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EXCLUSIVE: General Hospital’s Van Hansis Talks on the Casting of Adrian Anchondo as Marco and Hopes for a “Soap Opera Romance”

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC

This week on General Hospital, the character of Marco (Adrian Anchondo) came to Port Charles after we first met him in Miami when Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis) got drunk, kissed the guy and threw up all over him. Viewers learned in story that Marco is actually the son of Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Natalia Rogers-Ramirez (Eva LaRue), and as previously has been teased, will be the new man in Lucas’ life as their romance will being to take flight.

Five time Daytime Emmy-nominee Van Hansis chatted live on The Michael Fairman Channel previewing what may go down once Lucas and Marco actually have a date, and the casting process that led actor Adrian Anchondo to land the contract role on the ABC daytime drama series playing opposite Hansis and much more.

As the backstory goes, Van and Adrian actually first met over 20 years ago when they were both appearing at the Williamstown Theater Festival and crossed paths a few times through the years. When recalling the screen-tests for the character back in January of this year, Van shared, “I will say that out of the guys who tested for Marco, I think about a half of them were gay and half were straight, and they were all great and they all did great stuff with the material. But, I think there’s an ease as a gay actor myself, working with another gay actor that I don’t have to feel like, ‘Oh, you’re kissing a guy, blah, blah, blah, blah.’

Photo: JPI

However, there is also the example of Jake Silbermann who played Noah on As the World Turns, (when Van played Luke Snyder), and he’s remained one of my closest friends. He has never had an issue with a kiss and we played boyfriends for years and years. There was never a moment of him being like, ‘Oh, this is tough. Oh, now I gotta kiss a guy,’ because you’re a professional actor.”

So did Van have a say in who actually got chosen as his new leading man? According to Hansis, sort of. “They asked me, but I don’t think they’re like being like, ‘What does Van want?’ I believe there were four guys who screen-tested for Marco. So, it was all the different Marcos testing and it was with me and Laura Wright (Carly),” recalled Van. “We just did the scene once with each of them. We’d have a rehearsal up in Frank Valentini’s (executive producer, GH) office and then come down to set, do the scene once, and that was that. All four of them did such a fantastic job. Frank did ask me, ‘Who did you respond to?’ Obviously, I said Adrian and not just because I knew him previously, but I do think that for what they were looking for, he is the best for the job.”

Courtesy/ABC

Speaking on how Lucas and Marco first met after Lucas’ fallout with his ex-husband Brad (Parry Shen) happened whlmedical convention in Miami, Hansis revealed, “I just loved the fact that when he meets Marco, the first thing he does is vomit all over him. That was really fun stuff to play because also it was a side of Lucas that we haven’t seen. Lucas seems to me to be this very kind of straight-laced, strong moral code, guy. So for him just to get wasted and sloppy, and kind of embarrassing was a cool flip side to play.”

 

Prior to Hansis portraying Lucas, the role was played on and off by Ryan Carnes. In this new incarnation of the character, viewers are seeing Lucas having some self-effacing humor and dialog. “I think it’s something that naturally I just kind of brought to it that they then (the writers) saw, and then started sort of building that for me,” shared Van. “I love that Lucas gets to have a sense of humor. I think that coming in and sort of making the character your own, I think that’s part of it. A lot of times, I’ll get scenes that are sort of recapping what’s going on. I think in order to keep spark in that, a lot of times humor can help, and then also the fact that these characters live in this insane world … the stuff that happens to these people is absolutely insane. In order to get through that, I think you got to have a sense of humor about things. I think that Lucas is very much in a place of sort of PTSD coming back to town after everything that happened with Brad and Wiley and all of that stuff. Part of his coping mechanism is to smile through it all.”

Lucas knows very little about Marco and we already know that Marco comes from some shady biological parents, especially his father. So what are Van’s hopes for the two moving forward? “I hope it will a soap opera romance. There has to be some positive good things, but you can’t keep that forever in daytime. So, there’s got to be be some stuff that comes up,” expressed Hansis.

Photo: ABC

Van concluded, “There’s got to be be some conflict in there. I haven’t played Lucas in any sort of romantic situation, really and Lucas is so guarded. There was so much history with the betrayal of Brad and lying about his child. That’s not something that you get over, plus realizing that your child actually died and you’ve been raising another child? That being said, I would like to see Lucas in a ‘romantic-ish’ situation.”

Check out our full video interview and livestream conversation with Van below.

Now, are you feeling the on-screen chemistry between Marco and Lucas thus far? Do you hope they have a messy soapy love story? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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I’m completely underwhelmed by Marco. Brad might be devious but at least he’s FUN and puts a spark back into Lucas. So far Lucas and Marco are curing my insomnia.

I love Marco and Lucas.

Finally, some romance !! So sick of disgusting Drew and the WSB !!!!

It’s refreshing to have two out gay actors playing a potential couple. Van & Adrian have chemistry and I look forward to the slow burn (but hopefully not too slow) start of their relationship.

A couple I can fully invest in. Looking forward to their adventures.

I think Marco and Lucas are great together.Brad is a lying manipulator who thus far has never changed. He is bad for Lucas in every way.He claims he loves him then blackmails his boss Portia, who just tried to protect her daughter from Crazy.. yes crazy Heather Webber!Then sells that same info to his crazy Aunt the mob boss who gives it to creepy Drew Cain. So he can blackmail Portia! It’s sick.Marco is hot hope this romance moves quickly.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Cullum’s Got Plans to Keep Brennan Out of His Way

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On General Hospital, the Wednesday, May 13 episode saw Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) plotting to keep Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) from ever being a problem for him again, as Lucas (Van Hansis) reveals his hopes for a plan to rid the world of Cullum and his co-conspirator, Sidwell (Carlo Rota) in one fell swoop.

At the hospital, Nina (Cynthia Watros) is still freaked out by what she did by jabbing Jack with the dose of medication meant for Drew (Cameron Mathison). Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) comes to the hospital to try to get her mother to get a grip and then heads out to do damage control.

Cullum arrives and questions Nina about Jack’s medical condition. Nina lies and tells Cullum he should talk to Dr. Lucas Jones about Jack. In a tense exchange, Cullum shows Lucas he has documents that make him Brennan’s medical proxy and wants an update on his condition. Britt stumbles upon the scene and comes up with a fake emergency in another patients room to pull Lucas away from the WSB director.

Courtesy/ABC

STARING MY BOYFRIEND’S KILLER IN THE FACE

Now alone in the hallway, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) warned Lucas that if he acts like that around Cullum, he will get suspicious. Lucas says they should just tell Sidwell that Cullum stabbed Marco, so Cullum will be killed and Sidwell would be sent to prison. Lucas drops the idea realizing if Cullum dies Britt cannot get her hands on her Huntington’s disease medication. However, Lucas warned Britt how everything would explode once Sidwell found out that Cullum killed Marco, so they have to be certain that they have the evidence that Cullum’s the culprit.

Inside Jack’s room, Cullum tells an unconscious Jack that his stroke may have saved his life, because he planned to kill him. Meanwhile, Willow arrived at Wyndemere to see Sidwell. She explains that Jack accidentally got the dose of Drew’s medication and kept her mother’s name out of it. Sidwell is livid.

Courtesy/ABC

TWO MEN HAD “STROKES” AT MY HOUSE!

Willow thinks it’s time to stop drugging Drew so that people would be focusing on his recovery, rather than the odds that two different men had “strokes’ at Drew’s house. Willow threw the responsibility back on Sidwell telling him that he needed to figure out a way to make sure Drew didn’t expose them. Next, Sidwell reminded Willow that he gives the orders around here and not her. For good measure, he threatens that if they were exposed, she would have the most to lose.

At the end of the episode, and at Wyndemere, Sidwell informed Cullum that Brennan had been dosed with Drew’s medication. When Sidwell declared that things would go from bad to worse when Brennan wakes up and out of his locked-in state, then Cullum fired back, “Then he can’t come out of it.”

Courtesy/ABC

Meanwhile, Willow unexpectedly shows up at Michael’s (Rory Gibson) office while Jacinda (Paige Herschell) is there.  She demands to talk to her ex-husband now, as the photo of Chase (Josh Swickard) and Willow looking close snapped by the private eye is sitting on Michael’s desk.

So, do you think Sidwell should be the one to kill Cullum and then be carted off to prison … 0r, would you like to see Willow get caught for murdering someone since she got away with shooting Drew? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, check out the threatening exchange between Willow and Sidwell from today’s GH.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Rocco is Coming Apart at the Seams

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On the Tuesday, May 12 episode of General Hospital, Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) was at its epicenter and the secret which is destroying him. Previously, Rocco shot WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) in the back to stop him from killing Jason (Steve Burton) and to save Britt (Kelly Thiebaud). 

However, the consequences of Rocco’s actions are weighing so heavy on him, that now he is starting to crack, and with good reason! While Rocco has been suffering in silence, he is wracked with guilt over Jason taking the fall for him, being carted away by the WSB, and worse yet, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) losing his father.

While Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) confronts “Nathan” (Ryan Paevey) about how he covered-up and “advised” Lulu (Alexa Havins) to stay quiet about the night on the pier which saw Rocco shoot Cullum, Dante can clearly see that the man in front of him seems off. His responses and demands and insights are not those of the good-natured “Nathan.” Will Dante be the one, or the last to know that “Nathan” is really Cassius Faison?

Courtesy/ABC

STAY AWAY FROM MY SON

In yet another confrontation, Lulu and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) go at it over Rocco. Lulu blames Britt for Rocco being on the pier at all that night, because Rocco cares about Britt, and she warned her not to get close to Rocco, but Britt did anyway.

Then, at the Quartermaine boathouse, Rocco was shocked to learn that Danny overheard Sonny saying that Jenz Sidwell was responsible for Jason getting taken away, and confided in Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) the intel several weeks ago. Rocco tried to cover his guilt as Danny and Charlotte explained they hadn’t confided in him because he has been so withdrawn lately.

Courtesy/ABC

ROCCO AND DANNY AT ODDS

Next, Danny asks Rocco to help him and Charlotte break into Wyndemere. Danny is determined to get info on Sidwell to try to find Jason. It’s at that point Rocco loses it. He shouts that Sidwell is a dangerous man and Danny needs to stay away from him.

In the most surprising turn of event, Rocco threatened both Charlotte and Danny that if they tried to sneak into Wyndemere he would turn them in.

Danny loses his cool and firmly tells Rocco, that unlike him, he didn’t have parents to clean up his problems for him and told Rocco to stay out of his way. As Rocco walked away, he asks Charlotte if she was coming with him. When she refuses, he tells the both to screw off.

Courtesy/ABC

THE ONLY PERSON I CAN TALK TO

Later, Britt returns to her room at Bobbie’s and finds Rocco waiting for her. He begins to share with her how freaked out he has been feeling over shooting Cullum. Britt hugs him and attempts to comfort Rocco letting him know he is a hero for saving her life and Jason’s. Britt tells Rocco she can talk to her anytime, as the two hug one more time. We fade to black.

Finn Carr delivered another excellent performance within his storyline. It’s clear GH made the right call by giving this young actor the ball with such a high stakes dramatic and emotional storyline to play.

So, do you think Danny will find out what Rocco did and come after him for letting his dad take the fall for shooting Cullum? Do you think Rocco will continue to turn to Britt, further upsetting Lulu? Will Dante get a clue about Cassius? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But first, in case you missed it, check out the emotional moments between Rocco and Britt on yesterday’s GH below.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina is Frantic, Sonny is Mistrustful, Chase and Willow are Being Framed

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The highly-anticipated Monday, May 11 episode of General Hospital picked right back up with the drama; which also sets the tone for today’s next installment of the ABC daytime drama series.

In another excellent performance by Daytime Emmy winner, Cynthia Watros, Nina is watching things unravel right before her eyes, and she is always playing defense to try to cover for the events that just transpired.

Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) ends up on the floor of Drew’s (Cameron Mathison) house unable to move after Nina injected him with the paralytic drug dose meant for Drew. Her intended target was Valentin (James Patrick Stuart), but during the Jack/Valentin Brawl, she struck the wrong guy! Valentin helps Nina turn Brennan on to his back and then makes his exit before anyone sees him as she calls the paramedics who rush Jack to GH.

Courtesy/ABC

MAN DOWN

In the meantime, Drew, who has overheard all the screaming in the other room, starts to have mobility in his hands and is trying to reach for the phone since his weekly dose went to Brennan instead of him. Now at the hospital, Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) has questions for Nina on how Jack ended up like this; which Nina claims one minute they were talking and all of sudden he dropped to the floor.

A panicked Nina calls Willow (Katelyn MacMullen), who went out for a run and ran into Chase (Josh Swickard). She tells her daughter using cryptic words that Jack got the dose of meds meant for Drew. Alarmed, Willow runs back to Drew’s, but not before having conversations with Chase about how she will help ensure he and Brook Lynn have the best chance at keeping baby Phoebe, after all, they had been through so much when she lost their baby.

SNAPS TELL ALL?

The moments of closeness between Willow and Chase are snapped by a photographer or someone hiding in the bushes as it seems like Michael’s plan to implicate Willow and Chase by making it look like their having an affair is underway. How far will this go?

Meanwhile, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) went at Lulu (Alexa Havins) for keeping him in the dark about Rocco (Finn Carr) being the person who shot Cullum and their elaborate cover-up. Things get worse when Lulu mentioned “Nathan” also knows and helped Rocco the night on the pier of the shooting. Dante is livid that as Rocco’s father, she felt he could not be trusted, and it was for him to figure out how he would navigate the information to protect their son; even if he is the police commissioner. Lulu also shared she did not want to tell him, because of what happened when Michael went to prison all those years ago.

Courtesy/ABC

BROTHER TO BROTHER

At Ava’s (Maura West) art gallery, Sonny (Maurice Benard) with gun in hand, rails at Ric (Rick Hearst) for lying and deceiving him. Ric confesses he was being dishonest, but not about anything to do with Sonny or the business. He shows Sonny the secret art transaction he was working with Ava. The reason is, he wanted to surprise Elizabeth with it as they have a special weekend planned. Ric explained that the sale had to be be done covertly because of a legal conflict involving the seller’s divorce. Eventually, Sonny lowers his gun. Cooler heads prevail and the two brothers hope there will come a time where Ric’s loyalty to Sonny will never be in question.

Carly (Laura Wright) learns what happened to Jack from Valentin, and feels badly for Jack. Valentin also tells her Jack does not know where Josslyn is and now that he is incapacitated that means that Cullum will take over the day to day of the WSB bureau in Port Charles and things are about to get worse.

Courtesy/ABC

In the final moments of the episode, Willow runs into Drew’s house and stops Drew from dialing the phone near his wheelchair. She scolds her husband and says, “Looks like no one can be trusted to keep an eye on you except me.” we fade to black.

So, what did you think of the performance of Cynthia Watros? How much longer can Nina and Willow get away with what they have done to Drew and now Brennan? Elizabeth already mentioned to Lucas, what are the odds that two men have the same medical issue at the same house.  Are you glad Willow and Chase are being framed, or annoyed by it? Weigh-in via the comment section.  In case you missed it, check out the scenes below with Sonny and Ric, and Ethan and Ava.

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