Days of Our Lives’ Martha Madison and Brandon Beemer Talk the Future of Shelle and Standout Moments: ‘It Was Just Beautiful Material’
It’ll be a special day for Belle and Shawn for more reasons than one.
Belle and Shawn’s first attempt at getting married on Days of Our Lives this year was thwarted by Jan. Their next attempt, happening this week, will go off without a hitch. “There are I dos, yes,” Martha Madison (Belle) promised with a chuckle when Soaps.com recently spoke with her and her co-star Brandon Beemer (Shawn).
Beemer added that those I dos happen on, “December 22nd. On my mom’s birthday. I texted her that and I was like, ‘Mom. Look. What is that day?’” His mother of course recognized the date and confirmed she’ll be watching Shelle’s impromptu nuptials.
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While Beemer’s parents ask for a heads up when his episodes air, aside from Madison’s father, who might watch from time to time, her family isn’t as invested.
“I had [Days] on the other day and my seven-year-old daughter walked in the door and was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to go watch something else,’” Madison said with a laugh. “They’re not interested in Mommy.”
The co-stars’ families may have varying degrees of interest in their on-screen lives, but their fans are always thrilled to see Shawn and Belle back in Salem. Especially when reunited with the Last Blast Crew, as they were earlier this year.
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As for what the onscreen marrieds thought of the Crew getting back together, Beemer said, “I thought it was great. It was a lot of fun. [Last Blast Reunion] was like the teaser and then we got to have Jan come back in, so that was another little treat. It’s been fun.”
“It was a great nod to history,” Madison agreed, “and super fun for us to get to reconnect with everybody and play out the ending — what I think should have been the ending to this group years and years ago. It felt like it was very full circle.”
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As for other standout moments in Shawn and Belle’s respective histories, Beemer reminisced about first taking over the role of Shawn Brady in 2006.
Of joining Days of Our Lives when Shawn first found out he was a father, Beemer said, “I felt like there’s this sort of maturity that comes with finding out you have a child and having to be there for this child. I looked at it that way. I was looking at Shawn’s past and he was a little rebel and had a temper and doing things without thinking. I started to say, ‘Okay. Shawn’s gotta kind of work his way out of that.’”
Shawn joining the police academy and becoming a cop also forced the character’s maturity, which led Beemer to begin putting his mark on the role. “Maybe in the first six to eight months,” he mused, “I think is when I started to go, ‘All right. I’m getting this now. I get to take Shawn in a different route.’”
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As for Madison, who first started on Days in 2004, one storyline that really sticks out for her was Belle going against her family to honor a comatose Marlena’s wishes, after she’d been shot at her own wedding.
“I think the DNR storyline with Deidre [Hall, Marlena] and Drake [Hogestyn, John] really highlighted Belle’s good intentions and her integrity and wanting to do right by her family at all costs and fighting the good fight,” Madison said. “I also think that protectiveness came out in her against Sami. I think that really highlighted a lot of Belle’s more positive qualities, and certainly her as an attorney, really trying to do the right thing by the law and by her mom and all that stuff.
“And also, it was just beautiful material,” Madison added. “I really loved playing it.”
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As for what’s next, viewers probably won’t see much of the newlyweds after they make things official again. However, the actors expect to be back in the New Year.
“My understanding is there is still more for us to do through [the first part of the year] and we’ll kind of see from there,” Madison said. “We’re all kind of flying by the seat of our pants right now and I think Brandon and I are both happy to be there and would like to continue being there. So, if all the stars align…”
What do you want to see for Belle and Shawn in 2021? What have been your favorite Shelle moments? Look through the photo gallery of Days of Our Lives year in review and then tell us below!
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