Soap opera veteran Mark Pinter (Roger Smythe) has been removed from contract status with All My Children.
However, viewers have complained that the accomplished actor has been woefully underused during his run with the show. Recently, Pinter's character became involved in the show's Proteus drug lord storyline.
Pinter states in a published interview with Soap Opera Digest that AMC's executive producer Jean Dadario Burke and head writer Richard Culliton went to the mat for him. In the end, ABC execs decided that Pinter was no longer needed as a contract player.
Roger will make his exit during the show's annual Crystal Ball. Pinter claims that he didn't know his final scenes were his final scenes until after production of the episode had wrapped.
There is some talk that Roger could return to the screen in the near future as a recurring character.