Catching Up With Staci Greason

(ex-Isabella, DAYS, 1989-92, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2010)

- Janet Di Lauro

It’s been nine years since Staci Greason last appeared on DAYS as the ghost of Isabella Toscano Black and, to be perfectly honest, she has no desire to make another return to the town of Salem. “I was at my mother-in-law’s memorial recently, and one of my husband’s cousins came up to me and said, ‘They’ve got this doctor on the show who’s bringing everybody back to life. You should ask him to bring you back to life,’ ” recounts Greason with a chuckle. “I said, ‘Steve, I’m not interested.’ ”

Greason, in fact, received a call about a year ago, asking if she’d consider making a DAYS comeback and responded with a polite, “No, thank you.” Since her initial run on the soap from 1989-92, when Isabella succumbed to pancreatic cancer, Greason has been invited back a few times. However, it was only for limited stints as an apparition appearing to her character’s son, Brady. “That’s just not very challenging,” asserts Greason. “It wasn’t the same. I wasn’t interested in showing up twice a year and saying a few lines in the corner.”

Returning now, at the age of 56, holds even less appeal. “Honestly, I don’t really want to have any work done, and I don’t know how great I would look without it on camera,” concedes Greason bluntly. “I remember when I came back to the show in [2000]. I was so excited to be on it, again, but I remember people posting some really cruel things about my face.

I thought, ‘Goodness gracious.’ And I was only 37 at the time. I am literally all about the imperfections. I am very happy that I am still alive and that my face is aging.”