Camila Banus announced she is officially stepping away from Days of Our Lives, the long-running Peacock soap opera she has starred in for 13 years.
The Emmy-nominated actress cited multiple reasons for leaving the show, including an inflexible filming schedule and the program’s move to Peacock from network television.
“There’s definitely been a lot of changes at Days the last couple of years, one being moving to Peacock,” she told The Wrap. “Although it’s been wonderful and we’ve had a super great reception, for me, I felt like that was kind of like the initial start for changes happening in general.”
She explained, “I kind of just saw that as a sign for me to start the next chapter in my life.” In addition to starting a family with her husband Marlon Aquino, Banus shared that she plans to pivot her focus to film.
“My husband and I are trying to start a family, hopefully,” she said. “And that’s another big factor in possibly just slowing down for a little bit and seeing kind of where this time takes me. But I’m also open to other opportunities and ready for big things.”
Banus played Gabi Hernandez, a character who she admits put Days viewers “through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the 13 years that she has wrecked havoc on Salem.”
She explained that things came to a head when it was time to renegotiate her contract with the producers, saying, “I was honestly open to renegotiating a certain type of shooting schedule where I would have a little bit more time off. But they didn’t go for it.”
Though the producers later asked what they could do to keep her on the show, Banus claims they remained unwilling to change the shooting schedules to allow her time to “slow down.”
“It’s just a really renewing and refreshing time for me. And, I think a lot of great things are to come,” she said.
Banus was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding young actress in 2015. She began playing Gabi when she was just 19 years old; her only previous major acting credit was in One Life to Live, where she played Lola Montez.
Though Banus has exited the show and wrapped filming, she will still be appearing in previously filmed episodes for the next few months.