I have to say I’ve really been enjoying this amazing tribute that “Days of our Lives” has been delivering for Alice Horton, as well as for Frances Reid. It’s been made so clear how many lives Frances touched both on and off the show. Recently, fan favorite Mary Beth Evans was nice enough to take the time to talk about reuniting with familiar faces while filming the tribute to Alice. Here’s what she had to say.

Days Insider: What was it like reuniting with so may familiar faces on the set of “Days of our Lives”?

Mary Beth: There were a lot of us who had returned for the tribute. There were faces I haven’t seen in 20 years. It was so much fun reuniting with everybody. Two of my real favorite people are Charlie Shaughnessy (Shane) and Wally Kurth (Justin), and they were both there. We had so much fun. We just laughed our heads off. All of us realized we really are family and that’s why it felt like such a family reunion – to all be together for Frances, who we all adored. She made such an impact on all of us. It was sweet, it gave us a chance to honor her and send our love up to her; also, sadness, to talk about memories. You know it was funny, because during the filming, the show was also selecting flashback scenes to see how some of us were 20 years before. The shoulder pads, the hair, the fake fingernails, the blue eye shadow!

Days Insider: What are fans going to get out of watching this touching tribute to Alice?

Mary Beth: One thing I thought was really cool about the tribute was it wasn’t just people coming by and standing in for Alice’s funeral. Head writer Dena really wrote some great storylines for everybody. Kayla gets to sit down with her brother Bo and listen in about his latest escapades; Kayla has to give Hope encouraging words during her heartbreak; and Kayla has to give advice to her daughter, Stephanie. So it was great to come in and have to play scenes like that. I think everybody who returned had some scenes where they had to put out some fires before they left.

Days Insider: How important was Alice Horton’s role for the citizens of Salem, as well as the role Frances played on Days – for the actors who worked with her, as well as the fans who watched her?

Mary Beth: She was the matriarch of the entire show. She was the big mama and we all looked up to her. But Frances was also a pistol, which is so funny and irreverent but it’s true. We all looked up to her. She was such a pro. I think Frances represented family, and I think the fans got that from her, as well.

Days Insider: Do you keep in touch with actors from the show?

Mary Beth: Usually I run into them at some kind of event and we catch up. Stephen Nichols and I do talk and go to lunch a lot. It’s funny, with daytime schedules, when you’re gone and return, some people don’t realize how long you’ve been gone or if you’re back, they don’t realize how long you’ve been back. When we had this reunion, we didn’t know who had really left the show and who was still on the show. I guess that’s a good thing. When you work with these actors for so many years, they’re your family. Stephen and I have been really great friends for 25 years, for as long as I’ve been married to my husband. I met Stephen right after I met my husband.

Days Insider: And finally, do you have an all-time favorite storyline that you participated in throughout the years?

Mary Beth: I loved the whole Gideon storyline we did a long time ago. We filmed on location in South Carolina. We had these elaborate costumes and had to pick up Southern accents. It was a very big deal. You know, in the 80s, we did location shoots like that. It made it seem more like a little movie and it was a love story. I loved it! I thought it was great. I actually watched a cut of it a year ago, and I still find it so sweet.
 

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed my interview with Mary Beth Evans. She’ll always be one of my favorites. I can’t wait for Kayla to have scenes with Bo, Stephanie and Hope! Feel free to share some of your favorite Kayla Brady memories throughout the years with me.

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