For the record, Cady McClain speaks out on AMC ouster
by Dan J Kroll
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2007 11:20:42 AM
Two-time Emmy winner Cady McClain speaks out about her dismissal from All My Children. The actress says that a lack of story for her character -- not her outspokenness -- led to her ouster.
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McClain was informed in December that she would be exiting the show, as her character would fall victim to the infamous Satin Slayer. But the news of her exit didn't leak until several weeks later. Some fans speculated that McClain was axed because she had spoken out about the exit of another Emmy-winning female lead on the show, Julia Barr (ex-Brooke English). The rumor was given added credibility when the FOX News cable channel issued a report stating that McClain's outspokenness was the reason she had been shown the door.
"Who is this guy from FOX news and what does he know?" McClain asked, noting that all of her blog entries were approved by ABC executives before they were ever posted on the Internet. "I was talking about the character of Brooke when I said 'life is not fair,' [..] not Julia getting let go."
So what is the reason for McClain's exit? The actress says that the show's triumvirate of top execs decided that killing Dixie was the best way to move forward for a character that no one quite knew what to do with any more.
"This [was] a mutual decision of Brian [Frons, president of Daytime for Disney-ABC Television Group], Julie [Hanan Carruthers, AMC's executive producer] and Megan [McTavish, AMC's head writer]," McClain notes. "I was told they all agreed on this decision."
Still reeling from the news that one of the most-loved characters in AMC history was going to be murdered, fans were further outraged when, earlier this month, ABC seemingly removed all references to McClain and Dixie from the official All My Children web site. McClain, whose exit was only a few weeks ago, is no longer listed in the actor biography section nor is her character listed in the character profiles. Meanwhile, former co-stars Vincent Irizarry (who left his role as AMC's David Hayward in November and is now appearing on rival soap The Young and the Restless), Marcus Patrick (whose blink-and-you-missed him appearance as Jamal Cudahy ended in September) and many other recently departed stars are all still listed among the stars of the show.
"I really am only the actor. I don't think they will ever bring me back, especially if they have removed the Dixie CHARACTER bio from the website," McClain offered. "It's over. It's all done. AMC is going to become something totally different than it once was. It will be all new, all different. Why? I can only conjecture."
Despite no longer being part of the All My Children cast, McClain did earn a pre-nomination for this year's Daytime Emmys.
Knowing that many of her fans have threatened to never again watch All My Children, McClain offered some reassuring words.
"Do not stop watching All My Children," McClain urged. "There are some good actors on that show, the producers are trying new and innovative things, and the writers are trying out lots of concepts and ideas that you may ultimately find very entertaining."
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News Archive: McClain will return as AMC's Dixie. [May 11, 1998]
Who's Who: Read a biography of Dixie Martin. About The Actor: Learn more about Cady McClain. Family Trees: Browse the branches of the Martin family tree. More Archived News: Review more past AMC news headlines. News and More: Return to soapcentral.com's AMC FrontPage. |
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