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Watch It Now On Peacock! DAYS: A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS

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DAYS OF OUR LIVES: A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS is streaming now on Peacock. Here, some of the show’s stars preview what to expect in the holiday special.

Deidre Hall (Marlena)

Soap Opera Digest: What were your thoughts about being back to good old, kindly Marlena in the special?

Deidre Hall: I was so happy, just because I didn’t want to be possessed at Christmas. Let me partake in all the fun and the joy, and we could all enjoy the holiday without the devil lurking in the background.

Digest: John is married to Kristen in the movie. Was it fun for you to play a different version of Marlena, who wasn’t with John?

Hall: It was so rich. Drake [Hogestyn, John] and I had both commented on it a few times that they’ve been married for, like, 40 years. It’s so typical, and we just fall into that. To be able to see him and not be able to love him … Marlena shakes John’s hand at one point, which is a throwback to the very first time she met him. And just the electricity, the magic that’s happening. Also, the audience gets to see they’re not married. Oh, my gosh. Several people have said, “I’d like to see that storyline played out.” What if there was a world where John and Marlena hadn’t met yet?

Digest: Where does the holiday find Marlena?

Hall: The holiday finds Marlena grieving Roman’s death, having been married to him for a number of years. In this incarnation, she and Sami run the pub. They haven’t been able to make the mortgage, and they’re about to lose it. She and Sami are very close, which is obviously nice to see. There’s no separation about what they both want. They’re both desperate to save the pub.

Digest: Was this relationship between Marlena and Sami one of your favorite parts of the movie?

Hall: Yes. I loved it. They’ve never had these two characters in harmony, and in the movie they’re fighting as hard as they can, together, to make something happen for their own survival. The same thing with Marlena and John. It’s a completely different relationship [than the one on DAYS].

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Alison Sweeney (Sami)

Soap Opera Digest: How did you react when they called about A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS?

Sweeney: I loved the idea from the get-go. It seemed so fun to do a Christmas special and I thought it would be fun for the fans.

Digest: What was it like to do a DAYS special episode? Did it feel different than the regular show?

Sweeney: In some ways it was different — we had a little extra time in filming the scenes, which always feels different and special! Also, it starts off with Marlena and Sami in such a different situation than their current storylines, so that was fun to embrace.

Digest: What was your favorite part about doing the special episode?

Sweeney: My favorite part were the fun scenes in the pub. There’s a big group scene in the pub and I really enjoyed that … especially the behind-the-scenes moment, getting to bond and connect with everyone.

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Eileen Davidson (Kristen)

Soap Opera Digest: When they called you to come back for the Christmas movie, was it an easy decision?

Eileen Davidson: Absolutely. I think what they’re doing is kind of fantastic. They’re kind of reinventing a wheel that you didn’t think could be reinvented. I love that they’re thinking outside the box and trying to do things a little differently. It’s so much fun. I was talking to Greg Rikaart [Leo; Kevin, Y&R] about it. We’re both having so much fun. Creatively, it’s very freeing and emancipating because it’s a different world. We don’t have the constraints of network television. You can kind of stretch the boundaries a little bit, and that’s fun.

Digest: Were you shocked to learn you’d be married to John in the special?

Davidson: Absolutely. I didn’t see that one coming. I love the fact that they’re going someplace unexpected. I never anticipated that.

Digest: Do you have a favorite part from the special?

Davidson: I like the opening scene where you first meet her and they’re in a really beautiful reception area of an inn. They own a bed and breakfast. I thought that was a fun way to open up a Christmas movie. The feel-good stuff, before it goes off the rails for a little bit.

Digest: The special is obviously going to show different sides of the show’s characters. Is there anything else that you think it’s going to offer fans that’s different from DAYS?

Davidson: It’s a completely different concept, so everything. It’s like a nod to the network show, but then it kind of goes off in different directions. It’s showing you what could have happened if these people made different choices. Then that takes a twist. They just kind of throw in every fun thing they can think of. I think they do it really well frankly,  Ron [Carlivati, head writer] and crew and all the other writers. They have a really great touch. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They break down the fourth wall. They reach out to the audience and wink at them. You get to be part of the jokes. It’s something quite unusual and a lot of fun to be a part of. It’s a lot of fun to play something so different. It’s creatively emancipating. And for viewers, they get to see what it would be like with a different take on the characters.

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Chandler Massey (Will)

Soap Opera Digest: What was your reaction to being called to do the Christmas special?

Massey: I was really excited. First and foremost, I was really happy for DAYS. It obviously meant that BEYOND SALEM did well, because they wanted to do another one.

Digest: How do Sonny and Will fit into the holiday picture?

Massey: They’re in Arizona. Will is on a deadline to submit a movie to the streaming service that he’s working for. He’s out of ideas when Sonny has this idea for a Christmas movie. That gets the ball rolling, and they start brainstorming. The goings-on in the special take place in Sonny and Will’s collective imagination. So, they’re kind of the narrators.

Digest: Has this been kind of cool for you to play this big-shot writer?

Massey: For sure. I think it’s really cool. It’s nice that they remembered that that was his career.

Digest: Do you have a favorite part of this Christmas special?

Massey: I like that everyone was mixed up. John and Kristen were together. Nick was alive. The idea of an alternate reality Salem, if things had gone differently, is really interesting to me. I think that was kind of genius.

Digest: Anyone you were most excited to work with again?

Massey: I was excited to see the prop guys. They always make me laugh. Also, Zach [Tinker]. We’d just done the BEYOND SALEM stuff. I was excited to expand upon that working relationship.

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Zach Tinker (Sonny)

Soap Opera Digest: How is this special different from the first for you? Did you feel more relaxed playing Sonny?

Zach Tinker: I got pretty positive reception with the first one. With the second one, I felt like people were on board with me. I can feel a little more relaxed, throw the spaghetti at the wall and hope it sticks.

Digest: What can you tease about where the holiday season finds Will and Sonny?

Tinker: We’re kind of the narrators; Chandler kind of said it best. Have you ever seen THE MUPPETS? The two old dudes who are watching it, talking about the people and the show. We’re like those guys, the ones who are telling you a story and giving commentary here and there. It’s a fun little detour from what you normally see on DAYS.

Digest: What were the highlights for you?

Tinker: As cheesy as it may sound, just kind of seeing everyone again and working with everyone again. There were a few scenes where everyone involved with the special were in them. That was probably the best part, seeing everyone from the show together and having fun. There were late-night shoots, well, late for daytime — 6 or 7 o’clock. We usually wrap by 4 or 5. It was nice to see everyone get to the goofy part of the night where people were just joking around and having fun and having a good time with each other.

Digest: Any other fun moments from the whole experience?

Tinker: Working with Chandler is always fun. I’m sure it’s a pain in the butt for production, but we really make each other laugh a lot. There are always quite a few outtakes of Chandler and me working together. We have a very similar sense of humor, very dumb, 15-year-old-boy humor. I think that’s ingrained in everyone, and you just have to let it out. When you get the right people around you, it comes out. That’s what we do to each other.

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DAYS OF OUR LIVES: A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS is streaming on Peacock.

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