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Rick Hearst Shares ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Guiding Light’ Most Felt Like Daytime Home; and The Road to Ric Lansing

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC

Three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing, General Hospital) is this week’s special guest on Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart.

Hearst. who also previously has played: Scott Banning on Days of our Lives, Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light, Matt Clark on The Young and the Restless, and Whip “Whipple” Jones on The Bold and the Beautiful, was asked by Budig, of all of the soaps he has appeared on which felt most like home?

Rick shared: “I’ve been fortunate that I would say that there were two shows, I think that I can say felt most ‘familial’ as in like a family. One, I would say would be Guiding Light, because it was such a unique growth period in my life as a human being, as a father, all of that. I really felt like I cut my teeth as an actor in daytime on Guiding Light.” Hearst played Alan-Michael #2 from 1990-1996.

Photo: JPI

His second pick was his current home at GH. Hearst then revealed how he actually landed the role of Ric and how the character didn’t even have a name at his beginnings of the show, dating back to his initial run in 2002. Since that time, Rick has returned fo three times runs: 2002–09; 2014–16, and 2024 till the present.

“When I came to General Hospital, it really was a character that I got a chance to make my own,” recalled Rick. “The funny thing is when I went in and met Bob Guza and Chuck Pratt who were writing the show (at that time, I didn’t have to audition. I didn’t have a screen test. I went in and I met them, and this may sound funny, but in auditions, I tend not to be chatty. I just sort of lay back, let them do all the talking, and then respond in kind, and kind of feel them out at the same time.”

Following the meeting, Rick explained, “Mark Teschner (casting director, GH) called my agent. So, I said, ‘So, what’s the deal? He said, ‘They want to know if you want to screen test for it.’ I said, “‘Wait.  I thought this was an offer?'” So, Rick eventually decided, “No” and he shared, “That’s the first time I ever said that and I was panicked.”

Photo: ABC

Hearst elaborated: ‘I said to my agent, ‘Send my reel over to them so they can at least see a body of work.’ And when I did that, they still screen tested other guys. But, then I got a call from my agent on a Friday night. It’s 10 30 pm. They want me to start early Monday. I said, ‘I have no script. I don’t even know the name of the character, and they didn’t either. They sent over a stack of scripts. So, I show up on the day, and looked to see the character’s name and at first. nobody could speak the character’s name. It was Peter, and then it was Daniel, and then they’d settled on Rick, but RIC. I became Ric Lansing but that didn’t happen until two weeks into the role.”

You can learn more about Rick’s entrée into GH, and his very first scenes, where he had to speak Spanish and he didn’t know how and muchmore by checking out the full episode of Soapy below.

So, have your favorite soap roles of Rick’s through the years been that of Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light and Ric Lansing on General Hospital? Let us know via the comment section below.

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I agree: his roles on General Hospital and Guiding Light felt the best for him in my eyes. And hopefully, one day, he will pop up on Beyond the Gates, where I know he would excel, too.

I first saw his work and loved his portrayal as Alan Michael on GL
Love him on GH.

I have a big soft spot for Carl T Evans the first Alan-Michael but Rick was wonderful in the part too and deserved his Emmy for it (or Emmys can’t remember).

When he was on bold and beautiful as Whip I used to cringe when Brooke would pronounce it as “Wheee-up” lmao

Definitely my favorite role of his was Alan-Michael

All I know is that when he appears on the screen, I’m watching- riveted actually. This is a rarity for me.

Interesting tidbit on how the character of Ric Lansing got his name. JFP and Guza generally ignored the “don’t reuse character first names” rule as you never know if/when they’ll need to bring back the original.

Case in point, Ric Lansing was driving story when the writers chose to bring back Rick Webber for the dreaded retcon that sent Laura to catatonic land.

Olivia Falconeri had been on for a number of years when Ron had Olivia Jerome return from the dead.

General rule is you don’t even use names that sound alike. Kiki was used instead of Lauren to avoid having someone talk about Lauren in one scene then Laura in the next.

Love Alan Michael and miss GL forever! And having Rick show up on our screens is always a gift. His comedic timing is pitch-on. Hopefully we will get to see more of him in the upcoming year.

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava Spikes Brennan’s Drink as Drew’s Masterplan Begins to Unfolds

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Ava

The Friday, August 28 episode of General Hospital confirmed viewers suspicious from the ABC weekly promo that dropped earlier in the week. Ava Jerome (Maura West) is definitely the woman who is spiking the drink of Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna).

How did it all go down? Let’s recap. Ava met up with Drew (Cameron Mathison) at the Metro Court poolside, and he filled her in on his plan to use the thumb drive given to him by Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight) to interfere with the Metro Court Hotel’s security system by way of Carly’s (Laura Wright) office computer.

Next, Drew hands over an envelope with a sleeping pill in it with the demand the Ava somehow slyly slip into Brennan’s drink. Ava is not liking the idea of drugging the WSB Port Charles Bureau Chief.

Courtesy/ABC

KEEPING BRENNAN OCCUPIED

Drew wants insurance that he has enough time to get into Brennan’s room unnoticed, and get the evidence that proved he embezzled money from the McConkey Esplanade project to fund his Congressional campaign away from Jack. He feels the sleeping pill will buy him the time he needs.

Ava accuses Drew of setting her up to take the fall, and she is now having second thoughts about them working together especially after her friend, Nina (Cynthia Watros) warned her about Drew, yet again.

Drew has a comeback for Ava. That is that Sonny (Maurice Benard) has a powerful ally in Mayor Laura Collins (Genie Francis), and he thought that he and Ava were each other’s best shot to team-up and take Sonny down for both their mutual gains. After all, Drew is targeting Sonny as the lynchpin for all his revenge, and Ava is sick of how Sonny dictates when she will see and raise their daughter, Avery.

DRINK UP!

Reluctantly, Ava took the pill from Drew to use on Brennan, only if she absolutely finds it a necessity to do so. As she is on her way to meet Brennan, she flashes back to Sonny calling her a “cancer who should be cut out of Avery’s life.” So, what does Ava do? For insurance, she crushes up the sleeping pill!

Next, Ava sits at a table at the Metro Court poolside with Brennan, and he seems to be knocking back a few drinks upset over his run-in earlier with Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) and Carly. He suddenly gets a phone call that has to take in private and gets up from the table. That moments enables Ava to slip the crushed up sleeping pill into Brennan’s drink and stir it around. We fade to black.

Take a look at the scene where Drew slips Ava a drug to help tide over Brennan while he tries to retrieve the evidence Brennan is using to blackmail him below.

Now weigh-in: were you disappointed to see Ava back to her old devious ways? Do you think Drew will be successful getting back the evidence? Is this the beginning of the end of Jack Brennan since it as has been reported Chris McKenna is exiting the soap? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.

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General Hospital

Double Emmy Nominee Jeff Kober Reveals He Would Be Open to Return to ‘General Hospital’ If He Could Work Again with Genie Francis

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Jeff Kober and Genie Francis

Jeff Kober (ex-Cyrus Renault, General Hospital) has been in celebration mode since July after receiving not only a Daytime Emmy nomination for his role on the ABC daytime drama series, but a Primetime Emmy nomination for his dramatic turn on the HBO Max series The Pitt where he played patient Duke Elkins. The dual nominations mark the first-time in Emmy history that a performer has been nominated for both Emmy awards at the same time.

As GH viewers know, Kober made his debut in General Hospital as Cyrus Renault in 2020. He appeared in the show on-and-off for five years until his character was killed off in an episode that aired on February 20, 2025 ending Renault’s reign of terror.

In fact, it was Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) who shot and killed him, and along with Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna), covered it up. It was that moment that eventually turned Josslyn into an avenge-seeking WSB agent. Kober came back one last time to GH back in December of 2025, when he reprised the role in a dream sequence with Cyrus’ on-screen sister, Laura Collins (Genie Francis).

Courtesy/ABC

JEFF KOBER AND GENIE FRANCIS PLAYED TV BROTHER AND SISTER

Speaking with PEOPLE, Kober talked about his time on General Hospital and if he would ever consider returning to the soap opera if they were to resurrect the now deceased troublemaker Cyrus Renault, or if he even where to play someone else in Port Charles?

“I love to work and I would do anything with Genie (Francis),” expressed Kober. “She’s a great actress and a great scene partner. She’s someone who’ll go anywhere you want to go with them So, if they bring me back and let me work with her, I wouldn’t mind making the drive over to Prospect Studios.”

Kober added, “I would say I’m closest to her in that we both get excited when we can work together because both of us want to make it as rich as possible and find the dangerous areas of it, and see what happens there.”

WILL JEFF KOBER FIND HIMSELF WITH EMMY GOLD TWICE OVER COME THIS FALL?

Previously, Kober won the Outstanding Supporting Actor in Daytime Drama Series for his performances as Cyrus Renault back in 2022. He was also nominated in 2021. Now in 2026, Jeff finds himself among the nominees in the Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series category.

For the Primetime Emmy Awards, and also as had been previously reported, Kober submitted himself in the Guest category when the studio/network did not. Speaking to his decision to self submit, Jeff shared, “There are so many great performances on this show (The Pitt), and they have a limited number of people that they can submit. But I knew it was a job that I wanted to have seen. I knew the material and my particular wheelhouse were perfectly aligned, so I really wanted to at least have it be seen.”

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are set to air live on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, while the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be streamed live on watch.theemmys.tv and associated apps on on Friday night, October 30 from Hollywood.

So, would you like to either see Cyrus Renault turn out to be alive … or Jeff Kober return to GH in another role and share scenes and a story with General Hospital icon, Genie Francis? Let us know via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Nicholas Alexander Chavez Lands Role in Action-Thriller ‘Supermax’

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Nicholas Alexander Chavez

Nicholas Alexander Chavez (ex-Spencer Cassadine, General Hospital) has booked another motion picture role, and this time it’s in the upcoming action-thriller Supermax. The Amazon MGM and Miramax feature is currently in production.

According to Deadline, character details for the film which stars Will Smith and AnnaSophia Robb, are being kept under wraps. Production began on Monday, August 24 in New South Wales, Australia, with support from the NSW Government through Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund.

In story, Supermax follows two FBI agents (Smith & Robb) who investigate a seemingly impossible murder within the impenetrable walls of a maximum-security prison. Jaafar Jackson and Jason Clarke are also set for roles in the film.

SUPERMAX IS NEXT FEATURE ROLE FOR THE FORMER GH DAYTIME EMMY WINNER

Chavez’s casting announcement came with the addition of the former General Hospital Daytime Emmy winner, and three other actors who joined the production.

David Gordon Green directs the film from script by David Weil and David J. Rosen, with The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona & Alex Heineman producing alongside Smith and Adam Fishbach for Westbrook Studios. The plan is for Supermax to be released on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

After departing his role as Spencer Cassadine on General Hospital in early 2024 (in a part part he had played since 2021), Chavez went on to star as Lyle Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. He then reunited with Murphy for the FX horror drama Grotesquerie as father Charlie Mayhew.

Coming up, Nicholas will be seen in The Technique, a psychological thriller, where he stars alongside Emma Roberts, Ben Platt and Noomi Rapace, as well as and the remake of the horror flick, Possession.

So, what do you think of Nicholas Alexander Chavez’s upcoming role in Supermax? Wondering what he will be playing in the action-thriller? Do you miss him on General Hospital? Let us know via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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