DAYS’ Martha Madison is one of those actresses that can make you laugh and make you cry in equal measure, and this week certainly provided her with the opportunity to do both.
Martha Madison — Performer of the Week
In scenes opposite co-star Eric Martsolf [Brady Black], Madison played a range of emotions. There was sorrow, steely resolve, incredulousness, and outright anger.
Yes, her Belle Brady is still very much in mourning for her beloved mother. No, her Belle Brady very much did not wish to speak of her estrangement from brother Eric (Greg Vaughan). And yes, her Belle Brady was still very adamant that she did not wish to represent Eric at his upcoming hearing.
Despite herself, Belle was curious as to who Eric had hired for the job, and Brady’s uncomfortable gaze was enough to telegraph what she feared most. “It’s her? That horrible, heartless bitch?!”
“Yeah…if that horrible, heartless bitch is Sloan Petersen, that is his lawyer,” clarified Brady.
Righteous indignation poured forth from Belle, who termed Sloan a “wretched bottom feeder”, but Madison managed to imbue the dig-filled dialogue with a frivolity that managed to keep it from coming across as too mean-spirited.
Further catty remarks were hurled once Sloan (Jessica Serfaty) and Eric put in an appearance, but eventually, Belle stifled so that she and her rival could come together for a common purpose: saving Eric and Brady’s bacon.
And save said bacon the ladies did…but don’t expect anything to come of it. “I still can’t stand her,” insisted Belle.
With the comedy bits out of the way, it was time to get down to some serious dramatics, and Martha Madison was more than up for the challenge.
During a one-on-one with onscreen hubby Brandon Beemer [Shawn Brady] in which Belle lamented the fact that bringing her mother’s killer to justice wouldn’t really heal any emotional wounds, Madison effortlessly and expertly tapped into her character’s fragility and let the tears flow.
It was a boffo performance from a boffo performer.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock+ in the U.S. and The W Network or Global TV App in Canada. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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