Exclusive Interview: Days of our Lives Star Martha Madison On Belle’s Return and More

Days of our Lives fans got a real treat when Belle and Shawn returned to Salem for Ben and Ciara’s wedding this week — and Belle learned Claire might not be cured as she thought. Soap Hub caught up with Martha Madison who plays Belle and learned about her career and bringing back Belle.

Catching Up With Martha Madison

Soap Hub: What did you learn about the soap opera industry doing SoapBox with Lilly and Martha with your co-host Lilly Melgar (ex-Lily, General Hospital)? Martha Madison: Doing SoapBox was probably the biggest highlight of my soap opera life. You don’t get a lot of opportunities to call the shots as an actress, so it was super rewarding to be in the driver’s seat with a talk show like that – and alongside you and my BFF, no less.

I learned quickly how small and intimate the soap world actually is. I figured out pretty quickly who was paying attention to us and the medium at large, and I was consistently surprised at how many actors were exactly the opposite of who I expected them to be. My biggest takeaway, though, was how fascinating the people are who make this industry tick. You know, it’s a weird world we work in, and the performers, writers, and showrunners who make it work are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met.

The Creative Process

How comfortable are you in the role of producer?
I mean if you hired me today to run a show on TV, I wouldn’t know anything about anything. That said, I’m very comfortable in roles where I have creative input and can lend conceptual thoughts and big picture ideas. I think that’s why I’ve excelled at restaurant ownership, and I think it’s why I keep making talk shows and podcasts.

I’m also very comfortable around executives who understand leadership as a nurturing role, and I’ve been lucky to share network pitches with a lot of those kinds of people. I’ve gotten pretty close to making my own show, and I do believe eventually I’ll get there.

Days of our Lives Last Blast

The DOOL App series the Last Blast Reunion was terrific; what was it like shooting that?
I loved it! It was very fun to see everyone again, as it always is. I think meeting Chadwick [Hopson, Kevin] and spending time with Heather [Lindell, Jan] and Jay [Kenneth Johnson, Philip] were the highlights for me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them, so it was a real-life reunion in that respect.

I will say, it was weird being back while not actually “being back” on the show yet…kind of like going home for the holidays but staying in a hotel kind-of-thing. We also got to spend a little more time on everything since we weren’t really up against the same clock as the main show. We were able to take some extra liberties at times and really had fun with the silliness of it all.

Any tease you can give about what brings Belle back to Salem?
Well, you already saw us come back to get Claire (Olivia Rose Keegan) out of [Bayview], and you’ll start seeing us more regularly toward the end of July. Essentially, we stay a while and interact with several different storylines. Belle’s a lawyer, so wherever there’s injustice, it’s likely Belle will be around.

Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check local listings for air times.