Christie Clark Says ‘Had to Come Back’ to DAYS For Drake Hogestyn
Returning to Days of Our Lives as Carrie Brady for the show’s emotional good-bye to John Black and his portrayer, Drake Hogestyn, who passed away last September, was an easy decision for Christie Clark, who makes her first appearance on May 28. “I knew I had to come back, because it was for him,” said Clark in a recent interview with TV Insider. “He was my mentor, and really was the main principal actor I worked with and grew up with, and gave me everything.”
Father Figure
Clark, who starred opposite Hogestyn during her initial runs on the soap from 1986-89 and 1992-99 and during several subsequent returns over the decades, was well aware of the actor’s battle with pancreatic cancer prior to his death. “I was just gutted that it was happening to him — the most fit, loving, gorgeous man who appreciated life,” she shared. “It was just heartbreaking. I don’t know many more beautiful souls that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting… He taught me some good lessons on how to be a good person. He was my second dad, and we played a lot of practical jokes on each other constantly. That went on for many, many, many years.”
Unfortunately, Clark was unable to visit Hogestyn while she was in town filming these poignant episodes last year. “I was hoping to see him, but he was so ill that it wasn’t going to happen,” she acknowledged. “He sadly died, like, five days after we filmed everything… Everybody knew that it was going to happen, because it was terminal cancer, so nobody was acting [when filming the scenes of John’s demise]. It is just raw emotion for someone that we all loved.”
Clark, who currently resides in England with her husband, Thomas Barnes, and their three daughters, Hannah, Emma and Charlotte, had been on a long break from acting at the time that DAYS came calling. However, she recently decided to get back into it. “Last time I was in class, I was 25 years old, and I was, I guess, kind of a sexy ingenue type,” she recalled. “Now I’m the mom… There are all these cool, young people in class, and it’s inspiring to work with all of them, and I’m loving it. I’ve just signed with an agent over here, so I’m just about to start auditioning.”
As for being back at DAYS, Clark said she was happy to be back at the show’s studio complex and to reconnect with so many old friends and co-stars, despite the sadness of the material. “It’s family,” noted Clark, adding how wonderful it was to see Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Martha Madison (Belle). “I absolutely have old memories and flashes of scenes from the past, mostly being on the pier for some reason, and the Brady Pub and the fish market that they used to have.”
Although Clark would likely consider a return to DAYS in the future, at the moment she’s committed to exploring characters other than Carrie. “I would probably go back, because it’s family,” she conceded, “but I want to work on other stuff right now.”
My Two Dads: The two men Christie Clark called Dad on DAYS, Drake Hogestyn (ex-John, l.) and Wayne Northrop (ex-Roman), have sadly passed away in recent months.
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