Despite being one half of Days of our Lives supercouple John and Marlena for nearly four decades, Deidre Hall admits she has another favorite Salem supercouple.
Key Takeaways
- Deidre Hall revealed her favorite supercouple is Doug and Julie.
- Hall remembered the moment she realized soap supercouples were a big deal.
- Several DAYS co-stars named John and Marlena as their favorite supercouple.
Salem’s OG Supercouple
During a recent interview with Swooon, Hall (Marlena) revealed that it was Doug (the late Bill Hayes) and Julie’s (Susan Seaforth Hayes) wedding that solidified them as her favorite supercouple in Salem.
“I didn’t understand about couples on soaps when I first started on DAYS,” Hall admitted, noting that Doug and Julie married not long after she joined the show. “Fans had come to the parking lot of the studio to see it. I soon realized that this is really a thing!”
Doug and Julie married on October 1, 1976, a television event that drew in 16 million viewers. Their portrayers, Bill and Susan Hayes, secretly wed in real life two years prior and remained together until Bill Hayes’ death in 2024.
Hall remembered filming the wedding scenes, recalling Seaforth Hayes’ courtesy to her fellow co-stars. “In that moment, I didn’t know her. It took a long time to shoot the scenes. At one point, she turned to all of us in the pews and said to us, ‘I know it’s taking a long time. Thank you for your patience.’ She was carrying the whole hour!”
Of course, while Doug and Julie were Hall’s answer, John (the late Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena weren’t forgotten about. Several DAYS stars named “Jarlena” their favorite supercouple when Swooon asked, including James Reynolds (Abe), Raven Bowens (Chanel), Robert Scott Wilson (Alex), and Martha Madison (Belle). “I don’t think you can beat them,” Madison said, while Eric Martsolf (Brady) admitted, “I’ve got to go with ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’ – John and Marlena on that one. Damn, just the strawberries and bubble baths alone!”
