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Interview!

ICYMI Martha Madison Interview

Days of our Lives Season 50
DAYS OF OUR LIVES -- Season: 50 -- Pictured: Martha Madison as Belle Black -- (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC) Credit: NBC

Soap Opera Digest: How did your latest DAYS return come about?
Martha Madison: I was asked about making a brief return. I shot back in August.
Digest: When you were last written out did it feel final to you, or did you think that you might be back again?
Madison: It didn’t feel good. You never know what’s going to happen. But I think the fact that they keep sending my character overseas, rather than killing her off, is always a good sign [laughs]. I have very cordial relationships with everyone at DAYS, even at the highest level. I feel like a part of the family and that if they need me, they’ll call me, and I’m always happy to be back.

Digest: What was your first day back like?
Madison: Every time I walk into that studio there is a warm welcome. Honestly, it was like I never left. I met a couple of new people from the cast, such as Marci [Miller, Abigail]. I had only been gone for a few months. It was just really good to see everyone.

Digest: You’re working with Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe), who you worked with in your early time at DAYS. What is it like working together today?
Madison: I think in the past, our characters were often at odds. I think this is the first time we got to play friends with a history. It’s two women who care about each other. That was nice. On a personal level, Nadia is a new parent, and I still consider myself somewhat of a new parent, so it was very fun between takes commiserating about parenting. Because this storyline revolves around a baby, I think that we were both able to connect to it a little more now that we’re parents. So it was nice. Nadia and I even have the same nanny.

Digest: How did that come about?
Madison: Marnie [Saitta, DAYS’s casting director] recommended her nanny to me, and then I recommended her to Nadia, and I think Nadia recommended the same nanny to Michelle Stafford [Nina, GH]. So we all share the same nanny. She works a lot. She’s a great nanny [laughs].

Digest: What was it like working with Brandon Beemer (Shawn) again?
Madison: I loved it. I just think that he is such a great guy in so many ways. I think we really love each other. We’ve both grown so much  as people in life, and I think we’ve gotten to be better actors. We’re ready as a team to be given more material and hopefully, that will happen.

JPI

Digest: How about working again with Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire)?
Madison: Olivia is adorable. I think she has grown so much as an actress in the last year. She’s wildly talented and sort of oozes that star quality. I expect big things from her. I love working with her. She’s a doll.

Digest: How is your daughter, Charley, doing?
Madison: She’s 3! It’s not the terrible twos, it’s the terrible threes. Everyone told me and I’ve learned that yes, it’s true. According to Charley’s teacher and her pediatrician, she’s very high on the IQ scale. She’s very smart, and I think her brain is moving faster than her physical abilities and she gets very frustrated. Overall, she is just a remarkable kid. I’m very lucky.

Digest: You and your husband co-parent and you’re partners in life. What is it like running a business together?
Madison (laughs): It can be challenging. I think at this point, we’ve been together and doing business together for 13 years, so now it’s very easy. We understand each other’s place and we respect our boundaries. We don’t really do the same thing. I think that’s why we make a good team. But it took us a while to get to that place where it was an easy flow of doing business. We had to fight for our territories. We worked it out because we love and respect each other.

Digest: What other projects are you working on?
Madison: Right now I am in the process of shooting a movie called To The Beat! It’s a tween dance comedy. It’s hilarious. I love my character. She’s a very Southern dance mom who is obsessed with Paula Abdul, which is funny because I love Paula Abdul. It’s being produced by Susan Bernhardt and directed by Jillian Clare [ex-Abigail], who are also the writers. Eric Martsolf [Brady] plays my husband. So that’s a fun turn of events because we’ve gone from siblings to a married couple [laughs]. I love working with Eric. He is so funny. It’s a very fun film.

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