Presley Ann/Getty Images; Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
Having watched Days of our Lives at the knee of her grandmother, Mimi, as a kid, AnnaLynne McCord (Abigail) was intrigued by the prospect of meeting some the show’s long-time cast members. And, of course, Deidre Hall (Marlena) was one of those actors.
“There was a fun little moment that I had with her,” recalls McCord. “We were crossing from one set to the next. It’s when some actors go, and then the new actors come [onto the sound stage]. She caught me at one point and was like, ‘Oh honey, you’ve got a hair.’ She called someone from hair over for me, but I guess I had a rebellious hair. So she was like, ‘Do you want it to be gone?’ And I said, ‘Oh yes, please. I would love for it to be gone.’ She was like, “OK,” and she walked over and plucked it right out of my head. I thought she was going to pat it down, but that hair is gone never to be returned.”
Hall also shared some tips of the soap opera trade with McCord. “She taught me about edit beats,” notes McCord. “On soap operas you wait for a solid beat at the end of the other actor’s line for an edit cut point. It’s a pause right after another actor’s line and then you continue on. I did not know about that. I’m definitely the actress who cuts you off with my line, kind of the way we do in life. But on daytime, especially the way edits happen, it’s good to give that little beat so they can make sure that they have everyone’s dialogue clear. So Deidre taught me what an edit beat was, and I felt like it was really gracious of her.”
As was Hall’s hair grooming gesture. “I loved the moment where she plucked my hair,” insists McCord with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, Deidre Hall just plucked a hair out of my head! I can die now.’ ”
