ABC Soaps in Depth, March 16, 2004:

Tamara Braun shares her thoughts on Carly's rollercoaster ride of a life


Like Scarlett O'Hara, General Hospital's Carly was caught off guard when her Rhett -- aka Sonny -- told her, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a d@mn," and marched out the door. But, also, like Scarlett, Carly's strength will get her through the separation that would have destroyed the fainter of heart. "A lot of times, soaps say, 'Love will conquer all' or 'Love is everything'," says Tamara Braun, who plays the complicated heroine. "But sometimes it's not enough."


Torn Between Two Lovers

Although Carly has witnessed Sonny's penchant for revenge, she's never been on the receiving end of it. Until now. With a custody fight underway that is certain to bring out the worst in both of them, Sonny's fangs are bared and his once beloved wife is prepped to feel his bite. Will she ever be able to start their marriage over with a clean slate? "Personally, I would say no," says Braun candidly. "But, in life, sometimes we find ourselves doing things that we would have sworn we would never do until we're in that position. So, could she forgive him? Could she forget what he's putting her through right now? Never say never. Especially never say never on a soap opera!"


Saving Grace

No one is more aware than Braun that GH viewers are split up the middle about her liaison with Alcazar. But a good part of that blame can be placed squarely on Sonny's shoulders. "The reason I could go along with the Lorenzo/Carly pairing is because it makes sense," explains Braun. "She was shot in the head. She had these mixed-up feeling while in a coma. Then she started feeling sexual impulses for this other man, who has been very loving to her. Through everything Carly has been through, that has been a nice relief. It's nice to be accepted and not put down. As passionate as Sonny's love is for Carly and vice versa, it got to the point that there was no pleasing him."


Setting the Record Straight

Amidst the considerable Internet "buzz" is the rumor that Braun is unhappy about Carly and Sonny's split and with the Alcazar pairing. Braun says that's nowhere close to the truth. "I absolutely am not unhappy with Ted King (Alcazar). He's a wonderful actor. I love acting with Maurice Benard (Sonny), too. Is Tamara upset about this pairing? No. Tamara likes good story. Tamara likes good actors to work with." Braun takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "Tamara would like a little joy to play for Carly. I just think that our show needs more joy."


Riding the Waves

The last few months have been draining, both physically and emotionally, for not only Carly, but for Braun. It's been very difficult to leave Carly's troubles at the studio. "[I'm] burnt and exhausted. That's why if I have a day off, I treasure it. But often I'm exhausted because I do go to the emotional depths. I'm not one of those people that can turn on tears and make it go. It's not like I've got this switch and here comes the emotions for Carly and then they're gone. I go to the real places in myself. I use Tamara's real emotions to express Carly's. Some people can work from the outside in. I can't. But," she adds, "I'm so grateful for the work that they're giving me. It's pretty incredible stuff."



Color My World

Tamara Braun makes a move toward the dark side...with her hair, that is.

After bleaching her hair for over two years straight, the actress thought it was time to give her roots a rest. "And, I have to say, I missed who Tamara was, how I looked, before I started the show," she admits. Remembering back to when GH was overloaded with blondes, Braun volunteered to return to her natural brunette look. The response: "No. Carly's a blonde." But now that Carly's life is in upheaval and she's looking for a fresh start, Braun thought it was time for everyone to reconsider. "When women have change in their lives, life with major breakups, what is the first thing that women do? They want to change themselves." With encouragement from Ted King (Alcazar), Braun approached the writers with a change in hair color as a story point perfectly fit for character. "Ted said, 'Go tell them now.' Otherwise, I was going to kick myself in the butt. So I did. They've been really happy with some of the work that I've done lately so they said, 'Listen, you can do whatever you want.'"



FYI

Born: April 18 in Evanston, IL.
Name game: "Tamara" is Hebrew in origin, and means "palm tree".
Mind, body, and theater: Although a psychology major in college, Braun became a licensed massage technician before landing her role on GH.
Wishful thinking: "Carly misses her mom," says Braun, who also wonders who her character's father is. "I think it would be really neat to find out who her father was. Bobbie will need to have known whose child it was and kept it quiet all these years. That would be a fantastic story."
Throwing the bull: As a child, Braun learned to ride a mechanical bull.




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