Farewell My Son
The character’s hardest farewell, however, is the one he says to his young son, Tate.
“Brady had finally and completely embraced the idea of fatherhood and domesticity, so to speak,” says Martsolf. “He really wanted to have a normal life with Nicole and Tate and Holly, become a family, and put Salem behind him. Even though the mind is willing, the body is not at this point.”
Brady toughens up before his goodbye to his son. “He wants to be strong in front of him,” points out Martsolf. “He puts on an air of, ‘Buddy, it’s okay. I love you and, shucks, I’ll see you soon.’ He doesn’t want to appear weak in front of his boy.”
A Week to Remember
When all is said and done, Brady slips into unconsciousness and begins fading fast, wrapping up a week’s worth of challenging scenes for Martsolf.
“It was a difficult shoot,” admits Martsolf. “Whenever you have to tape something so dismal, it does have an effect on you. It’s eerie in a sense.
“The hospital bed is real. The gown is real. The tubes are very realistic. And you have these people looking down on you with these eyes of sadness… You can’t help but be affected.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to play the inevitability of death… the impending death of a character before,” adds Martsolf. “It was a completely different experience as an actor to play the realization of mortality. I can’t imagine anything harder in the world.”
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