After nearly 50 years of ruling Days of Our Lives as the poised, polished, and practically perfect Marlena Evans, soap icon Deidre Hall has a confession: there’s another side of Salem she enjoys far more — and it’s messier, louder, and absolutely unhinged.
“I’ve played Marlena for so many years, and she is, you know, just rigid, by the numbers, predictable in a pleasant way,” Hall shared on the Soapy podcast. But it wasn’t long before she added, with unmistakable glee, “But getting to play Hattie? Oh golly — spitting gum on people, spilling drinks on them… it’s a dream.”
From Salem’s Saint to Its Wild Card
That chaotic delight comes in the form of Hattie Adams — Marlena’s sharp-tongued, gum-popping doppelgänger who can bulldoze her way into any room and command it with nothing but sass and a spitball. Hattie isn’t just a fan-favorite character; she’s living proof that even the queen of daytime drama enjoys shaking things up. And the story of how Hattie came to life is just as delightfully twisty as a Days plotline.
It all started decades ago when Deidre Hall’s real-life twin sister, Andrea Hall, joined Days of Our Lives to play Marlena’s on-screen twin, Samantha Evans — a storyline that ended tragically when Samantha fell victim to the infamous Salem Strangler in 1982. But producers knew they hadn’t exhausted the twin-twist potential, especially with a performer like Hall at their fingertips.
Years later, Hall joked about the writers’ brainstorming session: “Somebody who, in the right light, looks something like Marlena. ‘Who do we get?’ Oh wait — we do have someone who looks like her!”
And just like that, Hattie Adams was born originally played by Andrea, but when she stepped away from the spotlight to return to teaching, Deidre picked up the baton. Since 2004, she’s made Hattie entirely her own — embracing the chaos, the comedy, and, of course, the gum.
The Gum-Spitting Scene That Became a Legend
During the podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart couldn’t resist bringing up one of the most chaotic — and beloved — Hattie Adams moments of all time: the gum-spitting scene that left Peter Reckell’s Bo Brady stunned and sticky.
Was it rehearsed? Not even close.
“No,” Hall recalled with a mischievous grin. “I told Peter, ‘It’s Hattie — we never know what she’s going to do.’ And he warned me, ‘Don’t be cute.’ I said, ‘We just… we can’t predict her.’ He looked at me again and said, ‘Don’t do anything.’”
Naturally, when the cameras rolled, Hall went full Hattie.
“I spit my gum on him,” she said with a laugh. “And it landed — perfectly. It stuck. Nobody broke. It was heroic.”
The moment became so iconic that Hall later reposted the clip to Facebook with the caption: “Funny Friday!! Reckell and I STILL howl over the gum moment. Heroic that nobody broke!!”
Even in a show known for its outlandish twists, that scene cemented itself in Days history — a perfectly outrageous Hattie moment that reminded everyone why Deidre Hall is daytime royalty.
Hattie’s Grand Entrance: Pure Soap Gold
The full scene is etched in soap opera infamy — a masterclass in character, chaos, and comedy. Dressed head to toe in leather, with a choker to match her fearless attitude, Hattie Adams storms back into Salem like a wrecking ball after years away. Without missing a beat, she announces her return with fire.
When a stunned Bo Brady demands, “Who the hell is this?” Hattie doesn’t flinch. She shoots back, “I got a tongue in my head. Ask me… I’m Hattie Adams. Who the hell are you?”
The room freezes. And when someone dares to point out how much she looks like Marlena, Hattie delivers a line that instantly enters the soap hall of fame: “Don’t insult me! I’m younger, I’m thinner, and my blonde didn’t come out of a bottle!”
But the real shock comes when Bo tries to slap the cuffs on her. In one swift, unforgettable move, Hattie spits her gum straight onto his forehead — a moment so unexpected, so audacious, it became instant TV gold. No one broke character. No one flinched. And with that single rebellious act, Hattie cemented herself as one of Days of Our Lives’ most unpredictably iconic personalities.
Deidre Hall’s Range: From Drama Queen to Comedic Powerhouse
While Deidre Hall will forever be synonymous with Days of Our Lives, her range as an actress extends far beyond the drama-soaked streets of Salem. Over the years, she’s made memorable guest appearances on classic series like Murder, She Wrote and Columbo, but it was her recent turn on the acclaimed comedy Hacks that truly allowed her to stretch her creative muscles in a new direction — by playing none other than herself.
“The offer was just: ‘Would you come and play the legendary Deidre Hall?’” she told Entertainment Weekly in 2024. “I thought, ‘Oh, that’s hilarious.’”
In portraying a slightly exaggerated version of herself, Hall got to do something soaps rarely offer her the space to explore: full-blown comedy. “I adore comedy,” she confessed. “I just don’t get many chances to do it.”
For fans who only know her as the dignified and poised Marlena Evans or even the unpredictable and hilarious Hattie Adams — Hacks was a reminder that Deidre Hall’s acting chops reach far beyond daytime television. And when she gets the opportunity to dive into humor, she does it with the same brilliance and commitment that made her a soap legend.
Why Hattie Still Matters
But Hattie unpredictable, outrageous, and endlessly entertaining gives Deidre Hall the rare freedom to break away from the emotional gravity that Days of Our Lives so often demands. While Marlena navigates life-or-death stakes and emotional reckonings, Hattie crashes through with wild antics and zero apologies. In playing her, Hall gets to flex a side of her talent rarely seen on daytime television — her sharp comedic instincts — all while staying rooted in the soap opera legacy that made her an icon.
And as long as there’s chaos brewing in Salem, there will be room for Hattie Adams and for the infectious joy Deidre Hall brings every time she lets her loose.
