Tamara Braun
Carly Corinthos, General Hospital

Tamara Braun is at a crossroads. As General Hospital's Carly Corinthos, she's torn between the amorous attention of would-be suitor Dr. Steven Webber and sharing the anguish of her estranged husband Sonny, whose daughter Kristina has been kidnapped. Off-screen, Braun is trying to decide if she wants to spend another few years in Port Charles discovering which road Carly will choose. Here, the actress answers to both sides of her dilemma. — Delaina Dixon

Despite their separation, does Carly still have feelings for Sonny?
Of course. How can you be in a relationship for that long and not? They didn't split because they don't love each other, they split because of all the damage they've done to one another. They decided that before they do more harm, they better stop and try to salvage what they have left. But there's still longing between them.

If Sonny is Carly's soulmate, why is she drawn to Steven?
She's drawn to him because she has a friend. He's someone who has been there for her, who's interested and different and nice to her. She's not looking for anything right now, but he's kind and available, and he's a safe choice. He's unlike anything she's had before.

A "safe choice" doesn't sound like the catalyst for a fiery romance.
Nice doesn't mean boring, but it certainly implies it. I think that's a pretty true sentiment for Carly. She's used to having quite a bit of drama and excitement in her life, so stable means boring. Blame it on the soaps and movies. We're all attracted to the bad boy in the cowboy hat instead of the squeaky-clean one.

What should Steven do to make Carly give him a chance?
He has to have a little patience with her. Or, maybe if he crossed the line there would be some interest.

In the last three years, Carly has changed quite a bit.
I remember saying at one point, "If it's going to be about the same thing and making the same mistakes, well, I have no interest in playing a character that doesn't grow." I don't know if it was the way I began playing her, or from my discussions with producers, but Carly became a little bit more mature. She has a family now; it was time to grow up a little bit. People seem to like that Carly's grown and has taken some responsibility for her actions.

She still knows how to speak her mind.
Put her in a certain situation and Carly will fight till the death for what she believes in. I like that about her. She's this mama bear when it comes to her family; that hasn't changed. She's feisty and passionate.

Can Sonny and Carly survive separately? They are considered such a supercouple.
Time will tell. They're still connected to each other. This breakup isn't hateful. They're not at each other's throats. I think the writers are planning to keep them as a part of each other's lives. Maurice [Bernard (Sonny)] and I always said it would be neat to have them fighting outside forces together instead of fighting each other. Keep the spark, the passion, even the irritation and anger they have toward one another, but leave the destruction of each other behind. They'll still come together as parents and friends and people who love and care about one another, but now they are trying to figure out where they fit in one another's lives.

That's certainly being tested with Kristina's kidnapping.
Maurice and I talked a couple of years ago about how it would be interesting to have Michael and Morgan kidnapped and play the experience of two people dealing with this horrible tragedy. That was one of our suggestions for the characters not fighting one another, but coming together.

Is there any woman in Port Charles Carly would approve of Sonny dating?
Umm, no. That lawyer woman who was trying to fix Sonny's new home? She didn't have a clue, and she was going to put all the wrong colors in there. Carly knows her Sonny, that's for sure.

Have you made any decisions about staying with General Hospital?
No. For now, I'm right where I am. As an actor, you have aspirations to do a lot of things. I don't know if being on this show would prohibit me completely from doing those things, but for now, I'm happy where I am.