General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)
- Chad Duell, the former Michael Corinthos of General Hospital, opened up about his departure from the show after nearly 15 years and being recast.
- After his extended break from acting on the soaps, Duell would be interested in returning and names some daytime dramas of interest.
- Chad talks about his exit storyline where Michael was badly burned and some of his most memorable moments through his run on a live chat on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.
Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”
Photo: ABC
WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON
Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”
Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”
Courtesy/ABC
Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”
When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”
Courtesy/ABC
MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES
One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”
“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good. I was working with Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.
A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?
As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.
You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.
Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.
Dye his hair black and recast him as RJ on B and B hed be perfect.
There is zero need to dye his hair that dark for the role of RJ. His natural colour is just fine.
I could see him as Noah Newman. Under the right writers I think it could work.
That would be an interesting soap swap since Rory played Noah (Y and R) and is now Michael (GH)
I cant figure out why YR has gone through so many Noahs. He should be a mainstay, not 1st on the chopping block. I thought Lucas Adams was a great Noah. Hope they bring him back.
I’m sorry, he comes across really poorly. In interviews he gave at the time he was leaving, he made it quite clear he was ready for a change, not a “break.”
And he comes across as a total tool with his “I know people” at other shows and “they’re interested.” Sounds like he’s trying to will a new job into existence. Publicly doing that is generally a sure fire way to *not* get hired in any field.
Agreed. He apparently thought he was irreplaceable. He now knows he is replaceable. He’ll think twice next time. So many actors do this at the height of their popularity. As if. There’s only 5 soaps now. You’ll be lucky to get back at it on one of them. Most likely you won’t.
Agree. And this is the show that ditched half the legacy cast around the time he joined including most of his onscreen family. Killed Alan, AJ, Emily, Justus, Morgan, Rick Webber, Helena, Stavros, Stefan, Victor, Spencer, Kristina Sr. Tony, Georgie, Cooper Barrett, Logan Baldwin, Duke, dropped/ fired Bobbie, Monica, Lesley, Skye, Ned, Dillon, Lucky, Elizabeth, Nikolas, Valerie, Lulu, Laura in 2016, Felicia, Taggert, Lucy, Scotty, Kevin, Kelly, Lainey… If there’s ANY show where everyone’s replaceable (not to the fans but to those in charge) its this one.
Yep. He literally should have kept his day job when he dabbled in the music business for a spell.
Agreed. With the way GH has accommodated other younger vets like Kirsten Storms (Maxie), Jonathan Jackson (Lucky) and Steve Burton (Jason), I could’ve seen the show holding the role for him if they knew he planned to return at some point. Maybe he should’ve been more clear about his intentions. The show left Michael’s story thread dangling tho so he couldn’t expect them to hold it for him indefinitely. I wish him well.
I always envisioned Chad to be a Noah recast on The Young and the Restless; however, I’d much rather Lucas Adams reprise the role. Perhaps a recast Theo Vanderway or Fenmore Baldwin?! Or even Will Horton on Days of Our Lives. I’d love to see him back on American daytime!
I love chad and would love to see him on GH again. Maybe he could end up being Pheobe’ father. I’ve watched s GH snce 1963.
No. Too late. The actor that plays Michael now is the perfect Michael. I don’t care if Chad played it for 20 years. You snooze you lose.
Could have been a great Chance on Y&R if Josh had not screwed that up. How about a never known son for Jack Abbott, there is a resemblance.
Interesting That he thought so highly of himself That he thought no recast would happen No loss in him leaving. Rory Gibson is a far superior Michael.
I wish you would come back to gh but understand why you took a break ❤️
I wonder how Courtney Hope would feel about his coming to Y&R. Are they cordial?
I guess stranger things have happened. And both she and Sharon Case seem ok working with their ex, Grossman.
Sounds like he was arrogant and over confident taking it for granted that they would not recast. Most actors in soaps are dispensable. There are notable exceptions to the rule but Chad ain’t one of them.
I don’t miss him at all. He thought he was irreplaceable and discovered he was not. Rory Gibson is the perfect Michael.
GH or Y&R
Chad duell great Thomas Forrster
You would think someone died from the amount of hatred that this interview has gotten online.
I miss Chad much more than I expected to. Michael wasn’t always my fave but I loved Chad’s work. Also miss Ryan Carnes’ Lucas and Brytni Sarpy as Valerie. And tho some may disagree, I loved Emme Rylan as Lulu. I got so used to those 4 in those roles, its tough to see the recasts as Michael, Lucas & Lulu.
If Anna Devane’s (Finola Hughes) new therapist on General Hospital looks familiar to you, it’s because actress Kearran Giovanni, who plays Dr. Nichols, previously played a doctor on One Life to Live!.
Viewers tuning-in to the Thursday, September 10 episode of GH got their first look at Dr. Nichols who has been brought in to help Anna recover from her PTSD and trauma following the reveal that she has been suffering from a break in reality since before being put in mental health facility in France, after being gaslighted by Cullum and company earlier in the year.
One Life to Live fans will recall that Kearran Giovanni played Dr. Vivian Wright in 2009, and it was then she first worked with current General Hospital EP, Frank Valentini, who at the time was at the helm in Llanview.
Photo: JPI
WHERE ELSE HAVE YOU SEEN KEARRAN GIOVANNI?
Giovanni appeared on OLTL in the recurring role through 2012 and in the final ABC episode of the beloved series was the the ob/gyn who delivered Destiny Evans (Shenell Edmonds) and Matthew Buchanan’s (Eddie Alderson) baby into the world, whom they named Drew Buchanan II after Bo Buchanan’s (Robert S, Woods) late son. In addition, Vivian has been dating Shaun Evans (Sean Ringgold).
In addition to One Life to Love, Giovanni has very impressive credits having appeared in numerous TV series and motion pictures including starring in the TNT drama Major Crimes from 2012-18, ABC’s Designated Survivor 2017-19, the CW’s Black Lightning from 2019-20. Most recently, Giovanni appeared on the Fox series, The Resident and has a recurring role on the CW’s crime series, Walker from 202-2024.
HEALING ANNA
On today’s General Hospital, after Anna’s harrowing meltdown where she almost shot and killed Dr. Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) after seeing visions of “Peter August” (Wes Ramsey), Jason (Steve Burton) saved the day and talked Anna down from committing murder. Now, Dr. Nichols was introduced as a valuable staff member at the hospital. Although, this marked the first time in the history of the show we have heard of her character.
So, do you remember seeing Kearran Giovanni on One Life to Live? Happy to see that Anna may have a qualified therapist in charge of her healing, unless the doctor turns out to be not on the up and up? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Anna Breaks Down in Front of Jason and Britt After Shots Are Fired
The Wednesday, September 9 episode of General Hospital featured top-notch performances by Finola Hughes and Steve Burton, as Anna holds Jason and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) at gunpoint on Mount Emerson.
Anna is not in her right mind as hallucinations of Peter (Wes Ramsey) overtake her, egging her on to shoot and kill Britt. Jason begs Anna to put down the gun, but it’s clear Anna is speaking to someone who is not there, but in a direction that is just past Britt.
Suddenly, Anna screams at Britt, “You’re just like your father!” Anna also tells Britt that she knew Britt was aware that she was locked up on Spoon Island and did nothing to save her. Britt turns to Jason and tells him she had no idea Anna was on the Island, “until Cullum showed up in Port Charles.” That declaration gave Jason pause.
Courtesy/ABC
“PETER” TAKES A BULLET
Next, Anna is overcome with angst, filled with tears and screams out, “I won’t let you beat me!” She fires the gun where the imaginary Peter was standing, as Britt screams and Jason dove to cover her. Now completely shaken, Jason took the weapon from Anna and ordered Britt to leave the scene as Anna collapsed in Jason’s arms.
Jason was so concerned for Anna. She reveals she’s been seeing visions of Peter August since France. Jason shared his theory with Anna that she was manifesting her worst fears about Faison. However he knows deep down Anna would never have shot Britt. Jason promises to come back and clean up the area, but would take Anna home first.
Courtesy/ABC
ANNA ADMITS TO EMMA SHE TRIED TO KILL BRITT
At Anna’s, Jason brings her in the front door as Emma is there. Jason tells Emma (Braedyn Bruner) he would like to return and spend the night. A confused and worried Emma get the full story from her grandmother.
Anna explains she tried to kill Britt and she is not as well as she was pretending to be in France. Cut to: Jason cleaning up the site of Anna’s plot against Britt on Mount Emerson. He moves over and finds bullet casings on the ground and examines one of them.
The story climax also signaled the end of the run for Wes Ramsey, who has been showing up on episodes over the last several months as Anna’s dark side conscience. Now that Anna was able to break the psychological hold visions of “Peter” had on her, it ends this latest return of Ramsey’s.
So, what did you think about the scenes between Anna and Jason? Do you think Jason and Britt’s relationship will come to an end now that seemingly Britt revealed she knew Anna was held captive after Cullum came to town? Glad to know Anna won’t be haunted by visions of Peter August anymore? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
The marriage of Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton) and Harrison Chase (Josh Swickard) may have come to an end by the conclusion of the Tuesday, September 8 episode of General Hospital.
In story, confronted by Trina (Tabyana Ali), and in front of a room full of Quartermaines, Brook Lynn copped to being the other driver involved in the crash that scarred Jordan’s (Tanisha Harper) face and ultimately sent Curtis (Donnell Turner) to prison.
Chase, who thinks at this point Brook Lynn was covering up her involvement by protecting someone else in the family is shocked to learn it’s Brook Lynn who actually was the driver. Brook Lynn explains she never saw any evidence of a crash when she ran into Jordan’s car, so she didn’t stop to check on anyone. Trina and Jordan are outraged as is Chase.
Courtesy/ABC
CHASE PUTS BROOK LYNN ON BLAST
Soon, it comes out that Tracy (Jane Elliot) was involved in the cover-up, and tries to point out that Brook Lynn wasn’t responsible for causing the accident or Curtis punching Isaiah, but Trina says that Brook Lynn tore her family apart, and her father is in prison without the ability to see his newborn son. Trina storms out with Kai (Jen Austin Astrup).
Next, Chase goes on blast on Brook Lynn in front of her entire family. Chase starts to walk out the front door as Brook Lynn tries to stop him. At this point, Chase is all about being lied to, and he goes in on his wife, that they promised there would be no more secrets between them.
Brook Lynn digs a deeper hole for herself when she explained that she’d had a glass of wine before getting in the car to see Gio (Giovanni Mazza) and Trina perform at Charlie’s. She admits to being terrified that she’d lose any chance of adopting baby Phoebe, if she called the police.
TO THE GATEHOUSE HE GOES
Chase is furious that Brook Lynn framed Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) for what she caused and did. With that, Chase leaves Brook Lynn in the dust and heads straight to the gatehouse door to see Willow!
Cut to: Brook Lynn devastated on the staircase of the Q mansion and her dad, Ned Ashton (Wally Kurth) sitting with his daughter to try to comfort her when she decrees her marriage is over.
Now in the pick-up, take a look at the General Hospital teaser video for today’s Wednesday, September 9, episode below.
So, what did you think of how Brook Lynn’s life just blew up in front of her? Does she deserve to have Chase walk out on her for what she did? Do you want Brook Lynn and Chase to work things out, or are you betting by the end of this week Chase and Willow will have hit the sheets? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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