Is Marcie really leaving?
By Trace86
@Trace86 (5030)
United States
October 1, 2007 1:49pm CST
http://www.soapcentral.com/oltl/news/2007/1001-brier.php
Kathy Brier (Marcie Walsh) will exit One Life to Live when her contract expires this fall. The exit, which was mutually agreed upon, has not yet been confirmed by the network or the actress' rep. The 2003 Daytime Emmy nominee has been with the ABC soap since 2002.
Kathy Brier (Marcie Walsh) will reportedly exit the show when her contract expires this fall. The actress has expressed an interest in returning to her roots - the stage. While the Emmy nominated Brier is comfortable on the small screen, the bulk of her acting portfolio is comprised of stage work. Brier hit the Great White Way in 2002 and 2003 when she appeared as Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway production of "Hairspray." Prior to that Brier served as an understudy for the same role. The actress has numerous off-Broadway credits in addition to having done regional theater.
During her tenure with One Life to Live, Brier has had numerous opportunities to showcase her vocal talent. Brier has also released a CD entitled "Heartbreaker," available via her official web site.
In 2003, Brier unwittingly became the poster child for women everywhere who do not fit into the so-called typical mold of what a television star should look like. Then-ABC Daytime President, Brian Frons, issued a statement in which he seemed to call into question the actress' physical beauty.
"Kathy Brier, a marvelous actress,[…] has an incredible voice and is not beautiful, is overweight and the audience has just embraced her, because she is not perfect like everybody else," Frons stated.
One Life to Live execs are apparently already prepping the show for a post-Brier timeframe. The show is ready to pair Marcie's current love interest, Michael McBain (played by Nathaniel Marston) with the soon-to-be-seen Gigi, a role said to have been created for actress Farah Fath. Fath debuts later this month.
Brier joined One Life to Live in October 2002. A final airdate has not yet been announced, as there has been no formal announcement that Brier is exiting. The role of Marcie is not expected to be recast.
2 responses
@semeris (29)
• United States
4 Oct 07
Kathy Brier has such a fabulous voice - I was very disappointed that she didn't reprise her role as Tracy Turnblad in the movie version remake of Hairspray.
I love to watch Kathy as Marcie on One Life to Live and can't imagine her character being recast. It will be very hard to see Michael with a different love interest but I've been looking forward to seeing Farah Fath back on the soaps after her departure from Days of our Lives. I really hope the writers write a believable script for getting those two characters (Michael and Gigi) together.