Exclusive: Tamara Braun On Days Return

“It’s fun to be back in Salem,” enthuses Tamara Braun, who was last seen on DAYS in her Emmy-winning turn as Ava in 2008 and will first appear next week as Taylor Walker, replacing Natalia Livingston in the role. “The executives at DAYS called with an opportunity to come back,” she explains. “I had such a great time back in 2008, so I said yes. My memories of working at DAYS were pretty fantastic.”

Since wrapping at DAYS nearly three years ago, Braun has been very busy, both in and out of the daytime community. She joined AMC for a six-month stint as Reese, who married Bianca. “Being at ALL MY CHILDREN was a great experience and playing in the same-sex marriage story was a wonderful thing to be a part of,” she says. “I felt very strongly about that story because I feel strongly about equal rights. I felt honoured to be able to put a face to it.Plus, I lived in New York for six months and fell in loe with the city.”

She also had a recurring role on SAVING GRACE, appeared on THREE RIVERS and shot a John Wells pilot in addition to promoting the independent movie Limbo Lounge at various festivals around the country. That gave her the opportunity to travel. “I met new and interesting people,” she notes. “it was wonderful to get the opportunity and to experience different parts of the world.”

But Salem wasn’t far from her mind. “I absolutely thought about coming back as Ava,” admits Braun. “Because playing Ava for the six months I did was extraordinary. I loved the character and all of her craziness.” In the meantime, she was in demand. Digest learned that both AMC and GH (where she had a very popular stint as Carly from 2001-2005) wanted her back. Regarding AMC, Braun confirms, “They called me to come back and help wrap up that storyline, but certain things didn’t work out for me to make it happen, so I think they’re playing that story off camera now.” As for GH, she says, “We spoke. It was very flattering. It’s a blessing to be valued for your work and to have people want to work with you. It’s a real treat.”

She’s received a warm welcome at the DAYS set. “It’s so funny, because day one that I walked in, I ran into Kristian [Alfonso, Hope] and she gave me a big hug when I came in the door, which is the same thing she did the first time I came here,” Braun recalls. “She just happened to be there when I came in, so it was lovely and familiar.”

The actress says she’s already having a good time with co-stars James Scott (EJ) and Arianne Zuker (Nicole). “I fesl very short! I’m always looking up! It’s like I’m in a hole or something,” she laughs. “It’s fun. They’re so committed to making this story work for everyone, and coming away with something truly compelling for the fans to get involved with.”

Braun urges the audience to be patient with teh transition ahead. “I believe it takes time for any new storyline to work,” she stresses. “It’s going to take a little time for people to get used to the changes. There will be lots of things that will come out in this story later tha will explain why things are happening the way they are; then everything will make sense. The viewers need to watch and hang in there with us while all of this is going on. If they stay tuned, they will be very surprised and moved. We’ve got interesting story coming for them, but they’ll need to give us some time to let it unfold!”