Salem International: Casting Notes: Arrivals & Departures

[ByaNose]

27 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

They can only low ball so much if someone is on contract because they’re union and legally have to match their scale. This is why I learned Eileen’s income, she was on RHOBH which is a “reality” show and they still had to match the equivalent of what she made on daytime acting, which taped far less and they still paid her from what I heard a million dollars for like 22 episodes in 2 months taping on the basis of that. 

The backstage shit is so much more interesting than show rn. 

I 100% believe KA/Hope quit because of covid and just not wanting to work or be there if show went down and have to deal. I think CB/Gabi quit because they asked her to go to recurring so lower pay (recurring isn’t on contract and it’s paid per episode at a diff rate) and it’s felt like less prestige or slap in the face to her. She will be fine and KA will be fine also. Hell not that I give a shit but the MBE/Kayla is probably rich af from her daytime acting so long but her husband is an acclaimed LA plastic surgeon and has raked in insane dough, she’s probably just hanging around because she likes the people on set 😂 

I missed the CB news. Spoiler alert. Jeez!!! Just kidding. There has been so many people canned (mostly the men) that I’m surprised to hear about KA & CB bolting along Marci Miller returning. That said, with COVID who knows when MM would be be actually returning & airing. 

[howmanywords]

Actually, now that I'm looking at KA's statement where she said she filmed her last episode several months ago, hmm I'm stumped. I hope she gets a proper exit but now I'm wondering if her exit will be connected to Rafe's after all or it will be a quiet exit if she decided not to return after Covid?

Shit I'm getting teary reading the endless farewell messages people are leaving her on her FB page.

[CanaryFan98]

KA's husband is a British businessman not sure how successful he is but I'm assuming they're well off if she can make this decision. I also think she realizes the end is near for Days so that helped.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, CanaryFan98 said:

KA's husband is a British businessman not sure how successful he is but I'm assuming they're well off if she can make this decision. I also think she realizes the end is near for Days so that helped.

I know her first husband was British. (And she used the gown Hope married Bo in from their first wedding, ironically in England!) Not sure if the current husband is. I know she has been divorced from hubby #1 forever now.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

I 100% believe KA/Hope quit because of covid

If that's the case, then they'd have to recast, wouldn't you think? 

Because, given the way the Covid situation played out, I can't envision how there would have been enough time for KA to evaluate the situation, realize filming is going to be risky for a long time, communicate her decision to quit, get it written into the script and then get it filmed before everything shut down.

Quote

I know her first husband was British.

I looked it up.  Her first hubby was American. Second is British.  Both businessmen.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Irlandesa

[WendyCR72]

19 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I looked it up.  Her first hubby was American. Second is British.  Both businessmen.

Whoops! My bad. I mixed them up. Thought current hubby was American. I do know I am right about KA wearing Hope's gown for her first wedding, though.  🙂

[howmanywords]

44 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

And she used the gown Hope married Bo in from their first wedding, ironically in England

Yep and even 35 years later that wedding dress is one of the most gorgeous wedding dresses ever. IIRC it was like $20,000. Unheard of now with Days shoestring budget.

[DisneyBoy]

WOW.

 

...and we were just talking about how to fix the character.

Here's my two cents for what's its worth. I find the timing of all of this really strange because, as many of you have pointed out, she's claiming that her final scenes were already filmed months ago, suggesting that this was a pre-planned exit having nothing to do with Covid-19...so then why talk about it now? Are Hope's last episodes coming up in the next month? Considering we heard absolutely nothing about this even from rumour sites and message boards, I'm guessing that this wasn't an exit planned well in advance. I'm guessing Hope is probably going to stay on the show right up until the episodes that were filmed before the lockdown. I'm guessing KA only announced it now because of the covid situation and because she recognized that the writing wasn't going to improve for her character and she wanted to bow out. I'm guessing she just called up the production and let them know she's saying goodbye and that's it. And since she's been with their show for decades, they probably granted her request to leave without any fuss because it's not exactly like they're in a position to force anybody to come back to the set, are they?

My guess is that they will leave the exit open-ended, which is why we've been hearing these rumours just in the last few days about Bo. Maybe Hope's exit was vague or abrupt but they're hoping to get Peter back to film some scenes with her at some point before the show wraps up, probably to air for the finale.

I'm not expecting a big farewell. I'm expecting something akin to how they wrote out John for six months when he was injured mid-scene. I think they'll cover by having other characters talk about where she is...and get her and Peter back for done reunion scenes if/when they can.

I definitely won't hear of a Rope reunion. Please no. Just no.

I have a sinking feeling this means Victor dies too. I get the sense KA would stay for JA's sake, since Bope were close with him.

Oh lordy, I don't know you guys.

 

Exits now include:

Hope, Rafe, Gabi, Will, Sonny

And possibly Victor, Maggie, Doug, Julie...and Jennifer, if MR's Twitter antics are anything to go by.

😮

[Petunia13]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

If that's the case, then they'd have to recast, wouldn't you think? 

Because, given the way the Covid situation played out, I can't envision how there would have been enough time for KA to evaluate the situation, realize filming is going to be risky for a long time, communicate her decision to quit, get it written into the script and then get it filmed before everything shut down.

I looked it up.  Her first hubby was American. Second is British.  Both businessmen.

Who said it was written in? Didn’t she say her last episodes & footage were filmed months ago? 

They can still still air footage and edit that to write the exit even if PR comes back. 

@DisneyBoy I also have thought a while now Victor is going to die. They seem to have been testing it, they kinda foreshadowed it, it’ll give good story, and if JA wants to retire good for him.

[BingeyKohan]

I always had an idea for the end of the show that Hope would rescue Bo, riding in on a motorcycle while ‘Holding out For a Hero’ played. No way would they have the budget for that kind of send-off! I will add that to my fantasy that Cruz and Eden are grandparents living in Paris now, maybe running a luxury-train themed B&B that’s a front for a detective agency.

[boes]

That;s too bad.  It's been years since I've enjoyed Hope but I am enjoying her these days.  If she had decided to quit all those months ago then the relaxation is showing onscreen and it's a good look.  It's a shame, though.

 

[peachmangosteen]

 

13 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

This shows gonna be weird in the Fall with all the departures. It’s gonna be the CIN and Abby love life hour. 😴 

Fucking hell! Maybe I'll finally kick the habit. But it's not like they'll be much else on so I'll probably stick around out of boredom lol.

13 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Actually I heard a some actors are tentative to go back because of covid as well. 

I would assume so. I think it's highly possible Hope won't get a real exit because KA decided more recently that she just doesn't wanna come back even in part because of Covid.

27 minutes ago, boes said:

If she had decided to quit all those months ago then the relaxation is showing onscreen and it's a good look.  It's a shame, though.

Then again, this does make sense. She has felt more at ease to me lately and it would make sense if she had already decided to leave and just wanted to have a good time in her last days there.

9 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Hell not that I give a shit but the MBE/Kayla is probably rich af from her daytime acting so long but her husband is an acclaimed LA plastic surgeon and has raked in insane dough, she’s probably just hanging around because she likes the people on set 😂 

I figure a lot of the older people are mostly just hanging on because they like the people and/or just to have something to do lol. But with Covid I figure a lot of them might decide it's not worth it anymore.

[domina89]

7 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Exits now include:

Hope, Rafe, Gabi, Will, Sonny

And possibly Victor, Maggie, Doug, Julie...and Jennifer, if MR's Twitter antics are anything to go by.

😮

That would pretty much wipe out the Horton family... Lucas and Sarah are still around, but yeesh!  I haven't heard any rumors about Missy leaving, but it wouldn't surprise me. Both her kids are expecting children this year and I could see her leaving in order to spend more time with them.

[SueB]

7 hours ago, howmanywords said:

Yep and even 35 years later that wedding dress is one of the most gorgeous wedding dresses ever. IIRC it was like $20,000. Unheard of now with Days shoestring budget.

This one with the OTT headdress?  

[Retired at last]

I keep seeing assumptions that Gabi is leaving, but is it really true? Has she officially quit or been fired? Where did Vic, Maggie, Doug, Julie and Jennifer leaving come from? Are those more assumptions that since they are older, they would not want to subject themselves to COVID? It makes sense, but just wondered if it was based on anything other than guesses.

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Who said it was written in? Didn’t she say her last episodes & footage were filmed months ago? 

They can still still air footage and edit that to write the exit even if PR comes back. 

If her decision was Covid related, I don't think there would have been enough time to write her a proper exit unless they do a "Hope went to check the mail" type exit. 

23 minutes ago, Retired at last said:

I keep seeing assumptions that Gabi is leaving

I know there were rumors that she was offered something and she was unhappy with what she was offered (this is based on behind-the-scenes rumors and something she posted on social media) but then there were also rumors that she had changed her mind.  I do think we'll get a Gabi exit of some time but she might be back.

As for the Vic, Maggie, Doug, Julie and Jennifer spec, as far as I know, it's just speculation because of the ages of the cast.  Will they want to risk coming into work with Covid still out of control at their ages or, in the case of  Melissa, will she just be done with the heat she got from her latest controversial social media activity?

[CanaryFan98]

11 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I know her first husband was British. (And she used the gown Hope married Bo in from their first wedding, ironically in England!) Not sure if the current husband is. I know she has been divorced from hubby #1 forever now.

So is her current husband who she's been married to since 2001 they had a son in 2002. I remember because they used to try and cover up her pregnancy with a huge stuffed bear at the Brady Pub once lol.

[howmanywords]

Oh shit! 😯

 

[Petunia13]

Bye Ciara!!!! 

This show gonna just revolve around Abby’s love life and Elani in Fall 🤔 

[Irlandesa]

Do you think she'll leave with Hope?

I could see them recasting to preserve the great CIN love.  Ha. 

9 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

This show gonna just revolve around Abby’s love life and Elani in Fall

I have thoughts about this that are probably more appropriate for the spoiler thread so I'll put it there.

[DisneyBoy]

5 hours ago, Retired at last said:

I keep seeing assumptions that Gabi is leaving, but is it really true? Has she officially quit or been fired? Where did Vic, Maggie, Doug, Julie and Jennifer leaving come from? Are those more assumptions that since they are older, they would not want to subject themselves to COVID? It makes sense, but just wondered if it was based on anything other than guesses.

I'm fully speculating about Julie, Doug and Maggie because of Covid. There have been rumblings every year about Victor leaving the show, and they've been louder than ever lately. I had read in several places that Gabi was no longer on the show as well as Will and Sonny. I haven't seen Camilla confirm it anywhere, so I guess you could call it speculation but since the other two turned out to be leaving and stated as much, I'm going to operate under the assumption that she's also leaving, and then be pleasantly surprised if she ends up staying.

To be clear, the only confirmed the exits now are Hope, Rafe, Will and Sonny.

 

Edit: Okay, so Victoria leaving is interesting... I had heard rumours from well over a year ago that she was planning on exiting the show. At the time they were just ramping up Ciara and Ben's romance, so I kind of wondered what the hell they would do with the character of Ben around if Ciara was gone. I wonder if all of that was just made up, or if she was planning an exit for a while and they timed it to coincide with Hope's exit...

I wanted to like her. She's a beautiful girl and can act, but her material was really irritating. A shame.

Seeing young actors leaving the show definitely isn't a good sign. How many departures can Days take?

Edited July 7, 2020 by DisneyBoy

[QueenSerena]

So, I don't think I ever got around to posting this earlier (MY BAD, Y'ALL) partially because I thought the VK news wouldn't break for another month or so, but I wonder if it might end up being relevant here:

She read with RSW - who, by all indications, was still filming up until the production hiatus - as part of her audition process. Would the show actually go there by pairing Ben and Allie at some point?

[Irlandesa]

14 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

if she was planning an exit for a while and they timed it to coincide with Hope's exit...

There were rumors of her potentially leaving when her contract was up last year but then it got out that she signed an extension.  However, even then I think the talk was that the extension wasn't a multi-year contract.  So I do think she was planning an exit for a while but stuck around to play out CIN for a bit.  I could see her enjoying the increased attention being in a popular couple gave her and wanting to continue it for a bit. 

It sounds like this was a bit of an open secret.

18 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

I wanted to like her. She's a beautiful girl and can act, but her material was really irritating. A shame.

Yeah. She's beautiful. She has great hair.  And I think she has chemistry with quite a few actors which is why I wasn't a fan of CIN all that much.  I didn't think the Ben and Ciara chemistry was such that it'd be hard to top.

But the material once they actually got together really damaged what I liked about her.  The writing wasn't good but she also didn't add any nuance to her character's smug takes.

They talk on the Twitter thread as if there will be more departures. 

3 minutes ago, QueenSerena said:

She read with RSW - who, by all indications, was still filming up until the production hiatus - as part of her audition process. Would the show actually go there by pairing Ben and Allie at some point?

Potentially.  But they also recast Claire so I wonder if they might go there with Ben and Claire. 

[Jaded]

15 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I know her first husband was British. (And she used the gown Hope married Bo in from their first wedding, ironically in England!) Not sure if the current husband is. I know she has been divorced from hubby #1 forever now.

That solves the mystery of why I saw pictures of her in that dress with a man other than Bo/PR when I was looking up her husbands. I didn't know about her using the gown from the show for her real life wedding so I was really confused.

[Artsda]

Behind the scenes sounds like we'll have nobody when it returns that is actually vet/good characters. 

[superdeluxe]

Not like I’ll be watching this show once Sonny is gone, but wow at the casting and uncasting news.  And there’s supposed to be some more coming?  Yeah, this show is going to be all about Abby being torn between Stefan and Chad and Eli, Lani, and their baby.  Who wants to see that? 

[DisneyBoy]

I'm glad LA is sticking around only because I would have been irritated for Allie to just appear to hand off her baby to some other character as if it was some kind of prize. That said, I don't really like how unanchored she seems to be as a character. Her mother and siblings are AWOL. If they continue to keep her close with Eric and Nicole, I guess that could kind of work...?

I absolutely do not want to see her with Ben. Why is he still here? God almighty.  You are a multiple murderer who cannot act. Go awaaaaaay.

The one problem is that Lindsay looks an awful lot like Marci Miller. They have very similar faces, at least from where I'm sitting. It's going to be weird having two such blonde pale-skinned doe-eyed girls on canvas at the same time.

Okay, so regarding KA's exit, I was reading some other message boards and it seems that she was not planning to leave before covid-19 happened. Meaning, there is no Grand Exit For Fancy Face already in the can...here's a quote from someone who seems In The Know:

...I guarantee she was in negotiations before Covid shutdown, probably didn’t like the offer, and when Greg (they are friends) was fired she took the leap. We won’t get an exit, which is pretty awful. I can’t believe she wouldn’t at least ask to come back for a wrap arc if she didn’t like the offer.

 

[CanaryFan98]

Days Twitter is a better soap than actual Days

I won't miss Ciara but I had no issues with VK she made me forget the terrible recast before her. They are so going to pair Ben with Allie there's no point in recasting Ciara when Ben is the character this show cares about they don't care who the woman is even if she's the sister of one of his murder victims.. I can see Lucas calling him son meh. I will probably hate Allie by the time its done.

Ben is keeping it in the family though...

39 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Behind the scenes sounds like we'll have nobody when it returns that is actually vet/good characters. 

For some strange reason I could see Alison returning(these cast cuts could afford her) maybe even Bryan(who wouldn't be asking much $$$)  since Allie is here she'd have both her parents. Beyond that I can't imagine anyone else returning at this point the budget is getting smaller not bigger.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:But they also recast Claire so I wonder if they might go there with Ben and Claire. 

Yes please! I’d much rather it be with ORK’s Claire but I’ll take what I can get lol.

[CanaryFan98]

1 minute ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yes please! I’d much rather it be with ORK’s Claire but I’ll take what I can get lol.

Now with Claire being recast I'm starting to think they're going to have a Allie/Ben/Claire triangle.  Claire will become fixated on Ben and fight another relative for a man.

[DisneyBoy]

If we absolutely have to have Ben, why don't they just recast Ciara so that he stays forever locked in that couple and away from any of the other vulnerable women of Salem...

I've said it before and so have the rest of you, but if they were smart they'd be recasting Joey and Stephanie right now...

[Harmony233]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yes please! I’d much rather it be with ORK’s Claire but I’ll take what I can get lol.

I would be all for Ben and Claire if they can around being crazy together lol 

[Irlandesa]

24 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

I've said it before and so have the rest of you, but if they were smart they'd be recasting Joey and Stephanie right now...

Yes. 

I was actually mad they got rid of Trip.

[Pearson80]

18 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

I have a sinking feeling this means Victor dies too. I get the sense KA would stay for JA's sake, since Bope were close with him.

 

Bope were never close to Victor, they tolerated him but they always kept him at arms length with good reason.. Victor is a terrible human being and he has not mellowed at all with age..

[CanaryFan98]

1 hour ago, Pearson80 said:

Bope were never close to Victor, they tolerated him but they always kept him at arms length with good reason.. Victor is a terrible human being and he has not mellowed at all with age..

I wouldn't say never they had moments I think they are in a much better place now and after Billie/Carly Victor realized Hope wasn't so bad. If anything Ciara is closest to Victor but he's the only grandfather she's known(from her dad's side).

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yes. 

I was actually mad they got rid of Trip.

You can tell how smart this show is by having Tripp flounder all this time with no real direction or anchor then write him out but don't have him around when his father does return to the show? Course I would've preferred it be revealed that Tripp wasn't really Steve/Ava's kid just a con artist hired by Orpheus to torment Steve/Kayla but he eventually cares for them and they grow to love him as their own.

[DanaMB]

On 7/6/2020 at 10:38 PM, CanaryFan98 said:

Its Days its not like anyone buys death anymore unless the actor dies in RL.

And not even then any more! See Stefano. I never did like them bringing him back to life after the actor died. 

[Petunia13]

I think Ron will stunt cast someone from an old ABC soap if he can get one. 

But the future doesn’t look promising for Days. This is the first time I really felt this show might be canceled. 

[bunnyblue]

"Victoria Konefal is gone. You can now start the grieving process." 

LOL, is anyone really going to miss Ciara enough that her exit needs grief processing? As the child of Bo & Hope, I wanted to like Ciara but since I tuned back in all she's done is be attached at the hip to a serial killer and yell at people that he's changed. VK's Ciara (which is the only version I've ever known) has felt more like a Kiriakis than a Brady/Horton, and I've never cared for this Bope offspring like I did for Shawn-Douglas back in the day.

[bunnyblue]

7 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

and when Greg (they are friends) was fired she took the leap.

Wait, Greg??? As in Greg Vaughn? He was fired? That's new to me. 

[QueenSerena]

17 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

Wait, Greg??? As in Greg Vaughn? He was fired? That's new to me. 

Not Greg Vaughan, at least not that we know of considering everything else going on at this point lol. Greg Meng, longtime and popular EP.

[bunnyblue]

12 minutes ago, QueenSerena said:

Not Greg Vaughan, at least not that we know of considering everything else going on at this point lol. Greg Meng, longtime and popular EP.

Ah, okay, thank you. When I saw "Greg" I assumed it was a fellow actor; I didn't realize they were talking about a producer. I like Eric Brady and I've liked Greg Vaughan since his GH days, so I'm relieved he's still on the show.

[howmanywords]

50 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

LOL, is anyone really going to miss Ciara enough that her exit needs grief processing?

I guess you havent looked at the reaction from the CIN fans on twitter..

I feel bad for any fanbase when a favorite leaves, but ugh. You would think the greatest couple ever seen on a soap is being torn apart. That poor guy who dropped the news is getting attacked (and dont even think of suggesting Ben will be paired with someone else! )

[superdeluxe]

2 hours ago, howmanywords said:

I guess you havent looked at the reaction from the CIN fans on twitter..

I feel bad for any fanbase when a favorite leaves, but ugh. You would think the greatest couple ever seen on a soap is being torn apart. That poor guy who dropped the news is getting attacked (and dont even think of suggesting Ben will be paired with someone else! )

I feel no pain for them because they were laughing their asses off when the news about Sonny and Will came out.

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, Harmony233 said:

I would be all for Ben and Claire if they can around being crazy together lol 

That's what I want as well!

8 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

But the future doesn’t look promising for Days. This is the first time I really felt this show might be canceled. 

I agree. There have been cries that the show is one day away from cancellation for years and I never bought it, but now it really feels like there's not much time left.

[Pearson80]

15 hours ago, CanaryFan98 said:

I wouldn't say never they had moments I think they are in a much better place now and after Billie/Carly Victor realized Hope wasn't so bad. If anything Ciara is closest to Victor but he's the only grandfather she's known(from her dad's side).

 

Bo has always made it clear to Victor that Shawn Brady was his father throughout the show, he even named his firstborn son after him.  He may have allowed Victor to have a grandfather relationship with his kids but he has never established a father/son relationship with Victor.. I remember Victor lambasting Bo for never accepting him as his dad and Bo had a I don't give a f expression on his face as Victor was ranting and raving...

[WendyCR72]

4 hours ago, Pearson80 said:

Bo has always made it clear to Victor that Shawn Brady was his father throughout the show

And didn't Shawn Sr. die by sacrificing his oxygen mask for Bo? Victor is/was an interesting antagonist character and has a lot of history, but Shawn Brady was Bo's father, full stop. Biology be damned.

[Pearson80]

38 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

And didn't Shawn Sr. die by sacrificing his oxygen mask for Bo? Victor is/was an interesting antagonist character and has a lot of history, but Shawn Brady was Bo's father, full stop. Biology be damned.

He did die giving his life for Bo and to certain extent to save Kayla and baby Joey, he did not make the ultimate sacrifice for Roman and Kim his favorites. It was a full circle moment for Bo and Shawn and a beautiful ending for a complicated father/son relationship..He gave Bo the unconditional love he always wanted from him.  Dena actually wrote that story, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[WendyCR72]

7 minutes ago, Pearson80 said:

Dena actually wrote that story, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Wow. Broken clocks, indeed! Honestly shocked by this.

[CanaryFan98]

5 hours ago, Pearson80 said:

 

Bo has always made it clear to Victor that Shawn Brady was his father throughout the show, he even named his firstborn son after him.  He may have allowed Victor to have a grandfather relationship with his kids but he has never established a father/son relationship with Victor.. I remember Victor lambasting Bo for never accepting him as his dad and Bo had a I don't give a f expression on his face as Victor was ranting and raving...

Yes that part is true but Bo/Victor were in a better place in the end than they were at the beginning was my point.

[Door County Cherry]

Any further Bo/Victor history talk belongs in the past stories thread.  

Thanks!