Salem International: Casting Notes: Arrivals & Departures

[AttackTurtle]

13 hours ago, KBrownie said:

 

I know this idea gets repeated often, but is it really true?  Or fair?

Isn't when Jack and Jennifer left for London in 2006 the only time that MA and MR either left or came back at the same time?  I'm too lazy to look the actual dates, but all the other times MA left/came back it wasn't like MR left and then Jack was cut.  Or that MR came back and then Jack was needed so they immediately brought MA back.  And MA was doing other things when he wasn't on Days, so it was their loss.

MA left in '93 and MR didn't.  They had the recast Jack with MR there.  MR left and MA still didn't come back and both characters were gone for awhile.  Then MR came back in '99-'00 (?) and MA wasn't back until like a year later ('01?).  MR was there until they both left in 2006, but MA was caught up in that whole thing where they killed everyone off and brought them back in '04-'05.  And I'm not sure how their later returns worked during the 2010's except for MA's latest return where MR hadn't left for awhile.

Now I'm not saying that Matt Ashford and the character of Jack haven't been undervalued or treated like they should, b/c they haven't, but I don't really think it's fair to link it to or blame MR.  She's not here now and his story has been completely nonsensical, messed up Jack's characterization and overall sucked.  Yeah, MA is working, but it's not like it's anything spectacular.  People act like he sat around doing nothing while MR was there and now that she's gone he can spread his wings and soar or something.  He most recently had the whole amnesia/Eve mess in 2019 that certainly didn't have much to do with Jennifer/MR and none of that, except for Jack getting his memory back, was all that great for the character of Jack. 

 

I’m not saying that MR decides if MA comes/goes, but the show definitely decided to invest more in her character after they were married and Jack suffered for it to the point of being written off.  There are rumors that she was involved in his initial exit.  He’s never spoken out of turn about MR or anyone; however after the characters left following the second run, he did say he didn’t keep in touch with her.  When they left the second time, MR wanted off the show and they wrote him off with her.  Today, I think they genuinely like each other, but damn they couldn’t be more different when it comes to their views.

I think most Jack fans are aware that even during his first main run with Jennifer, Jack’s character was involved with multiple characters and storylines that were independent of Jennifer and he made pretty much every scene better.  That has not been the case with Jennifer.  And I love the character of Jennifer, but after all these years, it is refreshing to see Matt Ashford get to spread his wings a bit. 

[CanaryFan98]

I agree the show cares about Jennifer more than Jack but usually the pairings have one character they favor over another which I never agreed with. This is one of the rare cases where the female is favored over the male. I mean this show favors Bo over Hope(who Bo never had to fight for as opposed to Hope) Steve over Kayla etc. 

MA/MR seem to get along at least professionally otherwise they wouldn't have worked together as long as they have. 

That being said I do like that MA is more of a focal point it shouldn't have taken this long though.  However they still have Jack tethered to Jennifer (albeit a recast) if MR didn't return I would've been fine with Jennifer being killed off and Jack moving onto someone else I never needed Jennifer to be recast as I think MA/MR's chemistry/banter are a large part of why the pairing worked to begin with. Now I just see Jack and some chick who claims to be Jennifer Rose Horton.

[KBrownie]

10 hours ago, AttackTurtle said:

it is refreshing to see Matt Ashford get to spread his wings a bit. 

 

 

1 hour ago, CanaryFan98 said:

MA is more of a focal point

 

I guess I don't see where this is happening.   At all.

 I feel like there may be some counting of chickens before they hatch thinking that this Gwen mess is going to turn into something BIG for Jack because, although it still hasn't been confirmed anywhere, the assumption is that Gwen is Jack's long-lost child and he will get story out of that.  Otherwise, where is this supposed the new focus on Jack?  The pointless cheating was still all about his feelings for Jennifer.  I was personally hoping for more insight into his mental state all that time while Jennifer was in the coma, but nothing.  Just the repeated declarations of "It didn't mean anything!" and that Jennifer should just get over it.  The anger with Abigail was interesting, but other than that, not so much?  One confrontation with Gwen that only merits one day out of the week?  Big whoop.  The sudden BFF-ness w/ Kate where he sits and lets her bash his wife?  It seems like Jack was being used to give Kate something to do before she moved on to Jake.  Jennifer seems to be also used for that purpose lately. 

He still isn't allowed any interactions outside of the Jen/Kate/Gwen/Abby bubble other than the occasional conversation with Justin.  Nothing with his brother after the cheating came out.  They could have used his history somehow in the Tripp/Allie story.  Jack as Tripp's uncle and Jennifer as Allie's aunt could have been used in some way.  He had more to do and interacted with more people during the Jack as mayor/amnesia storyline than currently.  He was all over the place in that story and his struggle to figure out how to exist without a memory was better than his current story.

10 hours ago, AttackTurtle said:

I’m not saying that MR decides if MA comes/goes, but the show definitely decided to invest more in her character after they were married and Jack suffered for it to the point of being written off.  There are rumors that she was involved in his initial exit.

Isn't this a bit contradictory?  She was involved in his initial exit, but not saying she decides if she comes or goes?

And I'm not speculating over rumors about MA/MR not liking each other or either's personal views, b/c as long as it doesn't affect what's on screen, then I don't particularly care.  They must be okay with each other to still work so well together after 30 years.  I trust that MA knows MR better than the internet and must be cool with her or he wouldn't still do the fan events, etc. that they were doing together pre-Covid. 

And really, BOTH Jack and Jennifer haven't had anything to do since the amnesia/Eve/time jump was over in 2019.  They spent most of 2020 without a real story and were supporting Abigail and Steve/Kayla.  I'm still waiting for how this Gwen stuff has anything to do with either of them other than their roles as Abby's parents.

So, yeah.  I guess I'm still waiting for all this focus on Jack.

[CanaryFan98]

You made some good points here  although I'm glad he isn't part of the Tripp/Allie storyline.. I can only imagine how that would be spun into how Kayla forgave Jack so Allie can forgive Charlie(I guess she could but back then it took years not a couple episodes)

[Rafael]

On 1/3/2021 at 7:37 PM, CanaryFan98 said:

Makes me wonder if Jack/Laura had a kid aka Gwen.

Cool . She should be around for this Kate /Jack debacle. 

[Rafael]

On 1/3/2021 at 7:37 PM, CanaryFan98 said:

Makes me wonder if Jack/Laura had a kid aka Gwen.

Absolutely not . No no no no !!! 

 

It will be like Flop Stefan /VIvian /Stefano long lost kid nonsense all over again. 

Besided ,Laura was on the canvas for 6 years during the 1990s . And no hint whatsoever on whether or not she had a child with Jack. Besides ,she would have been like 50 something years old then . 

 

Enough with this long lost kid nonsense.

Edited January 9, 2021 by Rafael

[enchantingmonkey]

5 minutes ago, Rafael said:

Besides ,she would have been like 50 something years old then . 

Laura and Gwen could have been one of Dr Rolf's earliest experiments.  I did think there was an odd note of familiarity when Dr Rolf and Gwen started interacting.  

It might even work in making Gwen's BIG monologue as to why she hates Abigail feeling totally ridiculous.  

[Petunia13]

I hope Chanel finds a way to break up Elani. She’s playing Jackée’s daughter. 

[CanaryFan98]

Well at least we averted the disaster that was a Jack/Laura spawn I guess that's somewhat good news.

 

[Giuseppe]

2 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

She’s playing Jackée’s daughter.

We still don't know who Jackée is playing, do we?

[CanaryFan98]

Some character named Paulina.

[Retired at last]

She will be involved with the Eli/Lani story in some way. I hope not a relative, so maybe Abe can find a woman, but who knows. It's hard to tell how old Chanel is. She looks young, but maybe she is old enough to cause a problem or two for Lani and Eli. I sure hope she isn't another long lost Stefano child.

[peachmangosteen]

She looks like a teenager/early 20 something to me so I can't really see them having her be an Eli/Lani interloper since Eli is like late 30's I'd assume.

ETA: Although, I just looked at her instagram and she looks older on there than she does in the pic with that article.

[howmanywords]

Wow!

Cady McClain to Exit Days of Our Lives

[Artsda]

Is MR returning?

[RunningMarket]

5 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Is MR returning?

It says that Jennifer will leave Salem for Boston. May be linked to the current Laura-death story line?

[peachmangosteen]

I'm assuming MR is just coming back but I don't know since that article seems to be trying to make this into some huge, shocking thing lol.

[Irlandesa]

Just now, peachmangosteen said:

I'm assuming MR is just coming back but I don't know since that article seems to be trying to make this into some huge, shocking thing lol.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.  Jennifer might be off the show for a while during a down time for Jennifer (and possibly Jack) and they expect MR to eventually return. 

Wouldn't this be close to the time MR would usually take her vacation anyway? 

[CanaryFan98]

On 2/6/2021 at 3:07 PM, Retired at last said:

She will be involved with the Eli/Lani story in some way. I hope not a relative, so maybe Abe can find a woman, but who knows. It's hard to tell how old Chanel is. She looks young, but maybe she is old enough to cause a problem or two for Lani and Eli. I sure hope she isn't another long lost Stefano child.

Or a long lost Abe child either. I mean Brandon was one thing but when Lani showed up it doesn't reflect well on Tamara to keep that from him. I mean it would be one thing if he was like Stefano but he's the complete opposite of him.

[bunnyblue]

Damn, Cady McClain leaving is disappointing. I really liked her a Jennifer and don't really care to see MR return (if that's the plan). If Jennifer leaves town, I hope Jack gets to stay this time. I'm enjoying the Jack/Gwen dynamic and want to see that further explored. 

"Her final airdate will be Feb. 17."

That's next week. It's got to be Laura-related for Jennifer to leave town so abruptly. Maybe she's going to deal with Laura's estate in Boston (if that's where she lived) and decides to stay for a long while. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by bunnyblue

[CanaryFan98]

52 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

Damn, Cady McClain leaving is disappointing. I really liked her a Jennifer and don't really care to see MR return (if that's the plan). If Jennifer leaves town, I hope Jack gets to stay this time. I'm enjoying the Jack/Gwen dynamic and want to see that further explored. 

"Her final airdate will be Feb. 17."

That's next week. It's got to be Laura-related for Jennifer to leave town so abruptly. Maybe she's going to deal with Laura's estate in Boston (if that's where she lived) and decides to stay for a long while. 

I think Jack is going to stay there's no point in making Gwen his daughter if he wasn't going to stick around. I could see Ron phasing Jennifer out of Devereaux family dynamic like the show has done with JJ.

[bannana]

Having this story line with Gwen killing Laura, and Jack sticking by Gwen (I think?) needs Jennifer on the scene.

[Petunia13]

3 hours ago, howmanywords said:

Wow!

Cady McClain to Exit Days of Our Lives

 

wow. I don’t care what anyone says. Strange shit is going on there behind the scenes and I get the vibe this show may be on its last year. 

[KBrownie]

Just now, bannana said:

Having this story line with Gwen killing Laura, and Jack sticking by Gwen (I think?) needs Jennifer on the scene.

You would think, but Jennifer hasn’t been allowed much of a POV on any of this, it’s been all about Gwen and her pain. Jack hasn’t even had much of one. He’s just there for Gwen to whine at and apologize and make excuses for her. This is Gwen’s story and Jack and Jennifer are just propping. 
 

Hell, Jennifer  can’t even express any realistic anger about Gwen trying to kill her daughter because the show is bending over backwards to excuse all she’s done.  It’s kind of crazy that Jack is so suddenly 100% on board. Laura dying will probably be all about poor, damaged Gwen too. She’ll be excused for that too & Jennifer won’t be allowed to react to that either. 
 

I’d rather Jennifer be gone. Let Jack enjoy and nurture his sociopath on his own.  

[KBrownie]

8 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

 

wow. I don’t care what anyone says. Strange shit is going on there behind the scenes and I get the vibe this show may be on its last year. 

Yep. 
CM is a vet in this business. She probably sees the story isn’t going to give her anything to do but prop poor, broken, damaged Gwen while ignoring beats that might have been good for character. 
She probably saw the writing on the wall and peaced out. If there was something to stick around for if MR isn’t coming back, she would have. 

[CanaryFan98]

26 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

 

wow. I don’t care what anyone says. Strange shit is going on there behind the scenes and I get the vibe this show may be on its last year. 

I think its a safe bet tbh I mean KA left and MR didn't even want to return. They were two people I figured would stick it out to the end but probably know that there wasn't anything worth staying for.

 

Its hard to imagine the show being cancelled only because I can't think of what they could replace it with.

[WendyCR72]

25 minutes ago, CanaryFan98 said:

I think its a safe bet tbh I mean KA left and MR didn't even want to return. They were two people I figured would stick it out to the end but probably know that there wasn't anything worth staying for.

 

Its hard to imagine the show being cancelled only because I can't think of what they could replace it with.

NBC could always just cede that hour to the affiliates and let them program whatever in the individual markets.

[Irlandesa]

MR's decision not to return was COVID related based on everything other actors have said when they've referred to it. That could all be a lie but it's very different from KA's departure.

I get the sense that other actors aren't commuting like they used to.  I believe MA mentioned something about looking for a place in LA when he had been living out east and flying back and forth. Missy isn't moving from Nashville.

As for Cady, I would be surprised if this were her decision.   I think this was a last minute recast decision when MR opted not to return but Ron already had this cheating story planned.  She was there mainly for it to play out and for the show to find a way to write her out.

 

[Petunia13]

Because of covid and how cheap they are to make probably a reality show. Maybe a reboot of Starting Over or RH rip off. Those because the people film w family and close friends they can keep the semblance of a bubble. 

The only think that pings is the fact we had MAJOR people walk all kinda close together and NONE wanted to stay for some wrap up story. AS/Sami coming back isn’t promising because she’s always said if the show ended she wanted to be there.  I don’t believe Missy left because of covid because of reasons that are obvious. 

[DisneyBoy]

Okay, I literally just said " WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?" 

This ain't a good sign. I kinda liked her but she barely had time to grow into the part. And she seemed enthusiastic. I'm really curious as to why she's left.

Honestly, Jennifer was played out years ago. Both she and Jack could exit and it would be totally fine.

...but not like this, with no goodbye or a one episode wrap-up. These are major characters.

I mean....killing Laura and having Jen bounce? Within days of each other? Pretty morbid and depressing.

WTH is going on behind the scenes....

 

 

 

[bannana]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

As for Cady, I would be surprised if this were her decision. 

I don't anything about any of this but based on her enthusiasm when she posted on social media abou taking this role, I feel confident she was let go and did not leave voluntarily. Too bad. She got royally screwed over on the Y and R with that character, and now that she thought she found a good fit, she is gone.

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

As for Cady, I would be surprised if this were her decision.   I think this was a last minute recast decision when MR opted not to return but Ron already had this cheating story planned.  She was there mainly for it to play out and for the show to find a way to write her out.

I mean, it was pretty clear that Cady was just a temp because they absolutely could not just write Jennifer off. Until now.

Tamara Braun was basically a last-minute casting decision for Carly on GH when Sarah Joy Brown left before they could properly write Carly off, but apparently they liked what she brought because Carly became a permanent character.

It's also obvious that this show isn't keeping actors on contract if they're not using them. 

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I think this was a last minute recast decision when MR opted not to return but Ron already had this cheating story planned.  She was there mainly for it to play out and for the show to find a way to write her out.

 

6 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I mean, it was pretty clear that Cady was just a temp because they absolutely could not just write Jennifer off. Until now.

This is what I thought as well. I never got the impression CM was intended to be a permanent Jennifer recast. They had the Jack/Kate affair story planned and when MR didn't want to return they had to find someone to finish it out. Now it's over so they can toss Jennifer for the time being. They can always bring her back later, either with CM or MR coming back or someone else. 

To me, it just doesn't indicate that the show is thisclose to cancellation. I feel like there's a big 'Days is about to be cancelled!' sentiment on social media every couple months and it always just isn't lol. 

[AttackTurtle]

12 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Because of covid and how cheap they are to make probably a reality show. Maybe a reboot of Starting Over or RH rip off. Those because the people film w family and close friends they can keep the semblance of a bubble. 

The only think that pings is the fact we had MAJOR people walk all kinda close together and NONE wanted to stay for some wrap up story. AS/Sami coming back isn’t promising because she’s always said if the show ended she wanted to be there.  I don’t believe Missy left because of covid because of reasons that are obvious. 

I actually do buy that Missy left because of Covid.  She stayed with her in-laws when filming in CA (her father-in-law just died).  Financially, I think she is in a pretty good position to have made that decision.  I’m hoping that she is coming back.  While she clearly ticked off some of her cast mates with her social media “likes” (which she continues to do), she appears to be on good terms with the people she primarily films with.  I thought Cady did a good job, but I will always prefer Missy as Jennifer.  

[CanaryFan98]

11 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Okay, I literally just said " WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?" 

This ain't a good sign. I kinda liked her but she barely had time to grow into the part. And she seemed enthusiastic. I'm really curious as to why she's left.

Honestly, Jennifer was played out years ago. Both she and Jack could exit and it would be totally fine.

...but not like this, with no goodbye or a one episode wrap-up. These are major characters.

I mean....killing Laura and having Jen bounce? Within days of each other? Pretty morbid and depressing.

WTH is going on behind the scenes....

 

 

 

A far better soap than the one we're seeing on screen.

[methodwriter85]

13 minutes ago, CanaryFan98 said:

A far better soap than the one we're seeing on screen.

I really wish they'd write Sonny as a social media guru who constantly tries to grift his fans.

[DisneyBoy]

In hindsight, I would have preferred them entirely skipping the "Kate Pity Boinks Jack" plot and just jumped right into Gwen as Jack's daughter. The "affair" was a non-starter, and Jack having a kid and Laura dying would have been much meatier plots to keep Jennifer around for.

I get that things are planned in advance and hard to change last-minute but this was obviously the more impactful story....and the Gwen reveal was draaaaagged oooooouuuut for far too long. Could have happened in the fall.

[CanaryFan98]

54 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I really wish they'd write Sonny as a social media guru who constantly tries to grift his fans.

It would be the most interesting Sonny has been in years...

4 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

In hindsight, I would have preferred them entirely skipping the "Kate Pity Boinks Jack" plot and just jumped right into Gwen as Jack's daughter. The "affair" was a non-starter, and Jack having a kid and Laura dying would have been much meatier plots to keep Jennifer around for.

I get that things are planned in advance and hard to change last-minute but this was obviously the more impactful story....and the Gwen reveal was draaaaagged oooooouuuut for far too long. Could have happened in the fall.

Would've also been better if JJ and Mike were around for this as well.

[RunningMarket]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I really wish they'd write Sonny as a social media guru who constantly tries to grift his fans.

But will he wear blue suit jackets in all his Instagram stories?

Keeping on topic, I will be sad to see CM go. I wasn't familiar with her work before, but I never liked MR much (even long before her questionable social media engagement), and I grew to appreciate the character of Jennifer under her tenure.

[CanaryFan98]

You didn't watch AMC? She was a long standing character on that show although I had issues with Dixie most of the time. 

She also was on ATWT and Y&R brief stints.

I wonder if she'll pop up on GH? Her RL hubby and TV hubby are both on the show as well as her TV bro.

[Crs97]

Cady’s Dixie and Michael E Knight’s Tad were the best thing about AMC.  Then she went to ATWT, played a completely different character, and had fabulous chemistry with Roger Howarth as well as every actor who played Craig.  I would love to see her join GH!

[enchantingmonkey]

No surprise here that I'm sad to see Cady McClain go.  If they let her go, it was probably because the show is too poor to keep her but I was really hoping we'd see Jack torn between Jennifer and Abigail thinking Gwen killed Laura and Gwen insisting it was an accident.  Why isn't that a story worth paying for???  Oh right, I've been waiting all of my life to watch Ben and Ciara rolling around in bed thinking they're Romeo and Juliet.  

[methodwriter85]

15 hours ago, enchantingmonkey said:

No surprise here that I'm sad to see Cady McClain go.  If they let her go, it was probably because the show is too poor to keep her but I was really hoping we'd see Jack torn between Jennifer and Abigail thinking Gwen killed Laura and Gwen insisting it was an accident.  Why isn't that a story worth paying for???  Oh right, I've been waiting all of my life to watch Ben and Ciara rolling around in bed thinking they're Romeo and Juliet.  

The show is really not keeping anyone they don't have a story for. It's why everyone is on like 13-week contracts. 

[CanaryFan98]

22 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Cady’s Dixie and Michael E Knight’s Tad were the best thing about AMC.  Then she went to ATWT, played a completely different character, and had fabulous chemistry with Roger Howarth as well as every actor who played Craig.  I would love to see her join GH!

I forgot that their characters were paired on ATWT (and I didn't care for that pairing tbh). Funny you mention Craig because she used to date Hunt Block that didn't end well and then she got with Jon and married him.

I also just realized its possible that she might be invited to the AMC reboot on ABC I know MEK is on GH but they could pull him out of that show to sell the reboot because Tad was the most recognizable character outside of Adam and Erica for AMC. That's what ABC did to GF when she was on AMC they pulled her out of that show so L&L could return in 1993.

[WendyCR72]

2 hours ago, CanaryFan98 said:

Funny you mention Craig because [Cady McClain] used to date Hunt Block that didn't end well and then she got with Jon and married him.

And Jon Lindstrom was married to Eileen Davidson before Cady.

[CanaryFan98]

13 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

And Jon Lindstrom was married to Eileen Davidson before Cady.

Yep they even had Eileen and Cady share some scenes together(Cady's character was involved with Jack at the time) which I found rather funny personally but I digress.

[Crs97]

Eileen left Jon when she met her current husband, and Cady was extremely complimentary when Eileen won her Emmy for Y&R so it seems to be all amicable.

[methodwriter85]

On 2/12/2021 at 7:55 PM, CanaryFan98 said:

I also just realized its possible that she might be invited to the AMC reboot on ABC

I hope she was. Cady seems like an incredibly positive person who is really supportive of her cast mates on social media. She also seems willing to play whatever you throw at her. 

Edited February 15, 2021 by methodwriter85

[Pearson80]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I hope she was. Cady seems like an incredibly positive person who is really supportive of her cast mates on social media. She also seems willing to play whatever you throw at her. 

I love Cady and she is still beautiful. If she has had work done on her face then it is very subtle because she still looks like herself..

[DisneyBoy]

She really does have a gorgeous face.

Wish she'd had better direction on DOOL, because I think she could have been even better than she was.