Although Days of Our Lives’ 60th anniversary may not be until November, the show is already setting the stage for the milestone celebration.
Last week, the cast came together to shoot the cast photo and some individual photos to commemorate the anniversary.
Drake Hogyestn’s (John) absence was felt among the cast, but most of all among his on-screen family.
Deidre Hall (Marlena), Alison Sweeney (Sami), Eric Martsolf (Brady), Martha Madison (Belle), and Greg Vaughan (Eric) shot the first Brady/Black family picture without Drake, and it was emotional for them all.
Access Hollywood went behind the scenes for the iconic photoshoot to speak with the cast about the anniversary.
Eric was the first to share a picture from the set, thanking Access Hollywood for the feature.
Alison Sweeney tears up remembering Drake Hogestyn
After a few years away, Alison is back on Days of our Lives, wreaking havoc as Sami. Alison and Sami will be on hand for John’s death and tribute to Drake this summer, as well as for the 60th anniversary in November.
Speaking with Access Hollywood, Alison teared up talking about missing her long-time friend and costar.
“It’s so hard. We miss Drake so much. And I think about him all the time,” she expressed.
Alison revealed that when she learned of Drake’s death, she immediately texted Christie Clark (Carrie), Martha, and Eric because they, along with Greg, were Drake’s on-screen kids.
The actress shared that Drake often went into dad mode on set regarding the younger cast. When recalling a big cast scene filmed recently where Drake would have been the center, Alison broke down in tears.
Deidre Hall says Drake Hogestyn’s death left a ‘hole’ at Days of our Lives
Celebrating 60 years of Days of our Lives is a huge deal, and the entire cast knows that, especially Deidre.
However, Drake not being in the mix has been challenging for her.
“Not having Drake here has left a terrible hole in all of us. It took me a long time to realize that I wouldn’t pull into the parking lot and see his truck. He had a huge presence on stage, and we miss him terribly,” she expressed.
Eric added that he’s doing his best to try to keep John and Drake’s legacy alive on the hit Peacock soap. The actor got emotional speaking about his on-screen dad and life without him on set.
The loss of Drake Hogestyn is still raw for the cast of Days of our Lives, as the show marks a major milestone without him.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock.