Connect with us

General Hospital

Bradford Anderson Addresses GH Fans On Last Minute Spinelli Switch: "My Plea To You Is To Be Compassionate, Understanding & Appreciative Of Whatever Decisions They Made."

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

GH fan favorite, Bradford Anderson took to his facebook page in the last 24 hours to address some of the outcry and negativity from fans of the ABC soap opeea who were disheartened to learn that Anderson could not play upcoming episodes as the beloved character of Spinelli, and thus was replaced by another talented actor, former DAYS star, Blake Berris.

Anderson clearly relates in his post that an opportunity arose for him to appear on one of his all time favorite dramas Homeland, and it was his decision to back out of taping GH at the last minute due to a scheduling conflict that quickly arouse.  He askes GH fans to support General Hospital’s casting decision and get behind Berris.

Here is what Bradford shared: “Hey all! So I’m appearing in a couple episodes of the upcoming season of Homeland on Showtime! It’s a show that I’ve watched and loved since it began, so to be working on it is pretty exciting. The unfortunate part is that it conflicted with some episodes of GH that I was supposed to do, and I had to back out of those episodes. To make it even worse, it all happened last minute. I put GH in a very difficult position and for that I am incredibly sorry.

GH took whatever steps they needed to proceed without me. My plea to you is to be compassionate, understanding, and appreciative of whatever decisions they made. If anything looks or sounds different than you’re used to, understand that it’s because of a decision that I made. The situation was created by ME.

I know some might rush to negativity, but I’d like to urge everyone to think about how unique our genre is, and how soaps truly embody the spirit of ‘the show must go on’. To give you an idea of hard GH had to work, they learned on a Friday that I wouldn’t be there to film on Monday. Imagine having to find an actor to play Spin in an important storyline, OVER A WEEKEND. And just wait til you see who they found… The perfect choice. I for one can’t wait to watch.  I’d like to apologize to everyone at GH and thank them for being understanding of my predicament.  SO thank you all for your continued support of me, for sending as much positivity to GH and it’s actors…and for WATCHING!!  Love and thanks, Bradford.”

So, what did you think of Anderson’s hearfelt post? Can you now support GH’s decision on casting Berris, who deserves a shot at filling in for Anderson? Comment below.

Click to comment

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

What an awesome guy. I appreciate him stepping up like that. I’ve watched GH for 39 years. Recasting Spinelli will not changed that. Good luck on Homeland!

What a classy response – it just makes me love and appreciate Bradford more.
I hope he enjoys his stint on Homeland and will be back at GH in the future.

Blake is only filling in for Bradford so that’s not to say Bradford won’t be playing Spinelli the next time they want to bring the character back for a short stint. It really isn’t a big deal anyway since Bradford wasn’t under contract to the show.

Best of luck to Bradford on the new part. You will be missed, but no one should take issue with you pursuing new roles. I just hope you are available to return for the next round!

Wonder if he’ll return as Spinelli in the future.

i supported gh’s decision from the beginning because blake berris is a phenomenal actor – since bradford was not available i believe that gh did what they had to do to keep the show moving…………………..jmo

Well said Bradford! However the actor selected is taller and very handsome missing your perfectly timed quirks! No disrespect intended to you or Blake!

Classy!

I know fans can often be mean about recasts, even temporary ones. But I think what Bradford needs to understand is that many fans are frustrated by GH’s poor plotting and writing and are also still upset by the recent recast of Nickolas. It’s not that the actor who replaced Tyler wasn’t good, it’s that they chose to kill off a legacy character with a recast. And then Nickolas didn’t get so much as a funeral or a flashback sequence while we’ve been mourning Morgan for three months now. Spinelli appears only sporadically on GH. It’s silly to recast him. If Spinelli is being brought on for his computer wiz skills, then Blake could have been introduced as a friend and colleague of Spinelli’s who is helping out while Spinelli is on holiday with Ellie and Georgie. Seems to me it would not require a major rewrite to do that. If Spinellinis being brought back as moral support for one of his friends then, let’s face it, having Blake play out those emotional scenes – no matter how good an actor he is – won’t have nearly the same impact.

To be fair here’s a recast that did work for me: Molly as Maxie. But that’s a permanent character whose portrayer went out unexpectedly and I could see where major rewrites would have been near impossible. Plus Molly dis a really, really good job with the character.

Remember it is more than a rewrite here– if he told them Friday, when filming was to start Monday– that is all the behind the scenes blocking, the staging , the camera shots, the lighting design– the shooting schedule– all of it either had to be tossed or redone– which would be A MAJOR expense–those types of things cannot be changed so easily, and overtime it might of cost while they did, boy oh boy– it was simply cheaper to hire someone to come in and do the scenes rather than scrap everything. People think it is just about changing some words in the script, but there so much more to production than that. If they had a month notice perhaps they would have time to change stuff around, but honestly, a weekend notice– what choice did he give them. Fans sometimes forget it is called show business– because it is a business– this isn’t about him, this is about costs and what was the cheapest solution to his sudden conflict– which was cause by him ditching his GH gig for a better gig–

Well said Mary SF!!! Kudos to Blake to be able to memorize his lines in extreme short notice!

So the fact that GH had a weekend to deal with this means nothing? Re-writing IS a big deal.

Class act.

It’s sad how some ‘fans’ behaved but oh well. I think the actor stepping in is all kinds of awesome and I will enjoy his interpretation of the role.

I don’t understand not giving someone a chance. Steve Burton isn’t coming back to GH and Michelle Stafford isn’t going back to Y&R. They’ve moved on and if you love those shows then you need to support them

Very well said Tomas and I agree with you 100%…THANK YOU to GH, Bradford and Blake. I want to support ALL our actors, actress, executive producers, writers along with ALL behind the scenes employees of ALL our soaps, I APPRECIATE ALL that you do.

Funny you should bring up Michelle Stafford. She’s the reason I came t came to GH and I’m happy I did. I watched Y&R for 40 years and stopped after what I felt was poor treatment of my favs.. Love GH and Michelle, Billy, Maura, Roger and I finally got to see what Maurice was all about

Recasts are part of the game on daytime dramas, be they short term or permanent. To see any upset or disappointment is disappointing to me. We would not have continuing drama day to day on television without recasts. And sometimes even characters associated with particular actors need to be recast so our stories can continue. I would rather have a recast than to have something not proceed correctly. I cite a lack of a Ridge Forrester recast when Stephanie Forrester died as it never rang true that he would not be home. On GH, Spinelli is a recurring character. Love Mr. Anderson but we can move forward without him for his latest story arc.

It’s great that Bradford came out to explain what happened,and I love him for that,and what he said about the actor temporarily taking on his character..Very classy.I will look forward to Bradfords return to TH ,and hope he enjoys his time also on Homeland..Maybe I will try to catch him there also.He is an amazing actor,and I know he will be great ..

<3 Bradford. I wish you every happiness and am glad you got to be on Homeland, though I'll miss you as Spinelli.

Classy and kind. Love him!

Homeland !? way to go !! I love that show too. As for the argument for temp replacement I get both sides but I’m more against them I always say if they have to scramble why not just fill the air time with extended scenes with other characters .

Wonderful of you to reach out to us….Good luck on your new character! You’ll hit it out of the ballpark as always!! And a sweet Congratulations to you! Happy new Year!!

Are GH fans going to be upset now that Bradford chose another show over GH???

Wasn’t Bradford dropped to recurring status before he made decision to leave the show? Isn’t this what happens when an actor is off contract??

I’m very excited about the recast myself!!! Things happen for a reason and I believe Blake will be a great Spinnelli!

What a class act! I too enjoy Homeland, and will enjoy seeing his performance

What a classy response and nice to see it cleared up.

Sadly somehow there are still many people being negative and blaming GH and ABC for this choice when it was clearly out of their control

Blake Berris is sooooo good,people will LOVE him and I hope he stays on the show in a different role.
Folks need to understand that ABC/GH didnt create this mess, BA did,even if unintentional, and if I had the opportunity to do something that I’ve always wanted to do, I would have done the same.So Good for BA but I will enjoy Blake too because I know what he brings to the table as an actor

I didn’t understand the spew over it to begin with..
It’s only for the month of Jan. so probably 6 episoides ..
It will be fun to see a different Spin …

Great response.

WHAT A STANDUP COOL GUY…WISH YOU LUCK AND HOPE YOU WILL RETURN THE NEXT TIME GH CALLS…..

Does not matter. GH has become so violent and so depressing that I , finally, had enough.

If I canceled on a work commitment on a Friday for a Monday gig, I would not expect to work there again. We all have to make tough decisions in life, but honoring your commitments is how you maintain a professional reputation. Hopefully this won’t ruin his career and we will see him on GH again. I like the actor and the role is quirky and fun.

At least he was honest and I would have done the same thing…Homeland is a huge deal and will give him exposure with a different type audience. KUDOS to him and best of luck. Blake will fill in and I’m sure Bradford will be back someday I hope

What a class act! I bet this happens more than we know. BA taking the time to address the fans in this way really stands heads and shoulders above. Kudos to him!

Im so excited over this recast. I hope we get to see Spinelly as a major role on GH, like Kevin from Y&R. Lets give the new guy a chance. We will be surprised im sure.

Blake Berris was progressive on DAYS as a psycho but this is definitely a change for him.

We have had to endure these types of changes on GH before, remember Maxie, Nicholas, etc? Congrats to him and hoping if GH decides to bring Spinelli back in the future he will be available. Also remember he has a dynamic singing voice and could be doing Broadway. 🙂

If BA doesn’t want a contract with GH (which I fully understand) I hope they offer a contract to Blake Berris. Maxie and Spinelli were magic. She’s been back burned of late

Nick Stabile and Molly Burnett were very good as temporary recasts, some rejected the idea at the start and didn’t want to accept the change, but it worked out well in their short runs on GH with fans.

I am looking forward to seeing Blake as Spin.

Well said. The best to you. What a wonderful experience. Blake Berris is a wonderful actor. I can’t wait to see him on his take of Spinnelli.

I would rather no Spinelli than a cheap imitation. Every actor can be replaced. This one is NOT the replacement for Spinelli. Spinelli is filled with excitement on every level, from appearance to intelligence to mannerism. This actor is as flat as a flat tire. Keep looking. Good luck, he’ll be difficult to replace.

Hey Brad, please please don’t quit playing the role of Spanish!!!! I have watched GH since 1984. Or longer….. I don’t know if you watch GH but I also watch Days and killing the character “”Nick” off was the best decision!!!! No one can play the part like you EVER!!!! And sorry but old Nick sucks at it… I cried when you first saw Jason and made the comment about his build and butt!! No one can be Smart, Funny, walking encyclopedia but you sir!!!! They need to kill the character off if YOU don’t do the part!!!

Breaking News

Haley Pullos Receives 90-Day Jail Sentence Following DUI Charge And Wrong-Way Car Crash

Former General Hospital actress, Haley Pullos (ex-Molly Lansing-Davis) is going to be doing time in jail, exactly one-year after her arrest from a hit and run wrong-way car collision.

The crash resulted in bodily harm and damages to the other driver, and now Pullos who pleaded “no contest” to the charges and will serve 90 days in jail. She was taken in custody on Monday, April 29th, after the ruling.

According to Haley’s attorney, Mark Daniel Melnick, the 25-year-old actress struck a plea deal and after her three months in jail will be sentenced on July 29th. As part of that sentencing, she must serve five years probation, 200 hours of community service and pay $8,260 in restitution to Courteney Wilder, the other driver in the crash and her driver’s license is revoked for a year.

Courtesy/ABC

According to TMZ, the plea deal for Pullos has the “no contest” to one DUI, while the judge dropped the felony DUI causing bodily injury and misdemeanor hit and run charges.

Melnick said in a statement to PEOPLE, “Haley is very grateful to the court for a minimum sentence and for recognizing her remorse and the strides she has made in her sobriety.”

Pullos had played the daughter of Alexis Davis (played by Nancy Lee Grahn) on the ABC soap opera since 2009, but after her car crash and DUI she was replaced by three different actresses until the show finally settled on the current Molly, Kristen Vaganos.

Photo: Pasadena PD

Back in April 29 of 2023, and at the scene of the crash, the police found edibles and mini-bottles of tequila in Pullos’ vehicle and that she was intoxicated. As it turned out, this was to be the second hit and run in the evening for Pullos who had an earlier collision with another car.

The courts decision follows a year-long legal battle with Haley’s pleas changing throughout it, ranging from “not guilty” to “no contest”. She sought treatment for her drinking at a rehab following the crash.

Nancy Lee Grahn, who portrayed Pullos’ on-screen mom took to X on Monday night, April 29th and shared on the sentence and the specific jail, Haley will be serving time: “As Haley’s TV mom I can tell some truths about her as I’ve loved her since she was little girl. She made a HUGE mistake, knows it, owns it & has spent the last yr doing EVERYTHING imaginable to take responsibility 4 it. It’s not that I oppose jail. It’s that I oppose this jail.” The jail in question by Grahn is the L.A. county jail.

So, what do you think about Haley Pullos serving a 90-days jail sentence, and the other rulings that will be part of her sentencing? Comment below.

Continue Reading

General Hospital

GH’s Laura Wright Previews How Carly Gets Clued-In to Sonny’s Behavior: “All the Questions That Anybody Would Have, We Hit on Them”

This week on General Hospital, Carly (Laura Wright) seems to be close to figuring out what is going on with her ex-husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) or is she? In the latest promo for the ABC daytime drama series, looks like Jack Brennan (Charles Mesure) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) have a plan to bring Sonny down … eliminate Jason (Steve Burton) and make it look like Sonny is responsible.

Meanwhile, Carly gets an earful from Nina (Cynthia Watros) that Ava (Maura West) had a lot to do with getting Nina to sell her portion of the hotel back to Jason, her interest is piqued.

According to Laura Wright during her chat with Soap Opera Digest, Carly has a growing concern over Sonny’s current roomie, Ava Jerome, and the mobster’s paranoid and irrational behavior recently.

Courtesy/ABC

Wright shares about Carly, “She doesn’t trust Ava for a moment.” Then in a great teasers, Laura reveals “All the questions that anybody would have, we hit on them. I’m excited.”

So, will Carly figure out just what Ava is up to? Will she learn that Sonny has been fed the wrong pills that are not controlling his bipolar disorder thanks to Valentin? Stay tuned.

Check out this week’s promo for GH and then let us know, what do you think Ava is up to exactly? Is she in cahoots with Valentin or operating separately? Will Jason and Sonny be led down a path where the two try to eliminate each other? Share your theories in the comment section below.

Continue Reading

General Hospital

Jack Wagner Recalls Dilemma During Time on General Hospital: “It Was So Hard for Me Being in the Music Business and Coming from a Soap to be Taken Legitimately as a Singing Artist”

Soap fans first met Jack Wagner back in 1984 when he joined General Hospital as Frisco Jones. While they loved Frisco and Felicia’s (Kristina Wagner) on-screen romance, one might recall that when Frisco first came to town he was the lead singer of Blackie’s (John Stamos) band, Blackie and the Riff Raff.

During his early days on GH, Wagner was also working on his rising musical career, which put him at a serious crossroads. Things got even more challenging, when Jack became a pop star after the release of his 1985 single, “All I Need” which hit the Top 10.  The character of Frisco actually sang the song on GH, before it went on to become a mega-hit.

While Wagner appeared on GH through 1995, and reprised the part for several episodes back in 2013, fans to this day miss him and hope one day he might return.

Photo: ABC

Speaking with PEOPLE, Wagner admitted his inner conflict with being a soap star, while trying to have a successful musical career.  Jack reflected, “I used to battle it, because it was so hard for me being in the music business and coming from a soap to be taken legitimately as a singing artist. It took time to let go of that, but now I embrace it. If I can make someone’s day by going down memory lane, it makes my day.”

Photo: WarnerBrosRecordsInc

In his early musical days, Wagner released six albums, and his role on GH didn’t hurt the frenzy surrounding seeing him live. “I would sell concerts out in an hour or two,” Jack admitted.

Looking back at the GH hey day, in which he was a part of, Wagner added, “It really was incredible how popular the show was in the ’80s. It was crazy, because back then, people would join fan clubs, and there would be bags and bags of fan letters. I took it in stride, because it was just sort of the things (that) happened to Tony Geary (ex-Luke), Rick Springfield (ex-Noah) and John Stamos, who were ‘teen idols,’ I guess you would call us, back then.”

Wagner currently appears on Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

So, do you remember Jack’s musical taking off during his time on GH? Do you hope that one day he might make a return as Frisco Jones on the ABC daytime drama series? Comment below.

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

Peter Reckell returns for a second visit with Michael Fairman following the wrap-up of his recent run as Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.Leave A Comment

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Eileen Davidson as Ashley

The Young and the Restless

Airdate: 4-12-2024

Popular