‘The Young and the Restless’: Marla Adams Breaks Down Her Last Day on Set as Dina Abbott Mergeron
The Young and the Restless star Marla Adams completed an iconic run as Dina Abbott Mergeron on the show. She talked about how her last day went in a recent interview.
Marla Adams wrapped up years of story as Dina Abbott Mergeron
On the show, Dina is the first wife of John Abbott. She is the mother Jack, Ashley, and Traci Abbott. Adams was on the show in the 1980s and first portrayed the role regularly from 1983 to 1986.
She continued to make appearances for guest stints on different occasions before returning to the show in a recurring capacity beginning in 2017. Appearing on the show many times between then and now, a prominent storyline was when Dina has developed Alzheimer’s disease, which happened in her most recent years on the show. This was a major plotline on the show storyline for the Abbott family.
When she show returned for production after it was suspended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the show began to prepare to say goodbye to Dina, and now, the character is gone off to the great beyond.
The legendary actress talks about Dina’s exit
In an interview with Michael Fairman TV, Adams talked about the character’s time on the show coming to an end and how Dina’s storyline was concluded. She explained, “It was wonderful because it showed her lifetime of sorrow and regret, and what was so wonderful was the fact that the hero of the whole thing is the kindness and respect that she really did have for her whole family.”
Adams also talked about how the show pulled out all of the stops for her final day with circumstances that were fit for a queen. “They had the most beautiful sendoff for me. They sent me a limo! I went to the studio, and dear Patti Denney [Make-up artist] was there…it was unbelievable, the kindness that was served to me. After we finished taping my final scenes, I came back to the soundstage and they totally surprised me.”
Anthony Morina, one of the executive producers and Sally Sussman, former head writer, said kind words about Adams as well as her on-screen children: Peter Bergman (Jack), and Beth Maitland (Traci), and Eileen Davidson (Ashley). She also received flowers.
“I was driven back home after this, and I felt really special, and it was just amazing to me,” she said. I had written Josh Griffith [head-writer and co-executive producer] a ‘thank you’ for writing the show with his wonderful people, but I never heard back, but when I walked in my apartment, the phone was ringing. Guess who? It’s Josh! He said, ‘I waited until I knew you would be home to thank you,’ and I felt so lovey-doved up, I couldn’t believe it. I want to read something to you that I received in the wonderful flowers that came the next day from CBS Daytime executive Margot Wain and others. The flowers were so big that they didn’t fit on the bar!”
Fans are hoping that this isn’t Adams’ last appearance on the show and that she could possibly continue to come back on the ghost as Dina’s ghost in the same way that Jerry Douglas did for a long time as John Abbott.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.
