In recent weeks, the 38-year veteran has seen her on-screen airtime shrink. Whereas her iconic character once had groundbreaking "multiple personality" storylines, those jaw-dropping storylines have now been passed on to the next generation of characters. In fact, Slezak's on-screen daughter, Jessica Buchanan, now suffers from a dissociative identity disorder of her own.
"[T]hey are focusing on other stories right now. And that's all I can really say," Slezak said in an interview on her official web site. "I agree that there is not enough of Viki and Charlie right now but hopefully there will be in the future."
Cynics may say that there isn't much left for Viki to do. After all, since 1971, Viki has had six alternate personalities, possibly killed two people, battled breast cancer, received a heart transplant from her former husband, and gone to heaven -- twice.
For her part, Slezak feels that there are many different ways that the show's writers could take her character. She points to the 2007 storyline in which her character fled Llanview for Paris -- Texas -- and attempted to start a new life for herself.
"I loved that story. It was so simple and so sweet, and the characters that [the show] brought in -- Noel and Gigi and Mo -- were so real and so different from everybody else," Slezak told Soap Central in a recent interview. "It wasn't just written for me. It was a lovely story."
The dynamics of daytime television have changed in recent years. Soaps can hire two or three newcomers for about the same salary of one established, long-time veteran. NBC's Days of our Lives has made headlines in recent weeks for firing nearly half a dozen performers over the age of 40. If Days of our Lives could fire its "star," Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans), fans fear that ABC could very well ditch one of its top-billed stars, too.
In the meantime, Slezak urges fans to contact Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group, if they are interested in seeing more of her on their television screens.
"It's Brian Frons who approves and disapproves of stories. Any story that is done has to be green lighted by him," Slezak explains. "It's [head writer] Ron [Carlivati]'s responsibility to come up with the stories but Brian has to green light them."
RELATED ARTICLEErika Slezak sits down for exclusive interview with Soap Central.
