Ryan Gosling excited to step onto 'Days of Our Lives' set after Soap Opera admiration
The 'Project Hail Mary star' says watching Hall act possessed taught him incredible acting lessons
Ryan Gosling is about to cross paths with one of his first acting inspirations.
The Project Hail Mary star has accepted an invitation to visit his soap opera idol, Deidre Hall, on the set of Days of Our Lives.
Gosling recently revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that watching Hall portray a woman possessed by the devil on the long-running soap taught him invaluable lessons about acting.
In an Instagram video, Hall addressed the Hollywood actor directly: “We’re just thrilled to be acknowledged and to be so well spoken of because we work really hard, as you acknowledged… come over and see what we do in our neck of the woods. Nobody will be possessed. And if they are, I’ll keep an eye on you.”
Gosling eagerly accepted the invitation. “Deidre Hall, are you kidding me? Yes. This is a very enthusiastic yes to a very cordial invitation to visit you on set,” he said.
“I will be there to thank you in person for being my OG [original] acting inspiration. It wasn’t Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. It wasn’t [Robert] De Niro in Taxi Driver. It was you.”
The actor, who grew up watching soap operas, recalled how his childhood love of television shaped his approach to acting.
“I didn't have a lot of friends growing up. I had TV. I used to pretend to be sick so I could stay home and watch Regis and Kelly. I loved Regis and Kelly and Days of Our Lives,” he shared.
Gosling also praised the often-overlooked talent of soap opera performers. “Soap opera actors in general, they do not get the love they deserve… [They have to] memorize the script the night before, like 10 pages of dialogue, and get one take,” he explained.
“It was an incredible acting class… I remember thinking that Deidre Hall is a great actress because she’s having to act possessed right now. This seems like a lot to ask of her.”
The actor joked about handling the supernatural elements on set: “I’m not worried about the possession, I’ll say a Hail Mary before I get there. It’ll be fine and I’ll see you on set.”