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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: Britt and Rocco Say Their Goodbyes, Then She Gets Arrested; Anna Reveals “Nathan West” is an Imposter

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On the Friday, June 26 episode of General Hospital, emotional moments, a new duo on the run, the end of the line for Britt and an eye-opening moment between Anna and Felicia were the order of the day. Let’s take a look at what went down, but first let’s give a round of applause for Kelly Thiebaud (Britt) and Finn Carr (Rocco) on their goodbye scenes.

In the story, Rocco insists to his parents, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Lulu (Alexa Havins) that he wouldn’t leave Tortola without Britt. Dante is getting impatient because Britt brought all the trouble in recent months to his son. They need to protect him and they can’t if he stays with Britt. Lulu tells Britt she is the only one who can do the right thing, right now.

Britt explained it is too dangerous for Rocco to stay with her. She was very selfish and made a lot of terrible decisions along the way and Cullum is tracking her down because she did not finish the project he enlisted her for. She convinces Rocco to go with his parents and gives him a little token of something that reminded her of when he was a baby which is a bottle to blow bubbles with.

Courtesy/ABC

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Rocco makes Britt promise to take her medication to ward off her Huntington’s disease symptoms and to keep changing locations so she is not caught. The two share a final hug as both are in tears. Dante makes a call. While in the car ready to leave Britt behind, Rocco says he will never forgive himself is something happened to Britt.

Back inside, Britt is ready to inject herself with her medication but is unaware that Cullum has now tainted it with poison! But she is saved from that, when two police officers burst through the door to arrest her for kidnapping charges! Did Dante call the local police? Is he doing this to keep her safe or to pay her back?

In Port Charles, Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) arrives at Crimson, completely unaware that the man in the elevator is following her. Nina (Cynthia Watros) and Charlotte have an argument about Willow (Katelyn MacMullen). Suddenly, Willow calls her mother that she is being questioned by the PCPD, and Nina learns, it is as a suspect for being the other driver that left Jordan and Curtis injured by the side of the road on Route 91.

ARRIVALS AND DESTINATIONS IN QUESTION

Chase (Josh Swickard) comes to Willow’s rescue much to Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Justine’s (Nazneen Contractor) chagrin. Willow learns Lucy  and Drew are the supposed witnesses against her. Chase figures out when Joe (Jonathan Bennett) was alone with Drew, he got him to blink in a way that implicated her. However, in a shocking moment, Justine reveals that the trip log from Willow’s BMW SUV placed her at the scene of the accident just second before it occurred.

Meanwhile, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) comes by Crimson to see Charlotte. He says he broke into the WSB office to get info to expose Cullum as a double agent. Charlotte blows a gasket! She can’t believe that he would do something so stupid that it could have gotten him killed. She firmly tells Danny that best thing he can do to help Jason is to stay out of things. Danny storms out, but notices the stranger in the elevator who now steps into the Crimson lobby.

Courtesy/ABC

The man tells Charlotte he is Agent Mark McKay with the WSB and he has orders to bring her in. When she resisted, he was about to chloroform her, when Danny knocked him out and took off with Charlotte.

ANNA PUTS HER TRUST IN FELICIA

In France, after having some private time with Emma (Braedyn Bruner), Anna (Finola Hughes) wants to talk to Felicia (Kristina Wagner). She tells her best friend she was trying to figure out what memories of her past with Faison, she could trust and not trust. Since Felicia knows her best she is hoping she can believe what she is about to tell her.

It is then that Anna says, “Nathan West (Ryan Paevey) is not who he says he is.” Felicia looks dumb-founded. Will she believe her friend … or think she has drummed this all up in her mind? Stay tuned.

So, what did you think about the goodbye scenes featuring Finn Carr and Kelly Thiebaud? Did you reach for the hankies? Do you believe that soon, Cassius will be caught for his duplicity and the truth about Britt’s “illness” will come to light? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below. But first check out the scenes featuring Anna on her road to recovery in France

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Drops First Single EDM/Dance Track ‘If You Need Me’

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Last weekend, we shared the news that General Hospital alum and Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos) was releasing his first single today on June 26th and it has indeed dropped! And for those readers who guessed that Duell’s first track out of the gate was going to be an EDM/Dance/House track … you are correct, sir!

The song entitled, “If You Need Me” is perfect for the late night clubs and can be found on Spotify and other major streaming platforms! Duell is noted as the performing artist, but as the composer/ lyricist and the beatmaker of the track. For his music projects, Chad is going solely by the name of “Duelly” which has been his social media handle for years.

Taking to his Instagram on Friday, Duell explained his deep dive into making music, expressing, “I’ve wanted to make music for a long time… I just never did it. It always felt like this huge, overwhelming thing to learn. All the technical side of it, the programs, everything that goes into actually building a track… it was easy to keep pushing it off.  A couple months ago I finally just decided to go for it.”

Photo: JPI

BIT BY BIT PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Chad added, “Since then I’ve been putting in a lot of time learning, experimenting, figuring things out, and slowly starting to find a sound I’m really proud of. This first release is more of a dance/EDM vibe, but I’ve also been working on a lot of different styles behind the scenes that I’m just as excited about. At some point I realized I could keep holding onto everything trying to make it perfect… or I could just start putting music out and grow as I go.”

Stepping out of his own way, Duell firmly says, “So that’s what I’m doing.  My first track “If You Need Me” is out now. More coming soon… this is just the beginning.”

As GH viewers know, Chad made the decision to step away from General Hospital after a 15-year run with the series where his last episode aired in January of 2025. By May of last year, the role was recast with Rory Gibson debuting in the part.

Give a listen below to Duelly’s “If You Need Me,” and let us know what you thought of it via the comment section below.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: What Did You Think of the Return of Anna Devane, and What’s In the Letter?

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Finola Hughes made her dramatic return on-screen on the Wednesday, June 24 episode of General Hospital. Viewers will see Finola as Anna Devane again on tomorrow’s June 26th episode.

In the story, while in the French mental health facility, Anna has a session with Dr. Laurent. She tell her she now knows she was never kidnapped and that Cesar Faison is dead.

As she continued with her ruse, she went on to say she understands she was enlisted back into the WSB on a secret mission, and through that she relived all the trauma she endured by Faison, which caused her to have a psychotic break. Anna promises Dr. Laurent that her treatment plan had helped her so much in figuring out what was real, and what was in her imagination.

Courtesy/ABC

ANNA’S GOT HER OWN PLAN TO ESCAPE

In a smart move (hopefully) Anna told Laurent if she could talk to someone else who had known Faison that it might aid in her recover. She was given the phone and she called Felicia (Kristina Wagner), who agreed to fly to France in the morning. Dr. Laurent claims she is pleased with Anna’s progress, but that they still have a very long long way to go.

Now by herself, Anna pulled out a packet of letters from a bedside table. There is one in particular that she is fixated on. What does it contain? Is this all a part of her escape plan? Will she warn Felicia that “Nathan” is really Cassius (Ryan Paevey)? If so, will Felicia even believe her?

In a summer preview with Soap Opera Digest, GH co-head writers Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten shared, “We’ll see echoes of Anna’s earliest incarnation as she returns to Port Charles with deadly intentions.”

So, were you happy to see Anna Devane back on your screens? What do you think is in the particular letter she was staring at? Will Felicia help Anna escape or not believe a word she says? Weigh-in via the comment section.  But first, you can check out some of the scenes from Anna’s on-screen return below.

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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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Finn Carr & Dominic Zamprogna as Rocco & Dante

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