On Days of our Lives, Marlena has been through the wringer lately — even by Salem standards. A sudden infection, a collapse that left her needing a pacemaker, and those disorienting flashbacks to the old “Queen of the Night” days circling her like ghosts of storylines past. And stitched through all of it is the rawness of losing John, the kind of grief that changes the temperature of a room. But if you think this chapter signals an ending, Deidre Hall is more than ready to set the record straight.
Key Takeaways
- Hall says Marlena’s grief reflects what many real widows face.
- She praised DAYS for showing that older women “still matter and still love.”
- Hall believes Marlena will love again — when the chemistry is right.
- Filming the grief arc has been emotionally heavy but meaningful.
- Hall says she’s gotten the career she always hoped for.
- Retirement isn’t happening — she’ll have to be dragged away for that to happen.
Widowhood, Legacy, and the Woman Still Standing
Hall spoke with Woman’s World about stepping into this new era of Marlena’s life, one built on absence as much as presence. She didn’t sugarcoat how different this loss feels. Unlike many other Salemites, John (the late Drake Hogestyn) will not be resurrected this time. She also connected Marlena’s grief to something bigger than a soap plot. “There are so many women who have lost spouses… it’s a real social issue,” she explained, adding that she’s watched her own sister walk through that same lonely recalibration.
What struck her was how DAYS folded that truth into the show. “I’m very grateful the show is saying, ‘We’re still here, we still matter and we still care about life and love.’” Hall’s pride in that message sits right alongside her acknowledgment of how hard it is to play. She admits that the scenes with Martha Madison as Belle tries to bind the edges of her mother’s grief have been both grounding and exhausting.
And yet, Hall sees light ahead — even romance, someday. “I think Marlena will love again,” she says, careful not to guess who that might be. What matters, in her mind, is chemistry, magic, and timing — the ingredients she and Hogestyn had in spades.
A Career Built on Joy — And No Plans to Slow Down
If nearly five decades in Salem have taught Hall anything, it’s that the work keeps her moving. She laughed remembering the mayhem of playing Hattie with her real-life twin. “She was completely uninhibited,” Hall said, and you can hear the affection in her voice. Those wild, beloved detours kept her energized through countless story arcs, possessions, kidnappings, and returns from the dead.
Her gratitude stretches far beyond the material. Hall says she got exactly the life she hoped for when she first stepped onto a soap set: “I got what I asked for in the most perfect way!” She raised her kids on that lot, grew up with the crew, lived an entire professional lifetime inside those hallways without ever getting bored.
And retirement? Not even on the table. “You’ll have to drag me out of there,” she insists with a grin — the kind that tells you she’ll still be slipping into Marlena’s heels as long as someone calls, “Places!” (Find out how Hall traded salem for Starfleet.)
