One Life to Live's Antonio Vega will get a new look for a few weeks as actor Kamar de los Reyes (Antonio Vega) is forced to take a temporary leave from the show. The actor injured himself doing a stunt for the ABC soap and the extent of the damage was much worse than first thought.
"Kamar tore his rotator cuff some time ago and reinjured it recently doing a stunt," the president of de los Reyes' fan club tells Soap Central. "He now has five cervical herniations that are causing radiating pain through his neck and shoulders."
A true trouper, de los Reyes had been reporting to work every day even as his pain intensified. However, on March 30th the actor and network executives mutually decided that it would be best for de los Reyes to take a leave from the show and focus on getting himself back to full health..
"I appreciate the overwhelming support you all have given me at this time and I wanted you to hear the news directly from me. I am so sorry to announce to you that I must step down and be recast for a short period of time due to my injuries," de los Reyes said in a statement. "This has been such a trying time for me, the torn rotator cuff and the herniations are causing other problems that will not allow me to continue at the pace my storyline currently requires. I have given all that I have to the character of Antonio Vega but my health is mandating my full attention at this time. I plan to make a full and complete recovery and return to work not much more than a week after my surgery."
While de los Reyes is sidelined, actor Robert Montano will be taking over the role of Antonio Vega. Montano is not a newcomer to daytime; he appeared as Sergio Francone in a handful of episodes of CBS's As the World Turns. The actor has also appeared in episodes of the primetime series "CSI: Miami," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Sex and the City."
"Robert is a very dear friend of mine and a tremendous actor," de los Reyes praise, noting that he hopes the fans will welcome the actor while he is recuperating.
Kamar de los Reyes originated the role of Antonio in 1995. He remained with the show through 1997 and returned briefly in 1998 before returning full-time in 2000. The actor re-signed a contract with One Life to Live in February 2006. He serves as the national spokesperson for The Gabriel Project, a non-profit organization established to provide life-saving heart surgery to children from areas where such surgery is not available.
Surgery to repair de los Reyes' injuries is scheduled for sometime in early April. Fans can send their get well wishes to the actor by using the address found on our Fan Clubs page.
