Ryan Gosling Praises ‘Days of Our Lives’ Icon for Giving Him an ‘Incredible’ Acting Class

Ryan Gosling is a huge Days of Our Lives fan.

Speaking on Josh Horowitz‘s Happy Sad Confused podcast on March 20, the La La Land star, 45, recalled one of his favorite-storylines on the NBC soap opera was when Marlena Evans — who is portrayed by Deidre Hall, 78 — was possessed by Satan in 1994.

“This was right around when X-Files was a big deal, right? Suddenly everything got supernatural,” recalled Gosling. “She was possessed by the Devil. So Deidre Hall has to suddenly, after playing just a normal person, then she’s gotta … it was an incredible acting class.”

“What’s amazing is I remember that, thinking, ‘God, Deidre Hall is a great actress because she’s having to act possessed right now. That just seems like a lot to ask of her,'” he continued.  “It’s kind of also when I stopped watching the show, not because of that.”

In 2021, Hall’s character was repossessed by Satan, and Gosling happened to tune into some of the episodes.

“My life keeps crossing the path when Deidre Hall is possessed,” he quipped.

During his appearance on the podcast, Gosling spoke more about his appreciation for soap opera actors.

“Soap opera actors in general, they do not get the love they deserve,” he said, noting that they are often put in “impossible scenarios” where they have to learn “10 pages of dialogue, and they get one take.”

In 2021, Hall appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to discuss her character’s storyline in the soap’s 56th season.

“Twenty-five years ago, Marlena was possessed by the devil, in case you missed that. And we have just revisited that,” Hall said.  “When we embarked on the storyline, our executive producer and showrunner, Ken Corday, actually sent over holy water and a crucifix. And every time we do a scene where I’m possessed, I’ve taken it on stage and offered anybody who would like to have some holy water — and everybody says yes. So, we go around the whole set.”