NBC's Days of our Lives has made room for another new cast member.  Beginning next week, fans of the daytime drama will see former General Hospital actress Tamara Braun portraying Ava, whom a show spokesperson described as a “mysterious woman from Steve's (Stephen Nichols) past.”

Braun last appeared in daytime television in 2005, having left ABC's General Hospital to pursue other projects.  However, her nearly three-year absence did not discourage her from returning to the world of soaps, especially since she finds her new role intriguing.

“It was an exciting surprise,” Tamara Braun told Soap Opera Digest, recalling the time when she was first offered the role on Days of our Lives.  “I got a call, and it was a role that really intrigued me, so we got to talking.  [Ava] sounds very layered and complicated and seems like there's a lot to sink my teeth into.”

Apart from playing the “mysterious” and “complicated” Ava, Braun is also happy to be working with Nichols and Mary Beth Evans, both of whom also starred in General Hospital.

“Stephen and I would cross over in the makeup room and say basic, “Hellos,” but we never really got to know each other and we never as actors worked together, so I'm looking forward to it.  He's an actor's actor and likes to get into it. I'm looking forward to what we might find,” she explained.  Meanwhile, Evans gave her “the biggest hug” when she arrived on the set for her first day at work.

As for the rest of the Days of our Lives cast, Tamara Braun said although she has yet to get to know her new costars, “so far, everyone is warm and nice.”

Braun's contract with the NBC soap isn't long-term, but she doesn't mind, even saying that the arrangement is “perfect” for her.

“There was nothing wrong with leaving daytime and there's nothing wrong with coming back,” she said.  “Things just have to line up in your life. It has to be the right time to express and explore certain things.”

Braun's first airdate is on Friday, February 8.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Soap Opera Digest, soapcentral.com
(Image Courtesy of ABC)