Exclusive Interview
‘Days of Our Lives’: Deidre Hall Details How Drake Hogestyn Won the Role of John Black (VIDEO)
Ten years into Deidre Hall‘s legendary run as Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives, a new leading man arrived in Salem — and together they would become one of daytime television’s most beloved supercouples.
On January 24, 1986, Drake Hogestyn, a former minor-league baseball player, made his debut as a mysterious, bandaged stranger known as “The Pawn.” Loosely inspired by Jason Bourne from Robert Ludlum’s bestselling novels, the amnesiac character had a questionable past and was recovering from facial reconstructive surgery.
For Hall, who screen-tested with potential scene partners, Hogestyn immediately stood out. “We did the test, and he was wonderful,” she told Swooon in a special video looking back at her five decades in Salem. “And when that day was over, they called me upstairs and said, ‘Okay, we had seven guys here. What do you think?’ And I thought, ‘Oh, my heart’s in my throat. Oh, my gosh.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m hoping that you’re thinking it’s Drake.’ He said, ‘We were hoping you would think it was Drake, too.’ He was so clearly the winner and was everybody’s choice.”
After escaping Victor Kiriakis’ (John Aniston) clutches, the Pawn made his way around town and adopted the name John Black after spotting it on a Vietnam War memorial.
John Paschal / JPI
John first crossed paths with Marlena at Shenanigan’s, where he came to her rescue during a robbery attempt. What began as a friendship soon evolved into one of the most enduring love stories in soap opera history. Months later, clues, including a telltale Phoenix tattoo, led to the revelation that he was Marlena’s presumed-dead husband, Roman Brady. The couple reunited, only to be separated again by Marlena’s own presumed death in 1987. In 1991, both Marlena — and the real Roman — were revealed to be alive, and “Roman” once again became John Black.
Over the next four decades, John and Marlena’s romance survived kidnappings, mistaken identities, Stefano DiMera’s endless schemes, devil possession, separations, reunions, and countless twists that could only happen in Salem. Through it all, they shared some of the show’s most memorable moments, from the birth of their daughter, Belle, to multiple weddings and reaffirmations of their love. Their love story came to an end in 2025 with John’s death, following Hogestyn’s real-life passing in 2024.
In this video retrospective, Hall reflects on their unique partnership that made John and Marlena resonate with generations of viewers. “I’m fairly loose when I work, and Drake was wildly competent and wildly prepared,” she assessed. “I think he was never quite sure that I was going to be there, that I knew what I was talking about, or was prepared, and so there was a lot of eye contact, there was a lot of, ‘Good, you got it,’ ‘Okay, you got the next line,’ ‘Okay, I’m going to talk now. And then you miss, then you’re going to talk.’ There’s nothing like eye contact.”
Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock
