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Tamara Braun Sets the Record Straight

Tamara Braun is finally addressing the rumors that she may not re-sign her contract as GH's Carly when her contract expires this winter.
"In terms of the contract, it's funny," some stories: 'In and Out,' 'Is Sarah Brown coming back?, "Is Tamara Leaving?' is what you have put on the front, but then it doesn't say much inside. Which is probably because no one has talked to me. It's weird. I have friends calling: 'Oh my God!
I'm like, 'Guys, its selling a magazine. It's intrigue.' It's a business, I know that. [But] you guys have your dates wrong."
So her contract doesn't expire in February? "I do not think it does," Braun responds. "I keep thinking I need to go home and look at my contract date. You guys are about a month early."
Not that the press isn't right about the fact that she is considering her options. "Absolutely," she states. "I've thought about my contract, and come contract negotiation time we'll discuss it. No decisions have been made yet. I love my family over there. I really see it like that. I'll be very interested to see what they have in store for me story wise. Carly is a great character. She's complex. She's dynamic. She's fun. She's free. She's series. She's silly. She's multi-layered.
"I will definitely go through pilot season and see what happens," admits Braun. "Like I said, I love my GH family. I love the crew. I love the cast. It's nice to wake up and go to a place where there are people who are happy to see you- and you're happy to see them. That's a hard thing to give up. That's how I really feel. Actors always want to play different roles. For me, because an actress so I could play different roles. But my gosh, I have learned more, and more wonderful experiences playing Carly, and grown up more as an actress than I ever would doing anything else. I know this. And I respect this and I appreciate this."
What does GH have to say about all this? "We are desperately assuming she will resign", responds head writer Robert Guza Jr. "We are making no attempts to try to do this show without her. She's a centerpiece of this show. We love her and, frankly, we are going to jump out of this fifth floor window if she doesn't re-sign."
Guza insist that he and co-head Chuck Pratt Jr. "can’t project that far ahead. We are not thinking about that happening at all."
"Obviously, we'd deal with it, if the time came," adds Pratt.
"If we had to," interjects Guza.
Meaning no matter what happens, Carly will remain a key character in Port Charles- be it in the hands of Braun or another actress.
"Carly is central to thinks canvas," maintains Guza.
We are not going to put this role to bed. I was lucky enough to be involved with the creation of that character 10,000 years ago. We can't see trying to do this show without her."
The obvious choice for a recast- as has been speculated about in the press- is Sarah Brown, who created the role of Carly and s about to wrap up her run as Julia on As the World Turns. A rep for Brown responds, "This is the first I've heard of any of this."

Soap Opera Weekly January 4, 2005