DAYS Star Tamara Braun Talks Daytime Emmy Reel, Steve Burton

Tamara Braun might feel déjà vu all over again on Friday night as she’s nominated once again for her role as Ava Vitali on Days of our Lives. She won the statuette in 2009 in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category for playing Ava. Now, she’s talking to Soap Hub about her nod in the Outstanding Lead Actress group.

Thrice Would Be Nice

Braun, who also won the Daytime Emmy for her role as Kim on General Hospital in 2020, is thrilled to be acknowledged once again by her peers. “It feels great,” Braun tells Soap Hub about being nominated. “When doesn’t it feel great to be nominated for an Emmy in a role that you love playing?”

Call her biased if you will but Braun is a big fan of the volatile Ava Vitali, a woman capable of experiencing great love and also, going to great lengths for those she loves.

“She’s had a lot of changes,” Braun notes, referring to her more devious ways and how over the years we’ve seen her be a moving mother to her son Tripp (Lucas Adams). “She takes steps forward, and then, she tapes steps back. I think,” the actress says with a chuckle, ” that she’s going to end up in ‘regular person land’ and then, she doesn’t!”

Let’s Go to the Tape

Braun says her reel this year includes three powerful scenes, which include her former co-star Steve Burton (ex-Harris; Jason, GH). “[My reel] starts out with Ava being in Bayview Sanitarium,” the actress shares. “There are scenes with [Ava and Harris]. She keeps having hallucinations. [She fears] her trauma will keep her from being able to see her son, Tripp, and he’s been a source of calm, pride, joy, and love in her life. She’s worried about that.”

Braun also has scenes in her reel with actor David S. Lee, who plays Gil. “He’s a wonderful actor,” she says. “There were scenes where [Gil] tries to rape her, and Ava turns it around on him. She gets the gun and turns the tables on him, permanently.”

The last scenes on Braun’s reel are some more playful ones with Burton’s Harris. “We’re in a cafe in Paris, trying to find Susan [Stacy Haiduk],” Braun says. “It’s a light scene, which gives the reel some variety.”

The Ladies Who Lunch

Soap Hub chatted with Braun before she attended the annual Daytime Emmy nominees’ luncheon that’s hosted by last year’s Outstanding Lead Actress winner, who is Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy, Bold and the Beautiful).

“We all really do in daytime support one another,” Braun says. “We know how hard we work. I think it’s really wonderful to be able to come together with [colleagues] we know and meet ones we don’t.”

Tamara Braun gives a shoutout to her pal, stylist Okera Banks [@okerabanks] for helping her with her awards show look. “It’s always good to have a friend, who has your best interests at heart,” the actress says. “It’s always more fun to go shopping anytime with a friend you trust.”

Check out Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, June 6 for a sneak peek of Braun’s search for the perfect vegan gown for the Daytime Emmys.

Also, check out Soap Hub‘s coverage of the Daytime Emmys! The 51st Annual Daytime Emmys will be broadcast on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and on Paramount+.