ABC Soaps In Depth:
General Hospital's Carly is at a point in her life where self-discovery is as vital as the air she breathes. She is a woman teetering from fearless to afraid and back again, torn between the childlike need to have a relationship with the father she never knew and the womanly desire to secure the family she has created. Carly has proceeded with hopeful caution, all the while continuing to lead her life with determination and humor. If skillfully played, this imbalance of emotions results in a performance that, in its richness and honesty, is impossible to turn away from. And certainly, the talented Tamara Braun goes well beyond skillful!


The Strong, Not-So Silent Type
Comedy, tragedy, action, or melodrama, Braun does it all with style. But not until her recent storyline started her battling Carly's vulnerabilities has she shone with such subtlety and range.

As she and Sonny searched for clues to her father's identity, her every move was filled with quiet angst. At first, Braun's voice reflected Carly's dream of a happy future. Then, reality crept in. Her face drained of blood. "[My father's] not going to be real thrilled that the bastard child that he fathered, a child he probably never knew existed, shows up at his door." Hope was dwindling, but she was compelled to continue her journey. When she finally confonted her mother and pleaded for the name of the man that could be her father, Carly wouldn't back down. "I really wish you'd understand that I'm asking for your help!" She was strong and insistent. "This is about me finding myself." In a way, it was also about Braun finding herself -- a deeper level to her already bottomless pit of talent. And she found it.


Send In The Clowns
But Braun's performance didn't end there. She knows how to flirt and frolic and induce chuckles, too! When Carly offered Coleman $10,000 to find her father, he grinned mischievously and said, "A good-looking chick like you can come up with something a little bit more creative than that." She leaned forward, allowing his finger to trace her chin. Laughing coyly, she responded, "I think you're about to be a dead man." He took in what he thought was her coquettish come-on -- until she finished her sentence. "Because my husband is standing right behind you." Later, when Carly was tossed into a too-much-information-for-her-disapproving-ears conversation with Jax and Courtney, Braun pulled out all the stops. Her every reaction was priceless.

It appears that there's no end to what Braun can do. She keeps us watching to see what she's going to do next. And she never disappoints.



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