When Days of our Lives fans stream the episode of Hacks titled "The Deborah Vance Christmas Special" that dropped on May 23, they will see a very familiar face that will have a very familiar name. Deidre Hall plays herself in that episode -- or at least an exaggerated and fictional version. When she got the offer, she knew she couldn't turn it down.
As Hall told Soap Opera Digest, showrunner and star Paul Downs was a big DAYS fan, thanks to his mother, who used to place him in front of the TV to see all the Salem goings-on when he was just a kid. When it came time to cast Downs's character Jimmy's mother, his own mother got in on the action and suggested Hall.
"Come on, being asked to play the showrunner's mother at her request?" Hall said. "I mean, that's such incredibly high praise. It was completely irresistible."
While Hall had never watched Hacks before, she quickly got herself up to speed with the first few seasons of the Jean Smart series, thanks to a mutual friend. That friend sat down with Hall for a little watch party, and Hall said she "fell in love with it."
Hall intends to have another watch party with her two grown sons, David and Tully, but how did she prepare for this role that is her, but also not quite her? Did she have to do anything different?
"No? No," she told Digest. "Because I was playing from myself as myself, obviously, but that's also how I play Marlena. So you won't see a whole lot of variety there -- except that as we all know, Marlena cannot cook. And this character is a phenomenal cook. Very cute."
Speaking of cooking, when Hall was told she'd need an apron to play the other Hall, the actress told She Knows Soaps that she brought one to the set herself -- one that will remind fans of Salem, since it is from the Brady Pub. You'll rarely see Marlena in a Brady Pub apron, but Hacks will show us a side of Hall we've never seen before.
Have you made sure to catch this episode of Hacks? Do you want to see Deidre Hall play herself more? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
