What would have happened if Smith Had Walked?

Contract talks between ONE LIFE TO LIVE and Hillary B. Smith (Nora) went down to the wire, but ultimately, a new deal for the actress was hammered out. Now that the Emmy winner has resigned, what’s next for Nora? And what might have happened had the actress opted not to stay?

The In Depth Story: Fans can now breathe easier – and eventually Nora will be able to do the same once she’s taken off the respirator that has kept her alive for the past few months. “She can finally wake up!” declares the soap’s thrilled headwriter, Dena Higley.

But don’t expect Llanview’s favorite attorney to have an immediate recovery. “When someone has been in a coma as long as Nora has, there is going to be a rehabilitation process,” previews the scribe, who was happy not to have to explore other, darker fates for the character. “I don’t think we were ever going to pull the plug,” she shares. “It doesn’t serve the show to kill of a character like Nora.” 

Not that Higley didn’t find herself braced for the worst-case scenario. “I had a couple of different ideas that I hoped I wouldn’t have to explore,” she says. “But death was neer one of them. Once you go that route, what do you do when a couple of years down the road you want to bring the character back? You can do it,” she admits. “It’s always worth it. We did it with Cristian. But if you don’t have to paint yourself into that kind of corner, then why do it?”