Deidre Hall marks 50 years as Marlena on ‘Days’

Deidre Hall, who has played Dr. Marlena Evans on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” since 1976, is looking back on five decades that include demonic possession, major physical danger, and storylines that resonated with fans—while the show prepares a 50-year retrospecti

The first sign that Dr. Marlena Evans would live forever wasn’t a headline or a victory—it was a scene that still gets brought up decades later. In 1994. the devil possessed Marlena after Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) tried to brainwash her so she would fall in love with him. Deidre Hall remembers using contact lenses to turn her eyes yellow. saying it “was not a whole lot of fun. ” and she recalls levitating during the infamous moment.

Now. at 78. Hall is preparing to celebrate 50 years as Marlena on “Days of Our Lives.” She’ll look back with fans when the show runs a special retrospective episode on June 22. streaming on Peacock. Season 61 is currently available on Peacock as well; the show moved from airing on NBC in September 2022.

In those five decades. Marlena has survived everything the writers could put in front of her—being possessed by the devil twice. plummeting 30 feet from a window. serving as a surrogate to alien twins during a four-year coma. and being targeted by several serial killers. Hall also points to a storyline in which she was once made to believe she herself was a serial killer.

Asked whether she sees parallels between her real life and her character’s, Hall doesn’t frame it that way. She credits Marlena instead with helping create a bond with the loyal audience since Hall first joined the show in 1976.

“I get gifted trust, and I get gifted secrets, and I get gifted hopes and heartbreak,” Hall told over Zoom from her New York City hotel room. “This is not about my own personal family; this is about fans.”

Hall said the show’s emotional reach shows up in what fans send her—especially after storylines they recognize from their own lives. She cited a 2012 plot in which Marlena’s grandson, Will Horton (Chandler Massey), comes out as gay to her. Hall said the writers handled it in a way that mattered to viewers.

“We had a lot of mail from young men saying, ‘I wish my mother would accept that or wish my grandmother could have been there and had someone to share this with and someone to talk to about,’” Hall recalled. “I think in that way we get to teach, which I love about our medium.”

She said the show allows audiences to see different ways to handle difficult topics, from surrogacy to infidelity to infertility.

“We get to show the audience a little different way of handling something,” Hall said. “So whether it’s surrogacy or infidelity, being unable to have a child, we get to show, ‘Here’s how you might handle that. Maybe it wasn’t your first inclination, but try this.’”

That kind of connection is also woven into the craft behind the supernatural moments that made Marlena famous. Hall said “Days” producers brought in a group separate from the special effects team to make the devil-possession scene work.

For her own preparation, she kept at least one artifact from that storyline. Hall said showrunner Ken Corday had returned from traveling—she thinks he “might’ve been in Italy”—and brought back a crucifix blessed by a priest. She said Corday gave it to her and she was never filmed without it.

Her pre-scene routine didn’t stop there. Hall said Corday also returned with holy water, and she would spray some on her wrist before she filmed.

For a role defined by transformation and danger, fans still keep circling back to the same moment: the devil in 1994. Hall said she’s asked about it constantly.

As for what comes next. the question now isn’t whether she can play Marlena—it’s whether she wants to leave. Season 61 is streaming on Peacock. and Hall said the production feels more relaxed now that the show is on streaming rather than broadcast. She described a moment backstage where a castmate. Christie Clark. who plays her daughter Carrie. wore a “really revealing little top.” Hall told her to button it up; Clark replied. “No. it’s OK. We’re streaming now.”.

Hall said that conversation made her realize streaming is different.

In the background of those day-to-day changes, NBCUniversal announced last year that “Days” was renewed for its 62nd and 63rd seasons. Hall said that if it’s her decision, she’ll stay on as long as possible.

“I often said that when my key card doesn’t open the gate, I’ll go home,” she said with a laugh. “It’s an easy life for me. I don’t work every day and I memorize very easily, luckily, at this point. And I get to spend the day with really creative, talented people that I admire and respect and enjoy.”.

She added that the job brings moments that feel personal as well as professional—time in makeup with people she’s known for years and the kind of conversations that fill ordinary days.

“I get to sit in the makeup chair and ask my makeup artist how her son’s college exams went,” Hall said. “I mean, people that I’ve known for so many years and I get to catch up and be their person in that moment. That I adore.”

Between a devil-possession scene built with separate effects support and a retrospective episode planned for June 22. Hall’s milestone is more than a calendar marker. It’s a reminder of how Marlena Evans became a long-running vessel for stories fans trusted. and how Hall’s own relationship with that audience has only deepened over time.

Deidre Hall Marlena Evans Days of Our Lives Peacock NBCUniversal Chandler Massey Ken Corday Joseph Mascolo Stefano DiMera Christie Clark streaming