From Soap Opera Update, May 2001
In this Update exclusive, Maurice Benard goes one-on-one with Tamara Braun, the new woman in his GH life. General Hospital fans can relax about losing one of their favorite actresses, Sarah Brown. Maurice Benard says that Tamara Braun definitely has the muscle to take over the coveted role of Carly. In this exclusive interview, Update sat down with both actors to talk about the adjustments and changes on set. Both agree that their new working relationship can be summed up in one word: magical!
SOU-Tamara, is this your first daytime show?
Braun-It is. I've done episodic and sitcom, but never a soap. It's completely different.
SOU-Looking at Tamara on camera, there are a lot of similarities. Tamara looks like Sarah and some of the mannerisms are the same. Are you finding that too, Maurice?
Benard-Yes, but Tamara brings out a certain vulnerability that's her own. Sara had her own. But Tamara has this other thing that actually makes her interesting and different. But I don't like her that much as a person (he jokes as laughter flows between the two) just as an actress.
SOU How long have you two been working together now?
Braun- two weeks
Benard-we clicked in the screen test
SOU- Maurice, did you see the physical similarities between her and Sara right away?
Benard-No, that didn't dawn on me.
Braun-I had dark brown hair at the time
Benard-What happened at the screen test was, I said to myself, I wasn't going to give unless
I was forced to, because I just knew that if she didn't force me to do it, she wasn't going to work if she got hired. I literally went in to say my lines and waited for somebody to kind of throw a punch back at me if I threw the first one. And she did. I came in and went ''Okay, this is good''. Carly is ballsy. Sarah, the wonderful actress that she is, was not afraid. She had courage and she would come after me. I figured that's what the new Carly would need.
SOU-So Tamara, this ballsy quality Maurice speaks of, is it you or is it just an act?
Braun-I don't think people say, "There goes ballsy Tamara,'' but I know it is a part of me.
SOU-Tamara, were you nervous in the audition?
Braun-Completely. I think if you’re not nervous, you're dead. But Maurice connected so completely.
SOU-Did you know GH?
Braun-I know the soap from years and years of watching it with my babysitter during the summer. Sometime, I might watch it while I was getting ready for an audition, but I wasn't a follower, so I didn't know everything that was going on. I knew of Sarah's work and that she was a wonderful actress, strong and smart and ballsy--that seems to be a fitting word.
SOU-Maurice, for you as an actor, it had to be very important who was cast in the role.
Benard-Oh, it's a big responsibility. I knew in order for the character to keep going, the new actress and I would have to have great chemistry. But I figured we did have it in the audition. When she started working the first day it was shaky.
Braun-I didn't have any dialogue that day.
Benard-But when we had more scenes and something just clicked. I knew it could work and it WILL work.
SOU-Maurice, has Sonny changed as a result of playing opposite Tamara?
Benard-That's a good question. I try to play the character true to form and because Tamara has some of the same qualities as Sarah, it’s pretty much the same. It's just that their vulnerabilities are different. So that's what changes Sonny. You might see Sonny soften a tiny bit more when he doesn't want to.
SOU-Is the softening almost an unconscious thing?
Benard-Yeah, because when I'm in a scene, I try to stay in the moment and everybody's different.
SOU-So when you said earlier that you're not going to give unless somebody pulls it out of you, she pulls just a little differently?
Benard-Yeah, yeah. I'll tell you for being here just two weeks and the hard role she's had to play, she's doing it with flying colors.
SOU- Tamara, how does it make you feel to hear that?
Braun-Maurice has been so helpful. He's a pleasure and a dream to work with. This has been such a huge undertaking. I don't think I have ever been so exhausted in my life.
SOU-so do you just shut out all the talk about you taking over this role and just focus on doing it?
Braun-I have to. If I thought about it, it would overwhelm me too much. I know how much Sara and Carly were loved, and I have to say thank you for that. I wouldn't be here if her and her character were not so loved by the fans.
SOU-What has Maurice pulled out of you as an actress?
Braun-I have a safe place to express my vulnerability. Actors want to be as honest as we can be and break down those walls. That's a beautiful thing in an actor to be able to do.
SOU-so this is almost magical. This kind of connection between actors doesn't happen very often.
Benard-No, not at all. I’ve been in situations where you have to do a ton of work and eventually you get there. But this has happened quickly. You can't come in and take Sara Brown's role and not be pretty damn good. It's just not going to work. So this had to happen quick. I'm just glad she had it from the-get-go. Look, I'm a good guy and I'll try to be there for anybody, but if it were going to take months, I may not have that much patience.
SOU- What is the audience going to see?
Benard-Well, the audience is going to be upset, because someone is taking Sara's place, which is normal. But, lets put the cards on the table. Soap operas are truly about story. That’s what takes you on the ride. If you're a good actor, that helps, but it is the story that makes it grand. The good part about Tamara coming on now, is that the story, I feel, is wonderful. I’m having a blast doing the stuff that we are doing, since she started. So if the audience can just say,''Let's take this ride, I think it is going to be fine.'' Now if Tamara came in and the story wasn't good, I don't care how good an actress she is, it would be tough. Just bear with us. Watch and see how well we connect with one another.
