‘Days of our Lives’: Why Martha Madison Chose to Leave Instead of Being a ‘Peripheral Character’

Michael Maloney August 16, 2023, 10:30 am

Martha Madison, a fan favorite for her portrayal of Belle Black Brady on Days of our Lives, is leaving the Peacock streaming series later this year. The soap opera tapes months in advance so Madison, who shot her last episode in the spring, is set to exit Salem sometime in early November.

TV Insider chatted with the actress about why she decided to leave the series after a near 20-year (on and off) run. She also addresses the possibility of a return — someday. Read on for the actress’s thoughts on the challenging storyline that earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2019 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and more.

You touched upon your exit from DAYS in a social media post.

Martha Madison: Yes. Someone reminded me it was the 19^th anniversary of my first air date, [which was August 10, 2004]. I posted a quick thank you and said it’s been a wonderful ride. I thought the cat was already out of the bag about my leaving.

Before we get into that, I wanted to point out a huge highlight for you from the last few years, which was Belle wanting to honor her mother Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) wishes when she was on life support. It nearly tore the family apart. Then, the big twist was that ‘Marlena’ was really Hattie (also played by Hall). That was great soap opera.

Honestly, that’s what I signed up for way back in the day. I’d been a DAYS fan most of my life for storylines like that — the intertwining family dynamics and relatable struggles. Sure, we have fun escapades with stolen jewels and things like that, but the thing that reeled me in as a soap viewer was the family drama. I think Marlena’s right to live storyline was one of [head writer] Ron Carlivati’s best stories on DAYS. Everyone came back for it.

It was logical that Belle would be chosen to make the tough decision if Marlena were being kept alive by a machine. You were terrific and that Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2019 was well-deserved. Belle was certainly emotional about losing her mother, but she didn’t lose her stance as daytime’s most no-nonsense attorney.

[Laughs] Thanks!

Why do you think Marlena chose Belle to pull the plug if necessary?

She knew Belle would do the right thing, but the story was great because everyone in the family had a valid point of view. Everyone’s story was told. That’s always been such an important part of daytime.

Martha Madison and Deidre Hall in 'Days of our Lives'

Chris Haston/©NBC/courtesy Everett Collection

More recently, you had a nice storyline with Dan Feuerriegel when you were representing his character, EJ. How far into working with him did you think they were going to add a romantic element for your characters to play?

We were doing a scene where Belle was representing him. The script called for her to touch his hand. I thought, “Here we go! They’re doing this!” Dan said he wasn’t sure. I said just watch. Then, those moments started to play more frequently, and we were off to the races. I think the fans found it intriguing, and Dan and I had a lot of fun doing it. He’s both a fun and a serious actor. That’s a great combination to have. I thought it was a perfectly designed story that unfortunately didn’t get to play all the way out. I got great feedback when we were shooting it, but then, all of a sudden, it was wrapped up in one episode.

Belle’s a lawyer and the daughter of legendary duo John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena. For those and many other factors, I was surprised to hear you were leaving.

I was surprised to hear I was leaving, too! [Laughs] Actually, I wasn’t. Albert [Alarr, the then-co-executive producer] called me the day before the renewal was announced to let me know that they decided to write me off the show again. I asked why they chose me, and he said it was budget-dictated. He told me specifics about how they were going to send my character off, and then I thanked him [and] wished him well, and that was that.

Honestly, the writing had been on the wall since they squashed the EJ and Belle story so abruptly, so I wasn’t fully surprised. But then weeks later as I was saying my goodbyes to everyone, I randomly got another script. I was so confused because it indicated that Belle was staying in town, but nobody had spoken to me about that. Ultimately, they said they’d like me to stick around to “occasionally do legal stuff,” and “then, you never know what might happen after that,” and really that was just such a lightbulb moment for me.

In my opinion, Belle was never meant to be a peripheral character. She is the only child of Marlena and John, and, after 19 years of coming and going from the show, it just finally clicked for me that they were never going to showcase the character the way I felt she should be. So, I declined the opportunity to recur and shot that last episode in April. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful to have played Belle for two decades, but I’m ready for more. It was just time to leave.

Do you still feel this way even though joint actors and writers strikes have brought the industry to a standstill?

Yes. I feel like I can be patient now and wait for the right opportunities and the right projects. I’m very lucky that I have a full-time job as a vice-president at a recruitment agency [One Haus]. So, I’m very fortunate that I don’t have to make these career decisions based on financial needs. I’ve worked very hard to get to this place in my life where I’m able to make decisions based on what’s fulfilling for me and what’s going to feel good in my life.

Martha Madison as Belle Black in Days of our Lives - Season 50

Chris Haston/NBC

You returned to DAYS in 2019 for the Last Blast Reunion, which streamed on the DOOL app, so you are open to new ventures or a limited venture.

Oh, gosh, yes. I’m the queen of yes when it comes to trying new things. It’s fun to try new things and be creative and to work with people who are passionate. Whatever I do next, I am hoping it’s going to be with people who are passionate about making something really special in a collaborative environment.

There’s been a regime change at DAYS; the show has a new co-executive producer with Janet Drucker. Are you open to coming back?

[Beat] I’d have to think about that. I asked DAYS for a contract when the show came back from the covid break in 2020. It was going to require me moving my family back to Los Angeles from Dallas, so I needed some assurance from the show that they were going to use me regularly. I’d still need that [if I were to go back], and like I mentioned before, it would need to be because they were going to tell compelling stories with Belle in a pivotal position in those stories. I’ve spent my entire life, from six years old, training to be an actress. I want to act.

But I think the show is in excellent hands with Janet; she is kind and compassionate and has been there a long time. She is excellent at her job and has the full respect of the cast and crew. I think she’s going to do great.

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Are you open to another daytime show – General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, or The Young and the Restless?

I’m absolutely open to projects that would offer the chance to play a compelling character in a fun and collaborative environment. I love daytime TV and working in soap operas. I’m a huge fan of the genre. I’d be honored to work on any of the shows. I’d just want to make sure it’s going to be a dynamic character that would be featured regularly.

Do you have any thoughts on Albert Alarr, who made headlines recently before he was let go as co-executive producer.

[Beat] All I’ll say is that I would not wish that type of public fallout on anyone, and I hope everyone involved is able to find some peace going forward.

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