INTERVIEW: Ari Zucker on her DAYS exit and new film opposite a Salem lover

Days of our Lives' Ari Zucker (Nicole Walker) opens up about Nicole's dramatic exit this week and reveals which former Salem castmate she's reuniting with for a new film.

Say what you will about Days of our Lives' Nicole Walker, but one thing is clear about the love-to-hate and hate-to-love character: she has brought a lot of entertainment to Salem fans over the past two decades. Sometimes the character made viewers cry; sometimes she made viewers laugh. Heck, sometimes she made 'em so mad, the whole "smashing crystal glasses into walls" bit so often seen on soap operas looked tame in comparison to viewer outrage.

In fact, the way Nicole leaves town this week -- smack dab in the middle of a complicated love story between Eric (Greg Vaughan) and Brady (Eric Martsolf) -- is one of those instances that has many fans fired up. Social media is exploding with a mixture of fans who are either ecstatic to see Nicole leave or crying their eyes out over her departure. Most can't believe the way the character jumped from one guy to the other so quickly -- and that's a sentiment shared by her portrayer, Arianne Zucker. She tells Soap Central that though she is overall happy about the way Nicole leaves town, the speed at which the whole Brady/Eric storyline happened didn't exactly sit right with her, either.

"I do wish the Brady-Nicole-Eric story started much earlier," she admits. "But you never know what can happen. I'm sure Nicole is not gone for good!"

Yes, you read that right: the door has been left open for Nicole to return, and depending on her schedule, Zucker is more than happy to bring her beloved alter ego back to the canvas. However, it likely won't be happening anytime soon because she's busy filming a brand-new movie -- and she teases it's opposite a very handsome and very familiar DAYS alum.

"I'm starting another film this week with some other opportunities in the fire. It feels good to have lived life with Nicole in Salem, and now I'm looking forward to experiencing new characters," she shares about the road ahead, adding that the only tease she can give about her new film is: "My very charming love interest is someone I'm veeeery close to...Shawn Christian [ex-Daniel Jonas and Zucker's real-life beau]! So, that makes work easy!"

That being said, it has been a bittersweet transition from doing almost twenty years of daytime to staying busy with a variety of new projects. Especially because she knows how much her exit from Salem affects her fans, whom she loves very much. And if you're one of the thousands who will be crying when Nicole exits the canvas this Friday (or even if you're one who will be popping champagne), Zucker would like to thank you for the unforgettable and special ride.

"Thank you for all the love and support you have given me as an actress and the character of Nicole. It's been a long, exciting road with memories that will last forever," she shares. "Cheers to the journey ahead, and I hope you stick with me!"

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For more from Zucker about her new film project, check out Soap Central's original article here.

What are your thoughts about Zucker's DAYS exit? How do you feel about the way Nicole is leaving Salem? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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