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Why I'm Leaving

By Rosemary A Rossi

It's never easy saying good-bye. For GENERAL HOSPITAL's Tamara Braun, she's not just leaving her firecracker of a character, Carly Corinthos, but also her friends and millions of fans. The actress sat down with Soaps In Depth over lunch to set the record straight at last and get to the heart and soul of her decision to leave GH after a four-year run. As she voiced her excitement, fear and hope, tears welled up in her eyes, only for them to be wiped away and replaced with big smiles when Rick Hearst, Ingo Rademacher, and Ignacio Serricchio popped up at our table to give her hugs and kisses. Love and respect for her could not have been more apparent...which, for Braun, makes saying good-bye even harder.

Soaps In Depth: Complete this sentence - I've decided to...
Tamara Braun: I've decided to become a ballerina. (Laughs) I have decided to explore and start a new chapter in my life.

In Depth: I'm sure that must have been a real tug of war for you. have you been weighing your options for a while?
Braun: Yes, I've always wanted to play different parts. I've always wanted to do films. I've always wanted to do other TV- primetime, good dramas, dramedies. If the soap had a hiatus, I would do both. But unfortunately, it doesn't. So I have to look at the situation, which is that I'm on pretty much every day. Whether my contract has outs or not, it's always whether or not it can be fit in. I've know people who have gotten other things and weren't able to do it because the show couldn't work it out. There was no other way for me to stretch as an actor in a different party while still being on the show. Even if my contract has outs, it doesn't mean that the production will accommodate another project.

In Depth: There were times when I'd be at the studio and you'd look so tired. There was a stretch between the Alcazar flashbacks through the panic room and through Morgan's birth that it was nonstop emotions for Carly. Was that a hard period for you?
Braun: It was an extremely exhausting period for me. There was no break from tragedy and sadness and emotional turmoil. It was a very exhausting- emotionally and physically- time on Carly. But it also made me very tired as well.

In Depth: You really don't get a break from the emotions sometimes.
Braun: I truly believe that if soaps had a hiatus- life we were just on six months out of the year- that there would be better performances from actors because we'd be rejuvenated. We would have time to regroup, possibly do a play or guest-star on something else or sleep and come back refreshed and revived. I realized that over my four years at GH I never took my full vacation...ever. I took a Thursday and Friday and a Monday once. I never felt that I could. That's not imposed by my employers. It could be self-imposed. It's just that there was so much work to be done that sometimes it was hard to stop, take a step back and go, "Okay, I need this time for myself, and I deserve it." It got to be exhausting. I got into that mode. it was like being a hamster on a wheel, running and running and running. That's what it was like during that period.

In Depth: Everyone has always commented on what a hard worker you are, because you really care about the integrity of your character.
Braun: I do care about my integrity of my character. I became an actress to tell the truth of character and deal with her issues and conflicts an joys. That's where I like to come from. I think it's the job of an actor to ask why. You come up with answers for yourself so you can communicate as the character. Otherwise, you're just somebody standing there reciting lines. that's one way to do it, I suppose. But it's not the way I like to do it. It' doesn't feel good to me. I believe in the integrity of the character, and I believe in my own integrity.

In Depth: Is there something that could have been said or done that would have made you stay at GH? What would it have taken?
Braun: You know, right now, my reason for leaving is real personal in terms of my spirit. Right now, I need to go, I need a break. It's hard for me to answer this question. I believe there is small window of opportunity in life to do certain things. You either open that window and breathe some fresh air and see if the pollen gets you or if a beautiful day awaits you. No one knows what the future holds, but if you don't risk, you never know. That's where I feel that I am right now in my life.

In Depth: Maybe getting all this out by talking about it will help.
Braun: I tell you, sharing it now and not having to keep quiet about my decision is a good thing. Not being able to share was hard for me. I wear my heart on my sleeve. In life, that's something's good with relationships. But in business, sometimes it's not the best, because business isn't about emotions.

In Depth: How do you think you've grown in the past four years?
Braun: I think you learn the most about yourself in a situation once you're beyond it. Sometimes you have take a step back and look at the situation clearly without being in the swim of things. I've learned that nothing is set in stone. I've learned that you have to be flexible in life. You have to bend, or you're going to break. I've learned that it takes a lot to break me. I may wilt, and I feel deeply when things hurt me. It's experiencing life and challenges. I feel good about now being able to go though challenges and to come out on the other end with a positive attitude.

In Depth: If you could design your career future, what would you want for yourself?
Braun: My dream would be to be in films and I'm extremely proud of, playing a multitude of roles, working with really kind, good, creative, generous people who come together for the good of a project, who have a believe in what they're doing. I want to work with people who are excited and inspired by what thy are doing. To be able to do primetime would be wonderful, too. I'd like to do something bright. I'd like to do a romantic comedy. I'd like to play roles where we see the strength of women in her willingness to stand up for what she believes in, in her willingness to be vulnerable, in her willingness to be a three-dimensional character. I would like to play roles which make people thing. I would like to play roles that touch people and teach people. That's what I want, whether it's in film or television or cable or a play. I want to keep growing as a person and as an artist.

Soaps In Depth April 12, 2005

I wish Tamara the best that life has to offer her BUT damm I want Tamara in my living room on my TV set!In my 42yrs of watching GH, Tamara is just about the best actress that I EVER saw!I will miss her and prey she will come back home to us GH Fans!Carly you need to come back and kick Sam's butt!!!!

Posted by Debbie | March 27, 2005 11:09 PM

Posted on March 27, 2005 23:09

TAMARA , JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW I THINK ALOT OF YOU .AND WILL MISS YOU AT GH. I KNOW IT WANT BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU THEIR. NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO NEXT AS CARLY ,YOU WERE ENJOYABLE TO WATCH. MANY BLESSING IM SURE WILL COME YOUR WAY. LOVE TO SEE YOU SOON WILL KEEP YOU IN MY PRAYERS LOVE ALWAYS JENNIFER FROM ALABAMA.

Posted by JENNIFER FROM ALABAMA | March 28, 2005 6:09 AM

Posted on March 28, 2005 06:09

Great article thanks for posting. Tamara always comes off being beautiful. I wish her the best of luck! She's one of my favourite actresses and can't wait to watch her in other projects

Posted by Terrifictam | March 28, 2005 7:12 PM

Posted on March 28, 2005 19:12

Tamara,
Thank you for the last 4 years. You were captivating, inspiring, funny and charming as Carly. I will miss you terribly.
Good luck and best wishes. May your dreams come true!
Teresa
New York City

Posted by Teresa | March 28, 2005 7:59 PM

Posted on March 28, 2005 19:59

thanks for that awesome article. Just reading that, is so touching because she is such a genuine peron. She does seem like a very strong person, and I wish her nothing but the best.

Posted by Audrey | April 2, 2005 10:52 AM

Posted on April 2, 2005 10:52

Tamara, you are my favourite actress on GH!! At first when I started watching GH in high school, I was hooked on Johnathon Jackson, (ex-Lucky Spencer) but then, after Sarah Brown had left, and you were the new Carly, I saw a point to actually keep watching. You honestly give off such a good performance, and not only that, but you make ther character so real! And the issues that you have dealt with on the show, were handled so well! You have actually given me inspiration. It is hard to explain, but you actually helped me believe in myself. You will be greatly missed, and I really do hope that you will be back sometime to play your role!!!

Posted by urmila | April 4, 2005 12:56 PM

Posted on April 4, 2005 12:56