How ‘Days of Our Lives’ Favorite Deidre Hall Got Cast on ‘Hacks’

Days of our Lives’ Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) will appear on the acclaimed Max dramedy Hacks on Thursday, May 23 as a heightened version of herself. Hall will play the mother of Jimmy, whose portrayer, Paul W. Downs, is not only one of the show’s creators, but a fan of the soap.

“I was told by Paul and [creator] Lucia Aniello that Paul’s mom was a longtime fan of Days and of Marlena, and then she introduced him to the show when he was a toddler,” Hall shares. “So when they were looking for a person to play Paul’s mother, they said, ‘Wait a minute, are we crazy? Why don’t we see if we can get Deidre.’ ”

Though the show had been recommended to Hall, she hadn’t had a chance to watch it yet, but quickly became a big fan. “When I told one of my best friends, Catherine, that I was doing a part on the show, she said, ‘Oh, my gosh. Jean Smart‘s my best friend,’” Hall relays. “She’s been watching the show for a long time. We sat down and watched about three episodes and I thought, ‘Oh, this is fabulous. How have I missed it?’ ”

Playing “Deidre Hall” didn’t require heavy lifting from the actress. “The script was written that the part is ‘legendary Deidre Hall,’ so I didn’t have to reach too far for what she looks like, what she sounds like, how she moved,” she muses. “So it was coming to work and just having fun. I didn’t have to reach at all.”

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There are some differences between the two, however. “This part is a little more flirtatious,” notes Hall. “And you see her in her kitchen, which we know is not Marlena’s strong suit. This Deidre loves the kitchen and she loves cooking.”

And Hall reveals she was able to make a subtle nod to her soap home in a scene. “When I went to wardrobe, I said, ‘So, she’s in the kitchen. Is she wearing an apron?’ They said, ‘Yeah, probably.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll bring the apron.’ And you know what? I brought the Brady Pub apron [from a set on Days]. I walked in and they said, ‘This is hilarious. We’re using it.’ So I shot in the Brady Pub apron and then Paul took it home at the end of the day.’ ”

Deidre Hall

The actress was thrilled to discover that one of her scene partners in the episode was Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future fame. “Working with Christopher Lloyd was probably the most daunting thing that’s happened to me for a while,” Hall admits. “We were all enormous fans of his and so astonished by his work and the body of his work. And he was just the loveliest.”

Which is how she would describe the experience as a whole. “We shot at a wonderful home out in Pasadena, and it’s the old days of catered meals and such spoiling,” she marvels. “I had a motor home as big as the downstairs in my house and I thought, ‘I could dance in there.’ It was great fun, great luxury.”

Hall is looking forward to watching her episode, and says her Days cast will be tuning in, too. “There was a press notice that it was going to be on Thursday and so many people said, ‘I watch that show all the time! I love that show!’ ” she reports. “I thought, ‘Well no wonder it has huge numbers and a great following.’ I’m just so happy to have been invited to be a part of it.”

Hacks, New Episodes, Thursdays, Max