Three-time Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling accepted an invitation to visit the set of days of our lives after a candid exchange with the show’s legendary star Deidre Hall that captured Hollywood’s attention this week.
It all started when Gosling, appearing in the Happy Sad Confused podcast while promoting Ave Maria ProjectShe spoke warmly about growing up watching the long-running soap opera and singled out Hall’s portrayal of Marlena Evans as formative viewing.
He was especially captivated by the show’s ownership story and used the moment to make a broader point about how underrated soap opera actors are.
“They don’t get the love they deserve,” he said.
“The amount they have to memorize the night before, like 10 pages of dialogue. They have one take and it’s impossible scenarios.”
Watching Hall go from playing an ordinary person to someone “possessed by the devil,” he added, was “an incredible kind of acting.”
Hall, who has played Marlena since 1976, responded with a video message thanking Gosling and inviting him to come and see the set for himself.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized and spoken so highly of,” he said, sharing that the cast had watched Gosling’s comments behind the scenes together.
Gosling’s response, sent to Eva Mendes and Ave Maria ProjectThe Instagram accounts of, left no room for ambiguity.
“This is a very enthusiastic yes to a very cordial invitation,” he said.
“I’ll be there to thank you in person… It wasn’t Marlon Brando. It wasn’t De Niro. It was you.” She also called Hall her “OG acting inspiration,” a line that, given the company it puts her in, is quite the tribute.
Ave Maria Project is currently in theaters, with new episodes of Days of Our Lives streaming on Peacock.
