Tamara Braun Opens up About Her GENERAL HOSPITAL Exit (EXCLUSIVE)
After being released from her contract with GENERAL HOSPITAL, Tamara Braun spoke candidly with Soaps In Depth about the departure of her character, Dr. Kim Nero. “I was told weeks before that I had big story coming up,” she shared. “So it was a bit of a surprise to me.”
Last summer, Kim had planned to depart with boyfriend Julian after responding to son Oscar’s death by drugging his dad, Drew, in the hope of conceiving another child. But in a surprising twist, she instead stuck around and became involved with Franco after he was given Drew’s lost memories — including those of their long-ago romance! “Oscar’s gone, her relationship with Charlie is gone because of how she dealt with it, and then Franco chose to go back to Liz,” Braun reminded viewers. “Kim doesn’t have much left in Port Charles, so she’s gone off to start a new life.”
Before her exit, Braun enjoyed working with Michael E. Knight (Martin) in her final story. When they were on ALL MY CHILDREN at the same time — him as Tad, her as Reese — “I didn’t really get to work with him, so I got excited when I saw him in the halls of GH,” she confided. But “I already knew by then I was leaving, so I didn’t think he’d end up being the attorney that Kim hired. “I just adore Michael!” she added.
With Oscar’s death, said Braun, GH “wrote a beautiful, honest storyline that I was able to sink my teeth into.” (Photo Credit: ABC)
However, when it comes to choosing scenes for her next Daytime Emmy reel, Braun is likely to pull from Kim’s prior storyline, the emotional one which also happened to be a personal favorite of hers. While pleased with her own performance in it, she is quick to share credit for the impact that was made by the depiction of a mother’s love and loss. “The writers did an absolutely beautiful job with Oscar’s death,” she recalled. “It was a very difficult story to tell and one that, unfortunately, so many parents go through. I think they did it with love, care, and heart. It was quite a gift!”
Prior to leaving, Braun had accepted an invitation from former castmate-turned-director Ronnie Marmo (ex-Ronnie) to star as the therapist in his theater group’s production of Death With Dignity… Comes In A Milkshake. “That was quite a heavy load because it’s a very wordy play. There was a lot of dialogue to be learned while also still having [scripts to memorize] over at GH,” the actress said. Nevertheless, knowing that there would be five weeks of performances ahead made it “good timing.” Her last day on set was “Very quick. I was up first, and then I went straight to an audition and then to rehearsal!”
Braun hopes to do more projects like her recent play. “I love being involved with a group of people who are kind, professional, and good at what they do,” she explained. (Photo Credit: Christine Peitz)
Currently, the actress is enjoying the holiday season and looking forward to whatever may come next. “Soaps have been a big part of my acting life, so of course I’d be open to [repeating the experience],” she acknowledged. “When [DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ co-executive producer] Albert Alarr told me that my character, Ava, was dying, I was like, ‘Really? You’re killing her?’ And he responded, ‘C’mon. No one’s ever [truly] dead in soaps.’ So maybe she’s not!”
For more on your favorite GH stars — past and present — keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine
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