" Capture A Queen's Heart?
Who is John Black? At press time, that's the question plaguing the minds of DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans everywhere. Is he Roman Brady (minus the curly hair and renowned plaid shirts)? Is he Stefano DiMera (younger, thinner, and without the Italian accent)? Or is he just some poor, brainwashed soul? "I really don't know," insists actor Drake Hogestyn, who plays the mysterious Pawn. "But they tell me I'm going to be finding out soon." (Hopefully, by the time you read this!)
DAYTIME TV: What sort of reaction have you been getting from DAYS fans?
Drake Hogestyn: Fans are behind me one hundred percent. They're convinced I'm Roman. They're always sending me tips on how to be more like Wayne Northrop - different mannerisms and things I should do - like raising my eyebrows a certain way, hitting the table top when I talk, and of course, they want me to wear plaid shirts.
Deidre Hall (Marlena) told me the other day, 'If you turn out to be Roman, we're burning all those plaid shirts!' I guess she's gotten tired of looking at them. But actually I'm into that casual look. For a while they were dressing me in blazers and dress pants. I felt like a Ken doll. Now they're getting me into turtlenecks and flannel shirts. That's more me. The other day Deidre said to me, 'I've finally got you figured out. You live on the beach, drive around without a shirt, and work in sweat clothes.' She's got me pegged pretty well (he laughs).
DAYTIME TV: How do you get along with Deidre?
Drake Hogestyn: Working with someone like her has really lightened the load for me. We're constantly bouncing ideas off each other. Deidre's given me pointers on different techniques and things.
DAYTIME TV: Did you always want to act?
Drake Hogestyn: No. Originally I wanted to be a baseball player. I was on a Yankee farm team. Then I had a collision with another player while catching a fly ball and tore some cartilage in my knee.
DAYTIME TV: How did you wind up acting?
Drake Hogestyn: One day while I was in the Yankee organization, a bunch of us guys were sitting around in the locker room reading the paper. We came across an article mentioning that Columbia Pictures was staging a talent search. All you had to do was write a one-hundred-fifty-word essay on why you wanted to come to Hollywood and be a big star. So we all decided we'd give it a shot. I got called for an interview out of fifty-thousand applicants, and wound up being one of thirty chosen for the program. I was shocked, but the Yankees weren't. My coach told me I always acted more like a ballplayer than played like one.
DAYTIME TV: What about your private life? Are you single?
Drake Hogestyn: Yes, but there is a special lady in my life. Her name is Victoria. She's a real hometown girl from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She'll be joining me in California soon.
DAYTIME TV: How did you meet?
Drake Hogestyn: It's a pretty funny story. I was fifteen and she was twelve. I was playing baseball with my friends - just standing in centerfield, when Victoria and her girlfriend rode out on a bicycle built for two and started circling me. They told me they just wanted to see what I looked like. Then they rode away. Just then, a fly ball came my way. I caught it on the run and then ran after Victoria. And I've been chasing her ever since.
DAYTIME TV: So, you've been together for a long time?
Drake Hogestyn: Yeah, a long time. We've been together, broken up, gotten back together again. The whole baseball scene and college came between us at one point. But we always get back together again. My feelings for Victoria are strong. Sometimes they scare the hell out of me.
Picture Captions:
Drake Hogestyn has no trouble warming up for those tender scenes with his leading lady, Deidre Hall.
"I screen tested with five other guys for this role. They were all older than me," says Drake. "I didn't think I had a chance."
If Drake wants to please his soap queen, Deidre Hall, he'll just have to light a match to his plaid shirts.
Drake (that's him standing on the extreme right) got his primetime start on SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Richard Dean Anderson (who's next to Drake in this photo) co-starred. The series didn't last, but Drake hung in there. He was up for a guest spot on CRAZY LIKE A FOX when DAYS called.
Janet Di Lauro, DAYTIME TV, 8/86
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♥ Drake Hogestyn:
A Man Of Contradictions...
Romantic, Funny And Very Private
Drake Hogestyn, the jocular jock-turned-actor, looks like a Saturday morning commando in a jumpsuit version of khaki-colored Army fatigues ("It's my leisure suit," he quips) as he greets the show's publicist and a visitor in the lobby of the two-story studio where DAYS OF OUR LIVES is taped daily on the Sunset-Gower lot in Hollywood. (The show is working Saturdays to put enough episodes in the can so the cast and crew can enjoy a year's end hiatus.)
Through the circuitous halls of the studio, the playful blue-eyed six-footer leads his guests to a dressing room on the first floor, talking football scores, plays, etcetera to anyone he meets along the way. (OOPS! This is wrong. According to the biography given out in the fan club kits, Drake is six-foot-one.)
Settling on a sofa in his dressing room, Hogestyn begins a free-flowing conversation, reminiscing about his first audition for DAYS OF OUR LIVES back in November 1985 and moving on from there. The former minor-leaguer (he played for the Yankees) loves to talk. It must be his favorite sport - well, after baseball and football and amore (not necessarily in that order). He is a raconteur, albeit an earthy one, with a phenomenal memory for dates and the minutest of details to flesh out an anecdote.
It's been two years since Hogestyn first showed up in Salem as the mysterious John Black, later revealed to be Roman Brady with a new face. Indeed, the show had pulled off a major coup in getting the DAYS fans (notorious for their steadfast devotion to certain characters) to accept another actor in a role created by the incredibly popular Wayne Northrop.
How has the character of Roman changed in the past two years? "About one-hundred-eighty degrees," Hogestyn answers in that rapid-fire delivery (almost like a 'play by play'). "Yeah, they've opened him up and let more of my personality come out. Not all of it." A grin. "They don't let him be as crazy as I really am."
Hogestyn's personal publicist arrives. She delivers an AM Cleveland baseball cap to the actor, which he promptly plants on his head. The talk turns to his personal appearances around the country. "People see me in person and they think, 'This isn't Roman Brady,'" he says with a laugh. "I really have fun, but I kind of wonder if that's counterproductive sometimes. I get a lot of mail that says, 'WOW, you are so much different. I wish that personality would come out more in Roman.' But you gotta remember the guy is a cop. He was an agent. He's cut from a little different mold, and he's there, y'know, for the checks and balances against the bad guys. Roman, being the good guy, is going to take a stand, give an opinion. And so that way, I have to cut myself back - but there are certain moments."
Which introduces Hogestyn's leading lady, Genie Francis (who plays Diana Colville), into the conversation. "We play around with the script quite a bit," he says. "They have given us license - to a degree - to have fun with it more, to find some moments in the script. The situations in Greece - even though they were intense and dangerous - we were allowed to add some levity through the dialogue." Adding: "It makes for good banter, makes it exciting fast."
The actor says he doesn't understand the word "chemistry," but acknowledges there is something special that ignites between him and Francis when they are on screen together. "I like Genie. I tease the heck out of her. I tell her sometimes, 'If I tease you too much, just let me know, okay? Just raise your hand, and I'll know you've had enough.'"
"Now, Genie is an 'actress,'" continues Hogestyn, "and that's from a different school of thought than I come from. She's focused, she does her homework. Not to say that I don't. I keep saying, 'Hey, I don't know what I'm doin' out there.' That's a bunch of bull. I'm really serious about my work here."
They go about preparing for a scene differently? "We do," Hogestyn says. "Because I haven't taken a whole lot of training - and it shows. But I just try to look at each scene as a dance, and at the end of that two-three minute scene, I say to myself, 'Did we get our point across to the people watching?' However we arrive at it, that's just between Genie and me. We should find the beats there and work at it together and she's good about giving her time to make it work."
About life away from the television studio, Hogestyn is more guarded. It is known that he shares a place at Malibu with his wife of one year, Victoria. (OOPS! This is wrong. Typo alert! In our opinion it should be "It is known that he shares a place in Malibu with his wife of one year, Victoria," not "It is known that he shares a place at Malibu with his wife of one year, Victoria.") They were married on New Year's Eve day 1986 at his parents' home in Connecticut "in between the football games," he jokes.
The romanticist in him is revealed, though, when he looks at the "classic love" of Roman and his late wife, Marlena (played by Deidre Hall), describing it as "the perfect relationship. That's what people need to see, that it really does happen. That's like my wife and I - as far as I'm concerned. I've known her since I was fifteen and she was twelve." They were childhood sweethearts growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. (It was at times, however, a tumultuous relationship, and for a seven-year period, they were separated.)
The couple has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Whitney. Last summer at the first annual DAYS OF OUR LIVES family picnic, the actor was observed politely turning down photographer requests to take pictures of him and his daughter.
Does he prefer to keep Whitney out of the limelight? "Yeah," he says with a sigh. "I like to accentuate the work, because I don't talk too much about the personal stuff." But the proud father in Hogestyn gets the better of him. "She's just beautiful," he says in the next breath. "I sat and looked at her for an hour last night. She's such a blend (of both parents)."
In a previous interview, Hogestyn confessed, "There is a very serious side to me that I mask very well." Who else, besides his wife, sees that sensitive side of him? "People who know me real well - and that's not too many people."
What made him decide to go that private route? "I don't know," Drake Hogestyn shrugs. "Genie said something today. 'You're more serious about this business than you let on.' But I have fun with it. And I think everybody needs to be lifted up a little bit. There are just too many sour things going on in this world. Not that I'm ever a 'life of the party,' but I have fun. People always associate with positive energy anyway. And so you can be a little sparkplug and make someone laugh - and I usually get them that way by telling very crude jokes."
Picture Captions:
(Picture Description: It is forbidden to scan material from any magazine, newspaper or book, so we'll instead try to draw you a picture, regarding how adorable and precious the following pictures are.)
The real leading lady in Drake's life is his wife Victoria. (Oh my goodness, some photographs are just so full of sweetness, tenderness and warmth. In this one of Drake and his beautiful wife, Victoria, Drake has his arms grasped tightly around her shoulders. Drake is wearing his favorite California Angels ball cap, but instead of him wearing his trademark matching baseball jacket that he always sports, his wife instead is wearing his Brooklyn jacket! So precious! These two really are childhood sweethearts and Hollywood's most delightful couple. They're truly pulchritudinous, which means physically beautiful, YEAH BABY!)
Drake prefers to keep daughter, Whitney Nicole, out of the limelight, but can't you tell that she's that "apple of his eye." (If you all were looking at this picture like I am, you'd agree that it should be on the cover of TODAY'S PARENT! It is beyond precious! We think it was taken in 1986 or 1987, because Drake is wearing his DAYS baseball team shirt from when many DAYS OF OUR LIVES cast members played on a baseball team together. Victoria and Whitney were his own personal cheerleading squad and went to all the games with Drake and visited with Drake's fans after the game. In this picture, Drake has Whitney perched on his shoulders and is lovingly looking up at her while Whitney tenderly looks down at her daddy and smiles. Whitney has clutched in her hand a Minnie Mouse helium balloon on a stick. We're pretty sure Drake's fans gave this to her since Whitney loves Minnie Mouse. We even have an article on our website talking about how Drake makes Mickey Mouse pancakes for his children! Yep, Drake Hogestyn, the world's best daddy, and that's a fact!)
David Johnson, SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 2/29/88
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♥ Valentine Special!
Fun And Games At Our Cover Shoot:
(Please Note: This should say "Columbia Pictures," not "Columbia" 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.) One of my responsibilities as a publicist for Columbia Pictures was to coordinate photo sessions, like the one on this cover. Without divulging too many behind-the-scenes secrets, readers, I can say it was shot at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center!
Genie and Drake had just finished a thirteen-hour day at DAYS and arrived at about 7:00 PM. Carol Brown re-did Genie's make-up. After all, this was to be a romantic, black-tie occasion look, different from a typical day between cop and scribe.
Paulette Lewis whipped Genie's hair into shape (with the help of Drake's hairdryer) in two styles, so that our editors could have a little variety.
Check-list: we've got the flowers, the chocolates are not melting under these hot lights...where's the loveseat that photographer Gene Arias physically picked up pre-shoot?...This was a real make-shift environment at the corral, with restrooms used as dressing rooms.
Drake's wacky sense of humor kept energy up. Not only did he entertain his fair lady, but also the entourage of publicists, business managers, wardrobe people and friends that go with the territory of a shoot.
But what kept Hogestyn's energy from crumbling? He had just returned from a two-city forty-eight-hour tour with a midnight stop in Chicago. Drake made it back to his Malibu digs with his wife Victoria and the baby in barely enough time to catch two hours of sleep before work. Genie had spent part of the weekend planning her wedding. She had also attended a STAR TREK convention with one of its co-stars and her fiancé (now husband), Jonathan Frakes.
What pros...the couple knew exactly how to pose, how to camp it up, how to flirt (Drake claims Deidre Hall gave him great lessons; Genie practiced with her buddy, Tony Geary). All to create a fantastic cover.
It was as if we were watching George Burns with Gracie Allen. Genie even taught Drake how to tap dance between takes - why, we'll never know...Lots of giggles from the peanut gallery.
Since it was past the dinner hour at the shoot's end, the candy was demolished, even with these health-conscious California types.
Each lady departed with a rose. Happy Valentines Day.
SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 2/29/88
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♥ D-Lightful...
Deidre Hall And Drake Hogestyn
Reflect On Their
Magical DAYS Gone By
You asked, so we asked. In this interview, Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John) respond to a host of questions that DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans sent to SOAP OPERA DIGEST about their favorite twosome. The friendly, funny duo, seated comfortably on the couch in Hall's dressing room, reminisce about the storylines and moments that made them one of Salem's most enduring supercouples.
Drake Hogestyn: So, what do the John and Marlena fans have to say?
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: The fans are happy that John and Marlena are happy...
Drake Hogestyn: (Reading the list of questions...)
Drake Hogestyn: I see they're unhappy about the decreasing amount of airtime.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: They don't like you on the back-burner.
Drake Hogestyn: Is that where we've been? I'm starting to feel pretty inadequate now. This is liable to impede my performance today on the show (laughs).
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: People want to see you every day. Look at it that way. Okay, this is from a poster named Texas: You have such powerful stories together. Which story would you say defines this duo?
Deidre Hall: I'm always a sucker for the possession story.
Drake Hogestyn: I'd probably say that, only because it was a real twist on the hero/heroine storyline.
Deidre Hall: We loved doing it, didn't we?
Drake Hogestyn: It was fun, but it was hard work.
Deidre Hall: Boy, I know, but I had so much fun with it. I also loved doing the...
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: (Hogestyn interrupts...)
Deidre Hall: ...Go ahead...
Drake Hogestyn: What?
Deidre Hall: Are you reading my mind?
Drake Hogestyn: Probably.
Deidre Hall: I loved the white water...
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: (DAYS went on location in 1986 for the storyline in which John learned that he's Roman.)
Drake Hogestyn: That was so great. That storyline was foolproof, and only now can I reflect back and realize how strongly the audience wanted Roman back with Marlena. I was never told that I was going to be Roman, so that was a very strong pull. When we culminated the storyline in the white waters, and you were helping me through and then you saw the tattoo on my back…
Deidre Hall: No, it was the picture that came in the mail that said the DNA matched or something like that. They had the picture of Roman. I opened up the letter and it said, "Yep, that's the same person."
Drake Hogestyn: No, it was in the Bluebird Bungalow. I was going to take a shower, I pulled my shirt off, you saw the tattoo and you flipped, called Bo and said, "Oh, my God, it's Stefano." I turned around and caught you on the phone. Then, it was the chase in the white water, the fight with Bo on the hill, the Russian and the whole thing that went down with the before and after pictures of the surgery…
Deidre Hall: I can't believe that you know all this.
Drake Hogestyn: We had some good moments. Our first kiss...
Deidre Hall: That was up there: it was good. Those two stories were our best.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: From soapfan35 and many others: If it were possible, would you want Drake to be Roman again?
Deidre Hall: In a heartbeat. If I could snap my fingers, in a heartbeat…
Drake Hogestyn: When Abe said on the pier, "We've got a situation here, Commander, with the two Romans…" I was kind of led to believe years ago that it wasn't a forever thing.
Deidre Hall: Really?
Drake Hogestyn: I had my choice not to be Roman. They explained the story to me and said, "It's your call." That was when you and Wayne (Northrop, Ex-Roman) were coming back. I was told we could go back to him being John Black and explore that. I remember thinking, "WOW, in a selfish sense, isn't being a Brady a nice thing to be on this show? Is there a lot of insecurity in being John Black?" But I thoroughly enjoyed John Black and thought we could explore more. But I had a strong emotional attachment to Roman.
Deidre Hall: I know you did.
Drake Hogestyn: It was very difficult to let go and then to find out who John Black was.
Deidre Hall: It broke my heart.
Drake Hogestyn: In all fairness, Wayne Northrop created that role, and in a sense of fair play, it was rightfully his to play some stimulating story.
Deidre Hall: It was killer; it was fabulous.
Drake Hogestyn: That's some stuff that I haven't even thought about in so long.
Deidre Hall: It's the perfect triangle. It had taken years to establish it, years to create it, years to tweak it and make it just so. We could talk about that for a very long time, about the politics of how it happened. But the people who made the decision aren't here anymore, and the decision got made.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: From poster JL: Did you think that John and Marlena would find their way back to each other after her relationship with Roman and his with Kristen and Isabella?
Deidre Hall: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Drake Hogestyn: The pier!
Deidre Hall: The pier!
Drake Hogestyn: The engagement party for Isabella. John had that feeling that he had to get out of the house and was drawn to the pier...
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: (To Hall...)
Drake Hogestyn: And there you were.
Deidre Hall: Isn't it disturbing how this brings up another life? Does it feel like that to you?
Drake Hogestyn: It is another life.
Deidre Hall: When we lost the house, it was very upsetting. We moved into the penthouse, but we gave up the house where we'd raised the kids. It's hard as an actor to give up your set.
Drake Hogestyn: You have an emotional attachment to it when it's up and it's quiet and you walk across the studio…
Deidre Hall: It's like having an alternate, parallel life. My fan club does a luncheon every year and does a video montage of all those moments.
Drake Hogestyn: Those are huge.
Deidre Hall: It's great. I think I said to Drake, "I know why they love these two people so much." We don't really see it. You're doing the work, you're getting the traction of the performance and you're checking the chemistry, but when you see it, you go, "Oh, I love them! I love them!" That's what the audience gets to feel.
Drake Hogestyn: Look at my arm...
Deidre Hall: You get chills. I wonder when we die, which life will flash before our eyes?
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: From Merri: Would you like to see them move out of the penthouse?
Drake Hogestyn: I'd like to. That was Julie's penthouse to begin with. I was arguing with one of the guys and he said, "No, it's not. We built it for Marlena." I said, "No, this was Julie's."
Deidre Hall: It was Julie's. We need a family room; we need a kitchen.
Drake Hogestyn: We do all of our eating sitting there on the floor. There are spots all over the carpet.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: From Icheetos: Why are your love scenes so short?
Deidre Hall: It is technically more difficult to do a love scene; you're trying to hit marks that are nonexistent. And I'm not sure that you make love the way that you…it's different when you're watching something than when you're in your own life situation. Help me here.
Drake Hogestyn: I just follow your lead.
Deidre Hall: Thanks for the help!
Drake Hogestyn: I find it very easy.
Deidre Hall: Thank you, honey.
Drake Hogestyn: I don't worry too much about the angles and the lighting. I let Deidre worry about that for me. I think it's always better to leave more to the imagination than to be very graphic. Maybe that's why it's short because all the really good stuff ends up on the cutting room floor.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Also from poster JL: What does John love about Marlena?
Drake Hogestyn: I would say her positiveness, her self-esteem, brilliance and beauty.
Deidre Hall: Couldn't we put beauty first?
Drake Hogestyn: Beauty, brilliance, self-esteem and extreme positiveness.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Deidre, same question.
Deidre Hall: Well, a lot of what Deidre loves about Drake is the same as what Marlena feels for John. I don't want to sound shallow, but he walked onto the stage for the audition and I went, "Yowza. All right." There was a lot of talk about him being reminiscent of Ricky Nelson, who had just died...
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: (To Hogestyn...)
Deidre Hall: Then, it became all those other things, the way you move, the way your voice sounds and the way you pick up a plate.
Drake Hogestyn: We had a connection right away in the audition scene.
Deidre Hall: Drake has integrity. He'll say, "I'm not experienced, and I haven't done this a long time."
Drake Hogestyn: I still feel that way.
Deidre Hall: Shut up! He's captivating, and he's himself. That's what the audience, aside from him being attractive, responds to. He's just showing up, and he's like a universal guy...
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: (To Hogestyn...)
Deidre Hall: But it's a good thing you're cute.
Drake Hogestyn: That's very nice of you to say. I still feel very inadequate in this business. Well, maybe not inadequate, but I didn't grow up wanting to be an actor. I only say this because I watch (stepson) Ben now, who has been dabbling in acting, and he's immersing himself in it so deeply. It's always "art" and "craft" and watching different movies. I never looked at it like that. I tell Deidre, "I'm sorry that I've sucked so much lately," (laughs). Maybe it gets back to that there hasn't been a lot of meat to grab onto, so anything worth doing, we're overdoing. I tell her, "Just kick me in the shin in the middle of the scene when I'm doing the weird stuff, and I'll slow down. Do it a different way." She's good to do that. She always has been.
Deidre Hall: You're getting better.
Drake Hogestyn: Only if I wake up, and my voice is right. I never know where it's going to be. Sometimes it's way up here, sometimes it's nice and deep. I don't have a choice...
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: (To Hall...)
Drake Hogestyn: You'll notice it. I'll show you someday.
Deidre Hall: But you're still so powerful. And I don't mind that you're always prepared.
Drake Hogestyn: I have a good memory, but I wish I had the ability to pick up dialogue as quickly as Deidre. That's art. And she has trust that it's going to be so wonderful. She's so articulate. She talked to (Executive Producer) Steve Wyman the other day, and I just let her talk. I'm a bobblehead doll; she's like an ambassador. It's a good pairing.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: From Merri: Are you happy with your current storyline?
Drake Hogestyn: I think anything that creates more dilemma for John and Marlena, more confrontation - airtime, to be honest - is good. The more airtime, the more we can build and create something more. What do you think?
Deidre Hall: The upcoming stuff will do a lot to ignite them as a couple again.
Drake Hogestyn: Those are good words. I'll steal them.
Deidre Hall: Don't steal them. I'll give them to you.
SOAP OPERA DIGEST: From Icheetos: What would you want John and Marlena's final story to be?
Drake Hogestyn: John and Marlena are coming back from their latest adventure as Nick and Nora, as Deidre would say, and they're on their sloop. They're sailing and they run into a storm, and it breaks the mast and they drift away.
Deidre Hall: I want the explosion. I want the space shuttle. I want THELMA AND LOUISE, the Grand Canyon. You don't want to just fade away. I've faded away; it's no fun.
Get more dish from Drake and Deidre at...
http://daysofourlives.about.com/soapoperadigest... (Please Note: This interview is no longer posted on that website. We tried to find it, but it has sadly been removed or not archived.)
Stephanie Sloane, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 11/26/02
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♥ Gossip - DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Street Wise:
Drake Hogestyn (John) was a big hit when he took part in the musical SESAME STREET tribute at May's Daytime Emmy ceremony. As viewers saw, the DAYS OF OUR LIVES hero was paired with The Count, the puppet vampire who teaches kids how to (what else?) count! But when Hogestyn showed up for rehearsal, he and the Emmy producers had a slight - but understandable - miscommunication. "They said to me, 'We are so glad you're here. We wanted just the right person to work with The Count.' And I said, 'Oh! Thaao's here?' And they said to me, 'No, no, we're talking about The Count.' And I said, 'Right. Count Tony DiMera (played by Thaao Penghlis)!' And they said, 'No. The Count from SESAME STREET!'"
SOAP OPERA PREVIEWS, 9/6/04
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♥ DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Falling In Love Again…
Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn reveal their relationship is about to undergo a serious overhaul.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans were up in arms over the killing-off of Salem hero John Black, leaving his beloved wife Marlena widowed. Viewers threatened to switch off in droves if he was not brought back, but no sooner had the threats been issued than news came that actor Drake Hogestyn had re-signed to bring John "back from the dead." Some believe the comeback was contrived, but here Hogestyn and Hall set the record straight.
TV SOAP: Drake, some DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans believe you knew all along you'd return as John Black. Is that true?
Drake Hogestyn: Absolutely not! I'm working with an acting coach right now and we're plotting out the new John Black. What I signed back on for was to explore the real reason John Black was created and brought to Salem, and to explore his dark side. They said, "This is what we want: dangerous, untrustworthy and emotionally void." It's thrilling and exciting, and that's how I felt in 1986.
TV SOAP: Deidre, how has it been having Drake back as a 'dangerous, untrustworthy, emotionally void' John?
Deidre Hall: It's challenging and fun. Marlena needs to decide if she likes him or not. She needs to decide if it's going to work for her or not.
TV SOAP: What does the new John think of Marlena?
Drake Hogestyn: He's intrigued by her and her stories, and why she stays around when he has treated her so poorly. He has heard all her stories from the life they had together to the point where he's nauseous. The frustration is knowing he will never go back to being that 'other guy.'
TV SOAP: But, does John sense a connection at times?
Drake Hogestyn: He remembers nothing about her before (but) sometimes he has these lightning bolts that go by so fast. There's something that John felt for a second that makes him curious now. Is Marlena beautiful? Absolutely. Is she smart? Without a doubt, and was sex in the tent spine shattering? Well, you know it was. But outside of that, is there emotional attachment? Well, he has no emotion, but he wants to know more about her.
TV SOAP: Will we see Marlena change?
Deidre Hall: I think we are going to see her antenna up. She's smart and decisive, and she has an instinct about this man, although it doesn't always prove to be who she wants him to be.
TV SOAP: What were your thoughts on the love-making scenes in the tent after the plane went down?
Deidre Hall: Unfortunately, the audience didn't see all those scenes.
Drake Hogestyn: There were some very aggressive scenes. John comes from the lowest common denominator: his instincts. She's a beautiful woman and it's cold. She wants to be kept warm and he thinks, 'You're beautiful and want to be kept warm. I'm the man for the job.' And my God, I have never experienced anything like that in my life - that I remember! It's like, 'What was that? Let's do it again!' and she said, 'Not until you remember who I am. I thought being intimate with you would jog something.' Marlena was coming from a point of desperation.
TV SOAP: A lot of the footage didn't make it to air. Why?
Deidre Hall: I was told at the eleventh hour they felt it was too much too soon for the characters. I respect that, but they were still wonderful scenes. They were challenging, adorable and sexy.
TV SOAP: What more would like see change for the characters? (OOPS! This is wrong. Typo alert! This sentence makes no sense. In our opinion it should be "What more would you like to see change for the characters?" not "What more would like see change for the characters?" like this article states.)
Deidre Hall: I think what we're doing is the most entertaining. We are at the beginning of a love story.
Drake Hogestyn: I want to see (John) get back on track. It's not like when I started twenty-three years ago. If you take it into a different kind of love story, we can still satisfy John and Marlena fans that want to see the couple together.
TV SOAP: Drake, late last year, you and Deidre and Executive Producer, Ken Corday, went to Australia to promote the show. The trip came at a strange time for you…
Drake Hogestyn: I arrived the day the show aired in Australia where EJ shot John and put him in a coma. One journalist was asking me something and I felt my emotions welling up. It was an awkward moment, but the spin of the ball changed in Australia, because a lot of stuff was happening in Los Angeles at that moment (too). John's funeral was airing over two days, and I understand they got a spike in the ratings numbers.
TV SOAP: In terms of the country and its people, what did you take away from visiting Australia?
Drake Hogestyn: You have a secret, the most pristine, unbelievable society. You don't know how cynical you have become until you go to a country like that, where people bend over backwards to help you and accommodate you. I was amazed. I walked down the street with Deidre, telling her how clean the streets are. Their energy and love for their fellow man is so commendable.
Michael Fairman, TV SOAP, 6/11/08
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