Mary Beth Evans on her final “DAYS”
Soap Opera Weekly – June 2, 1992
by Janet DiLauro
The mood was melancholy and emotions ran high the day six-year veteran Mary Beth Evans taped her final scenes as Kayla Brady Johnson. The episode airs Monday, May 25.
“The part that was really difficult was that I had to work my whole last week on the show,” says Evans. “There were a lot of late days; we were taping Isabella and John’s wedding.”
“I knew it was all leading up to my last days. I had 45 pages of scripted dialogue. I had to go to Steve’s grave for the first time and have a monologue. I always felt that it was horrible that I never went there before. I had to break up with Shane. At one point, I had to look in Peggy’s and Frank’s eyes (Shawn and Caroline, Kayla’s parents) and tell them how much I love them and would miss them,” explains Evans. “During dress rehearsals, I broke down sobbing.”
Rumors of Evans’ exit began in April when executives of the show announced her upcoming departure; then hours later, retracted that statement, claiming negotiations were still on.
Evans explains: “The whole thing was very complicated. It was never about money-it was about time commitment. I’d just finished a one year contract and wanted the same thing. Days wanted two years. I said ok, and gave in to two. At the time, they were talking to Stephen. They wanted him to come back. I talked to him; I know he was interested.”
The talking and negotiating stopped however. “My contract fell at a time when there were a lot of changes were going on–a change in producers, new writers,” she says. “And I honestly don’t know if after this last year anyone knows the kind of work I can do. I fought tooth and nail to keep the character’s integrity over the last year [while the writers] did everything they wanted. They said they were committed to Charlie and me as a couple, but I had scenes that were so out of character,” she continues. “I remember one time I had to say something like, ‘Seeing Kimberly’s baby’s toys around the house only made me want Shane more.’ Charlie and I complained about what was going on in our storyline many times. We really tried to fight for it.”
“Basically, they wrote Kayla into a corner,” Evans says. “They didn’t know how to resolve the character. All the other stories were going full force, so they decided to write me off. Actually, I feel positive about the whole thing. I couldn’t have made the decision to leave on my own. It would have been too hard. Days was a great job. Everyone was terrific to me. I probably would have stayed the rest of my life. I don’t have any resentments,” she maintains.
The actress is optimistic about the future. “I just know that I love to work. There have been inquiries from other soaps. And of course Shelley Curtis, who’s always been a good friend, is at General Hospital now.”
She laughs. “Right now, I want to relax, take a break, and clear my head.”
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