Julie had already chosen her side on Days of our Lives. As accusations swirled and Jada insisted Jeremy stay put, Julie waited with him, held him close, and told Belle and Marlena she didn’t buy the story being handed to her, even with Stephanie’s unease hanging nearby. The show hinted that the trail pointed elsewhere, but Julie trusted history more than noise, which made Susan Seaforth Hayes’ glance back at Salem’s literal history feel like more than a coincidence.
Key Takeaways
- Susan Seaforth Hayes shared a personal reflection on NBC Burbank Stage 4 as a place that has held much of her career and memory.
- She described revisiting the physical spaces of Salem, including production areas rarely seen onscreen.
- Fan responses focused heavily on shared nostalgia, especially the Horton staircase as a lasting visual touchstone.
A Building That Never Let Go
“There are some pleasures to growing old. One is having a long eventful history,” Hayes wrote on Instagram, continuing with, “Turns out loads of my memories happened in one building; NBC Burbank Stage 4, now called The Burbank Studios. 🦚The lights, the carpet, and the stages have changed very little since I was an eight year-old playing Queen Elizabeth I on NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame.”
She traced a line from that experience to Salem now sitting on the same stages where NBC once broadcast “in living color,” weaving in producer Randy Dugan guiding her, her assistant Amy, and Gay Linvill from the roof down into the machinery that keeps Salem lit and standing.
She added, “Here’s a piece of the Horton entryway waiting to roll down the giant hallway between stages. Here’s me leaning on a history wall explaining the decades of shows…and I’m still excited to be part of something so great, memorable, and heartwarming as scripted TV drama!”
The Staircase Everyone Remembers
The photos she attached followed that rhythm. Hayes, who previously marveled at the show’s staying power, stood on the Horton staircase with her arms wide, leaned into the long hallway between stages where set pieces waited their turn. She peered out from a small balcony she admitted she’d never seen before, surrounded by cables, pulleys, and the soft clutter of decades. Even the rooftop shots felt less posed than pleased, like someone still surprised the place hadn’t tired of her.
The comments settled into the same key. One fan wrote, “I have always loved those Horton stairs since I was 15 years old,” while another simply said, “The Horton stairs! 😍 Thank you for sharing all these ‘behind the scenes’ treats with us! XO.” The staircase kept coming up, again and again, like a shared landmark people didn’t realize they’d been carrying with them.
Hayes wasn’t closing a chapter or polishing a legacy; she was pointing at the walls and wires and saying she was still here, still curious, still walking the same floors. And judging by the way people joined the conversation, plenty of them were happy to follow without needing to be told where it all led.
