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A bittersweet goodbye for ‘Days of Our Lives’ Rachel Melvin.
Though scheduled to return in May for a brief appearance, Days of Our Lives’ Rachel Melvin has said goodbye to the show she called home for 4 years. She recently spoke with Soap Opera Digest about her exit and what is on the horizon for her.
“My last day was the day everyone found out Darin (Brooks, Max) was leaving. They asked me to come back for two days in May to close out Max’s storyline, so my last day wasn’t really my last day,” Melvin reveals to the magazine in her most recent interview.
Melvin enjoyed 4 years on the NBC daytime drama before deciding to leave the show for new horizons. “I think the fact that I didn’t know when I would act professionally again was kind of scary and at the end of the day, that’s what made the scenes more emotional. I was on the show for 4 years and I had an amazing time. It’s like I was graduating from high school again. The main part was being scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time for the unknown and what’s going to happen next.”
She also debunks the internet rumors of her possibly moving to another soap opera (rumored to be the new Kristina on ABC’s "General Hospital"), “My plan is for a year to stray from the soap path because as I told Ken Corday (DAYS Executive Producer), the reason I was leaving the show is because I wanted to do other acting. It may end up that I come back to daytime and that’s what I like at the end of the day, but right now, I just need to explore other options.”
In a previous interview with Soap Opera Digest, Executive Producer Ken Corday commended Melvin for making the decision to leave the show, “I called her and applauded her move.” The EP went on say he told Rachel the door would be open for her return. Corday says he told the actress, “It’s time for you to spread your wings and I want to see you in feature films and big television.”
Rachel joined “Days of Our Lives” in 2005. Originally the character was just a friend to Abby (ex-Ashley Benson). It was later revealed she was the adopted child of the Benson Family and really the long lost daughter of Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) and Billie Reed (Julie Pinson). Chelsea was not a fan of Hope, Bo’s wife. Melvin shined in the story where Chelsea, who had barely received her driver’s license, accidentally killed her half brother Zack. Though Chelsea was responsible, she hid this fact from everyone for quite some time. Eventually, she came clean and all was forgiven.
The actress earned a Daytime Emmy nomination last year for Outstanding Younger Actress for her performance as Chelsea Brady on the NBC soap.
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