General Hospital
THE TYLER CHRISTOPHER INTERVIEW – GENERAL HOSPITAL
This week, Nikolas has just poured his heart out over Emily’s grave and then gets his first look at the Emily “doppelganger’ hovering in the halls of “GH” while all hell has broken loose in the OR. As the hospital catastrophe reaches epic proportions and people are quarantined from a dangerous biotoxin, Nikolas is smack dab in the middle of all the drama.
Tyler Christopher, everyone’s favorite “Dark Prince”, chatted with me about the return of his on-screen acting partner, Daytime Emmy winner Natalia Livingston, what lies ahead for the duo, the Daytime Emmys, and what it takes to play the noble and complex Cassadine!
Listen to the audio:
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MICHAEL:
On “GH”, there is big story playing out now and well into February. Natalia Livingston (Ex-Emily, now Rebecca) has come back to the show. How has that
been for you, now that she is in a
new role?TYLER:
It has been great. We planted ourselves into the minds of the fans, and they can’t let it go. We are less apt to bring people back from the dead here. So it’s been good.
MICHAEL:
She looks quite different!
TYLER:
She cut her hair and you put some glasses on her, and nobody will know the difference.
MICHAEL:
Are you having fun with this new character?
TYLER:
Where we stand now, and at where we are at shooting-wise, we have not even had dialog yet. So the anticipation of that is exciting, but we have not gotten that yet. But, I have seen her in the hospital crisis more than enough.
MICHAEL:
As this crisis ensues, what’s Nikolas’s role in what happens?
TYLER:
I think his priority in the beginning of this, in addition to helping people that are injured and who need to be evacuated, is finding out who this woman is and what is her intention, and what is she doing here in the midst of all the chaos?
MICHAEL:
Are you moving people and patients to Mercy Hospital because “GH” is now in a shambles?
TYLER:
I don’t know exactly where we are moving them. We are just moving them out. (He laughs) There is an added obstacle that there is a biotxoin that is airborne, so there is that issue on top of everything else.
MICHAEL:
And as we learn that came out of someone’s body?
TYLER:
That’s what they say and tell me! (He laughs)
MICHAEL:
When you heard, or got the scripts, that it was time for another big “GH” umbrella story that always has elements of disaster, what were your thoughts?
TYLER:
If history prevails, either every November or February we all get together as a cast and we all hang out for a very long time. And big things happen. Things catch on fire, and people die. So it was not a surprise to find out that we were doing
another “GH” crisis.MICHAEL:
Did you call the other actors when you found this out, like, “Here we go again!”
TYLER:
No. I think we all accepted our fate. (He laughs) That this was the way it was going to be once a year, even though it’s long hours. It’s fun to hang out, and laugh, and be serious when we need to be. For the most part, the times that we have done these crises, ratings have gone up and people have enjoyed seeing it.
MICHAEL:
And Emmys have occurred…
TYLER:
Emmys have been had!
MICHAEL:
Is Claire Coffee, as Nadine, going to have closure with Nikolas? We know that Claire has stated she is now off-contract from the show. Obviously, the two of them seem to be heading towards just being friends. What are your thoughts?
TYLER:
I think all the evidence points towards that now that Natalia is back. It does not take a genius to figure that one out. I think there is some guilt in the beginning to tear himself away from this girl, and his obvious attraction to her, because of her uncanny resemblance to Emily. But, I don’t think Nadine will go quietly.
MICHAEL:
Did you submit yourself for the Daytime Emmys this year?
TYLER:
I did submit myself for Lead Actor this year. In retrospect, I don’t know what I have this year as opposed to what I had last year, which did not hold up!
MICHAEL:
It’s been a tough year for Nikolas trying to move on and get closure from the devastating loss of Emily. All great Emmy stuff, if you ask me. Do you think he finally got closure before all this is heaped upon him?
TYLER:
I think in as much closure as one can have with losing the love of his life. I don’t think he can move on. It’s been over a year and he was just starting to settle in to being by himself and living without her, and this person shows up and stirs up all those old memories over again.
MICHAEL:
So, back to the crisis. You are running traffic in the hospital and all hell is breaking loose?
TYLER:
Well, Jason is also trapped in there. So he is going to put on his fire helmet and police uniform and FBI badge, and come and probably save most of the day. I am doing my part with the added danger of the huge explosion in the hospital. People may or may not know there are many flammable things that are loose in the hospital, and I’m making sure the place does not explode… plus, Elizabeth is in bad shape. So I am trying to save her. It’s just everybody. It’s just one big happy helping hand!
MICHAEL:
Over the past year you had the brain tumor, losing Emily, trying to move on, and meeting Nadine. What was the hardest part in playing Nikolas over the past year?
TYLER:
The staple of this character, since I have played it the second time around, is his relationship with Emily. The very first month I came back five years ago is where we started this relationship with Emily, and just last year is where it ended. The challenge for me, as an actor is, “What is this guy like without this person in his life?” The audience is so used to having this couple around, and for five years on a soap, is an eternity! That’s the history that we have and in just one day it was gone. For me, it was what new fresh thing can we do for this character to fill that void? In the last year we added some humor to the guy, in that he is not just about manners and things of that nature. So, that was a new venture into the character to lighten him up a bit.
MICHAEL:
I don’t like him that way. I like the “Dark Prince”!
TYLER:
Nobody wants him to be happy. Eternal sadness!
MICHAEL:
I know you have your own theatre company: “68 Cent Crew Theatre”. Will you be performing in any outside plays coming up?
TYLER:
We are doing a John Patrick Shanley festival at our theatre, Theatre 68, this winter and spring. For me, with this thing going on, it’s just too much to take on a play at this time.
MICHAEL:
In closing, what can we look forward to from Nikolas as we head into February?
TYLER:
Look forward to an in-depth exploration into this Rebecca character, and him trying to find out what her intentions are. Are they good or are they bad? Also, we’ll have Nikolas struggling with the fact that she looks exactly like Emily.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Brook Lynn and Chase Have Their Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties
On General Hospital, Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) both were treated to Bachelorette and Bachelor parties to shake off any of those pre-wedding jitters. At The Savoy, the ladies have a touching and fun time with Brook Lynn.
The bride-to-be gives a speech to thank everyone for coming, while Lois lets everyone know to try the signature cocktail the “Brooklynn Chaser”, which gets everybody eventually and mostly, drunk.
When Tracy (Jane Elliot) questions Lois (Rena Sofer) as to why there is no music for the party, Lois realizes she forgot, and somehow, who does she call to the rescue? Spinelli (Bradford Anderson)! Saving the day, he winds up playing some tunes and later gets on the dance floor to ‘shake it off’ with the gals.
Photo: ABC
Lois makes a speech as the mother of the bride, and shares how proud she is of the woman Brook Lynn has become. Wedding games begin, including one of “hot potato” with a wedding bouquet.
When it’s time for the “Silly Poses” section of the party, Spinelli has now morphed from DJ to staff photographer taking memorable photos of the ladies to remember the evening by.
Photo: ABC
The best part of the event, was when Brook Lynn tries to get her grandmother Tracy out on the dance floor, which, at first, she refuses. After several of the guests bust a move, a tipsy Tracy joins the dance party after Joss mentions that if her grandmother Bobbie was here, she would dance. Tracy says “she agrees” and begins to cut a rug on the floor, much to the delight of the other women.
Photo: ABC
In the final moments, a tipsy Joss and Kristina (Kate Mansi) have a confrontation about Sonny, and Joss lets Kristina in more on Sonny’s behavior, which looks to have clued in Kristina a bit more as to how something is way off about her dad.
Photo: ABC
Across town at the Hatchett Bar, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and the men with the exception of Anna (Finola Hughes) and Jordan (Tanisha Harper), all attend Chase’s Bachelor Party where throwing hatchets into a dart board for supremacy is the order of the day. Drew (Cameron Mathison) and Ned (Wally Kurth) get into some words over ELQ, while Dante makes a toast to his police partner, Chase.
Photo: ABC
Suddenly Dex (Evan Hofer) shows up. Chase thanks Dex for coming, but Dex gets some dirty looks from other cops on the force. Dante gives Chase his present, which is a signed baseball by the Boston Red Sox.
Ned (Wally Kurth) makes a speech that although no one is good enough for his daughter, Brook Lynn, Chase has come closer than anyone has, so welcome to the family. Running in at the end is Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez), who just left Brook Lynn’s party, and she toasts her singing partner, Chase, and to the great man that he is.
Photo: ABC
What did you think of Brook Lynn and Chase’s pre-wedding celebrations? What was your favorite moment? Comment below.
General Hospital
Cameron Mathison Previews New Game Show ‘Beat The Bridge’ (Promo)
As previously reported, Cameron Mathison (Drew, General Hospital) will be seen doing double duty this summer when he premieres in June as the host of Game Show Network’s Beat The Bridge.
Now, while Cameron will be the host with the most, that doesn’t mean he will stop playing GH’s Drew. In fact, Mathison taped the game show in 2023, so it will now air for the first time in 2024.
Taking to his Instagram this week, Cameron shared his enthusiasm and some new hosting snaps, sharing, “Our newest game show host reporting for duty😎 Head over to the Game Show Network YouTube channel for your first look at the show and don’t miss Beat The Bridge premiering this June! I can’t wait for you guys to see this!”
Photo: GSN
In Beat The Bridge, an enormous interactive bridge dares players to cross by stepping on the right answers to challenging trivia questions. As they play, each steps forward and puts money in their team’s bank, with bonus money for each successful crossing. Here’s the catch: the team gets to keep the money only if it can “beat the bridge” by returning one of its players back across before time expires.
Photo: ABC
Meanwhile, on GH, Drew and Nina (Cynthia Watros) recently had hate-sex. Do you think its a one-time deal? Where will Drew’s story take him next under new head writers, Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte? Stay tuned.
Now below, check out the first promo for Beat The Bridge from the Game Show Network with you host, Cameron Mathison. Then, let us know, will you be checking out the game this summer? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina Confronts Ava for Sabotaging Her Relationship With Sonny and Signs the Divorce Papers
Looks like Nina (Cynthia Watros) and Ava (Maura West) are back to be each other’s sworn enemy number one. By the end of the Monday, April 22nd episode of General Hospital, the women know where they stand with each other after Nina goes in on Ava accusing her of wanting Sonny (Maurice Benard) all to herself, while her marriage has been on the rocks.
In story, at Nina’s office, Ava shows up to see Nina and says she is sorry about what happened with Sonny and that he reacted the way he did, acknowledging that is was over the top, even for Sonny. Ava says she’ll smooth things over, but Nina says she now understands how manipulative and transparent Ava really is.
Given their horrible history, Nina goes in on Ava and how she should never have trusted her. Nina wants to know how long has Ava had this agenda dating all the way back to telling Nina to turn Carly (Laura Wright) and Drew (Cameron Mathison) into the SEC. Ava says she never told her do to that, but Nina wants to know how long Ava has been playing her for a fool.
Courtesy/ABC
Ava says she moved in with Sonny to keep Avery safe and she wants to be on good terms with Avery’s father, Sonny. Nina thinks she likes being in Sonny’s inner circle. Ava tells Nina if she goes to him about her advising Nina to call the SEC on Carly and Drew, it won’t work. Sonny still considers Nina a traitor and he will think she’s lying because she’s so desperate to win him back. Ava says if Nina would stop blaming everyone else that maybe Sonny would respect her. Nina says “like he does you?” Ava says Sonny not only respects her, but he also counts on her.
From there, Ava launches into why she and Sonny understand each other, after all, Sonny is a powerful, turbulent, and sometimes violent man. She goes so far to say if Nina wanted someone to just sit by the fire with and play with their grandchildren, she’s got the wrong guy. Ava then talks about Mike from Nixon Falls (Sonny with amnesia) and how Sonny hid the darkest parts of himself from Nina back then, whereas with Ava they are the same similar creatures, so he doesn’t have to hide anything.
Courtesy/ABC
Nina wants to know just what Ava wants with Sonny? What is her end game? Ava responds that they understand each other, in ways she can’t with Sonny. Nina tells Ava she can go ahead and have it all and signs Sonny’s divorce papers. Ava walks out with the documents, while Nina in tears at her desk, takes off her wedding rings and has her assistant come in so she can messenger the rings back to Sonny’s address.
The episode and these scenes featured great performances by Cynthia Watros and Maura West. You can check some of the scenes below.
Now, let us know, what is Ava’s next move? Is she going to become Mrs. Sonny Corinthos? Do you like Ava and Nina as enemies? Comment below.
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