I have so much that I have stored up with him over the years. I miss that. I miss that he doesn’t get to come to work. I miss that he doesn’t get to play with us. It’s amazing. I remember my first day on the show, which was January 10th, 1986. He loved being here, just loved it, and I miss that for him.
The unimaginable loss of her dear co-star is still fresh. Dedra’s last scene with Drake, which aired a few weeks before his death, poignantly captured John and Marlena’s unflinching loyalty for each other. “You’re lucky to have me to help you, damn lucky.” I loved him so. Marlena loved him so. They loved each other so.
I will sometimes be sitting on the set and thinking, “John is gone, and oh my gosh, Drake is gone.” Dedra reveals she and her castmates were in disbelief when they found out about Drake’s tragic cancer diagnosis and subsequent passing. “We had very little notice on that. It was a shock, and I think we’ve all talked about it privately. And the resounding comment was, ‘Not Drake. Drake?’ I mean, the healthiest, the most positive, and then there it was.”
How has the cast been there for each other right now? “Truly, we don’t talk about it. There isn’t even really as much as somebody walking by and putting their hand on you. We just—we don’t live there, you know? We’re living in Salem and in this reality. We just are meant to be together, and I’m so happy that we are.”
“I love you.” Dedra and Drake were destined to be one of TV’s most iconic super couples from the moment Drake auditioned for the show. “When I screen tested with them, I knew. They called me upstairs and said, ‘So, you know, you seven actors here, what do you think?’ And it was sort of, ‘Oh, please say Drake. Please say Drake.’ I said, ‘Okay.’”
One of Dedra’s favorite scenes with Drake is from a 1991 storyline when John and Marlena reunite on the pier. “Oh my God. Marlena appears on the dock, and he sees her in the fog. And what’s wonderful about playing these scenes, we know you’re on the edge of your seat saying, ‘Oh my gosh, there she is,’ you know? And we can’t wait for him to turn around and see her.”
Despite the past several months being incredibly difficult, Dedra is looking forward to the 60th anniversary of the show next year with optimism and gratitude. “These anniversaries are such a gift, not just to us but to the audience. We feel like they are family. So stick with us. We’re always going to be your family.”
