Starting Over
Soap Opera Digest: How does it feel to be wrapping up a role that you’ve played for the past three years?
Chad Brannon: You know, “bittersweet” describes it well. I’m really ready to close this door, but it’s hard to say good-bye.Digest: What do you think about the story propelling Zander’s exit?
Brannon: It’s been a crazy up-and- down roller coaster with the story and the way that it has gone. The stuff that [the writers] threw out to me was wild. With the fire, it was just crazy. I had to do all of this physical stuff; I ended up having to go to the chiropractor for about a week. I was in major pain after we finished it. The old Zander got a couple of good beatings [laughs]!Digest: Are you happy with the final ending?
Brannon: It ends well in the respect that Zander has a moment of closure, which is nice. It’s a moment between him and Emily where it’s like how everything started with them. It’s like everything has come full circle with the craziness of the character. It’s sad and it’s tragic, but it’s happy at the same time.
Digest: What will you miss most?
Brannon: The people. That’s the biggest drawback of having to leave. I have the most friends from the show right now that I’ve had since being there. The cool thing is, I know that even though I’m leaving, I still have my friends … and we’ll be getting together a lot.Digest: What have you learned over the past three years?
Brannon: Zander has not been a traditional soap character, so that’s taught me to be adaptable in performances and story and the way that I dealt with the character. He bounces back from good to bad to crazy to lovesick…. He has so many things that he’s gone through, and that has been a real challenge. That challenge, I think, has really made me grow as an actor. Getting to work with the people I’ve worked with has also been a joy. I’ve grown from those people €” I’ve really worked with the best of the best there.Digest: You are going to be taping your final scene in less than a week. What do you think your final day will be like?
Brannon: I have no idea. I had a moment where I was like, “Wow, this is going to be my last week.” But I don’t know if it’s going to be outrageously emotional. I just don’t know. I’m really ready to close this door, and I’m ready to get out there. But I never want to be one who is pushing through my life and missing things along the way. So, I’m just going to try and live in that day and enjoy it and see it for what it is, which is a close to a great and an amazing book in my life.
Digest: What’s lined up for you in the immediate future?
Brannon: I’m finishing up a play right now and just auditioning. I’m hitting the streets again, which is fun. I’ve had a couple of offers already from a few [soaps]. It’s very flattering that they came to me so quickly, but I want to go see what’s out there outside of daytime.Digest: What about your music?
Brannon: I’m going to start working with my voice teacher quite a bit more. I don’t have anything specific planned, but who knows what’s going to come along in my path?Digest: The fans have been very supportive of you. What would you like to say to them?
Brannon: They have been awesome since I first came on the show. I love my fans. If anybody wants to find out about me, they can check out my Web site, www.chadbrannon.net. I pop on there quite a bit just to say, “Hey,” and do a few chats every know and then.
Conversation
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