This past week, General Hospital fans were feted with an incredibly dramatic, harrowing and emotional series of episodes where at its epicenter saw Marco Rios (Adrian Anchondo) murdered by WSB director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes), and later the guy attempts to end the life of Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).

Now as a new week begin in Port Charles, Jason was carted away by the WSB and Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis) must face life without the love of his life, Marco, who’s life was taken from him much too young.

In an exclusive sit-down virtual interview on the Michael Fairman Channel, Adrian Anchondo opened up about the ups and downs of his one-year journey on General Hospital, where as his run came to an end found viewers of the show rooting for the character. All this, after Marco agreed to help Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) and Lucas get the vials of medication stashed away at Wyndemere so she could reverse engineer the drug and get out from under Cullum and Marco’s father, Jenz Sidwell’s (Carlo Rota) thumb. Only, it all went horribly wrong.

Courtesy/ABC

Anchondo, who made his Port Charles debut last March, shared that late last summer he had an inkling his character might be written off the canvas, he just didn’t know the mechanism of how. Suffice to say, instead of just having Marco leave down for Miami, where he previously worked and resided, GH set off a huge umbrella story, where the character will be remembered for some time to come.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the exclusive chat with Androndo on his time with General Hospital.

BEING WRITTEN-OFF

“I found out when we came back from the end of the year break. It was something that I kind of felt was going to happen. It was heading that direction. I was feeling that since August of last year. It was more a question of when it would happen and how, than if. Of course, I would’ve loved to be on this show for many, many years. I’ve been keeping this secret for a long time, so it’s such a relief to finally let it go. We filmed this all on January 30th, because that was the end of my contract before if it were to be renewed. So, there were a lot of things that had to be squeezed in the last week. They actually gave me a four-week warning (that it was coming), which was great.”

VAN HANSIS AS LUCAS GRIEVES OVER MARCO’S BODY

Photo: ABC

“Even though I had no lines and I was just laying there, it allowed me to be like, ‘OK, it’s their turn. It’s their turn to shine. It’s makeup’s turn to shine. It’s Van’s turn to shine.’ The hardest thing for me in that part as you might’ve seen, I’m kind of breathing a little bit, but it’s hard to play dead, especially when you’re moving so fast, trying to get the next shot and the adrenaline’s running. My heart’s beating for Van to make sure that he’s doing his best, and that’s he’s getting to do his best work. He killed that monologue. And you can’t tell, but I am bawling my eyes.”

Adrian added, “I had tears running down my eyes. They had cover me up because there was this finality to it all. I was saying goodbye, but in this most beautiful, sad way. I felt like once I’m done with this, I’m never going to see them again. But that’s not true. I’m going to continue my relationship with everyone at the show. So, I was feeling so many mixed things. I was just so grateful (for the experience).”

CARLO ROTA AS SIDWELL’S HEARTBREAK TURNS TO ANGER 

Courtesy/ABC

“The taping was different than the way he performed it in the rehearsal. It was very sad in the performance in the rehearsal. Something clicked in him where he is just a brilliant actor where he has to instill fear in the audience. His job is to tell a story beyond what’s happening right there and set up for what is about to happen. He was just great. Carlo did a great job. He scared me.”

NANCY LEE GRAHN AS ALEXIS FINDS MARCO ON THE FLOOR OF HER LAW OFFICE

Photo: ABC

“Oh, God. Technically there was was so much blood and she’s putting her hands on me, and if there’s something (in protocol to stop bleeding) that’s messed up, you have to do it over again. We have to have a spare blanket in case we have to shoot it again. There is also that adrenaline when you’re literally watching someone bleed out and they’re panting and you’re trying to make a phone call and and she’s trying to stop the bleeding. All this stuff is happening and you’re thinking about your lines and the camera angles. Nancy is such a pro. There was one moment where I wanted to reach up to her to look her in the eyes, like, ‘please save me,’ or tell, tell ‘Lucas I love him.’ I think she felt it. Afterwards when they yelled ‘cut,” Nancy was really emotional. We had grown to have a good relationship on the set.”

STEVE BURTON AND RORY GIBSON

Photo: ABC

“I had a great talk with Steve because he was leaving the show (for his hiatus) at the same time as me, that I’m grateful that he was willing to share that before this happened, because it would’ve been two major shockers (for the audience). Around this time he was talking that he wants to go live his life and he wants to go be with his partner (Michelle Lundstrom) and it’s never goodbye with Steve. I also got to talk to Rory Gibson (Michael) a lot as well. He’s someone that I really wanted to work with more. He came in to the show two months after me. His one-year anniversary is coming up. I’m just like so amazed what he’s done on the show and how people love him. I want to celebrate everyone that’s on there.”

KELLY THIEBAUD

Photo: ABC

“There was a scene that we had together where I’m giving Britt her medication and she’s trying to reach me. She’s trying to reach me on a human level. She’s saying I have to work for my father too. You can make a different choice. You don’t have to do this. I think that was the real shift in Marco even before Lucas confronts him about everything that he’s found out. Kelly is a rock star!”

MARCO AND GAY LOVE STORIES ON THE SOAPS

Photo: ABC

“The amount of love that I have received from the this ending has been insane. I think it’s because a lot of people were just starting to like Marco, even though I knew his heart, he was doing questionable things. So now, I’m seeing all the love that that I wish I had maybe seen earlier for the character. I think when it comes to gay stories, I want Lucas to have a happy ending. Just because our relationship ends, doesn’t mean that he won’t find love again. I could be a stepping stone for Lucas’ true love in the future.”

ADRIAN’S CONFIDENCE AND ONLINE CHATTER

Photo: ABC

“There was a lot of speculation online and questions about me not being included in certain things that made me just feel less confident. Sometimes, I think on set, when I came in, there was some anxiety and fear that I couldn’t like, let go and really play. I didn’t feel like the ease that I saw some of the other actors having. I had some great conversations with Cynthia Watros (Nina) and with Nancy Lee Grahn and other people who have been on the show who said to give in and let go of control of things. They also shared they have seen some amazing actors come in and out of here, and it has nothing to do about the performance. So, that helped me a lot and I was able to halfway through my run let go a little bit more.”

Speaking on the slippery slope that is social media, while representing both the LGBTQ and Latino communities on a soap opera, Anchondo shared, “I saw some things online that also just made me sad; homophobic and racist things. Here I am on the show while in the world there’s so much going on outside that is scary. I wanted to present myself in my real life and be true to myself during that time. So yeah, it was tricky trying to balance everything. I said to myself, ‘I’m going to give it my all, and hopefully, even if people don’t like the character, my heart will shine through in what I’m doing.”‘

You can check out the full conversation with Adrian Anchondo below, which features at the end a special guest appearance by Adrian’s boyfriend, Colton Little (Andrew Donovan, Days of our Lives).

Now let us know, what did you think about the comments Adrian shared on his feelings during all the emotional scenes surrounding Marco’s death? Are you sad to see him go? What do you think will happen next, when Lucas realizes it was the man he saved in the OR. Cullum, who killed his boyfriend? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

Over the past week, General Hospital watched the long-awaited showdown between now WSB agent, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) and her mother Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), which unfolds after Josslyn finds Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) stowed away in Carly’s attic.

As the scenes played out Josslyn learned that her mother already knew about her spy work and involvement and was actively plotting to get her out from under the thumb of Carly’s boyfriend, Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) by teaming up with Valentin.

Next, came the fireworks, when Carly and Josslyn had it out in Carly’s kitchen which led to more stunning reveals, and betrayals. One of which was Josslyn learning it was Jason (Steve Burton) who spilled the beans she was WSB to her mother, so eventually she has a showdown with him too! Now with everyone’s cards (sort of) on the table, how will Josslyn navigate the situation from here?

Courtesy/ABC

In an exclusive full-length conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, McCoy talks about taping the pivotal scenes with Laura Wright and Steve Burton, how Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) plays in to her motivations or not, what happened to her WSB trainer turned lover, Vaughan (Bryce Durfee)? Will Joss get a new love interest … and so much more.

Here are just a few of the intriguing excerpts from this Daytime Emmy-winning star below, who come this October will celebrate her 11th anniversary with the ABC daytime drama series as most of us have watched her grow-up on-screen before our very eyes.

THE MOTHER OF ALL SHOWDOWNS

Playing the intensity of the scenes with her longtime scene partner and on-screen mother, Laura Wright, was something both actresses knew going into the double reveal was important to get just right.

Eden explained, “We knew that it was highly anticipated, just from the audience’s perspective. It’s also anticipated on our ends. We’ve been wondering how they were going to write it, what it was going to look like. Laura and I were very involved. We were very clear with what we wanted, at least, how we wanted it to feel in terms of us doing it. We just wanted it to feel good. It was a really collaborative day on set. The writers killed it. They had great words on the page for all of us. It just became this delicious feast of chaos.”

TAKING SONNY DOWN

Photo: ABC

During her confrontation with Carly, Josslyn blurts out that the reason she chose to be in the WSB, and remain in the WSB, was because she wants to bring down Carly’s ex-husband, and mob boss, Sonny Corinthos. The confession stunned Carly, who blames herself, for how Josslyn turned to the dangerous life of a WSB agent. However, many viewers were questioning were that came from, because it seemed like she joined the WSB to at first, avenge her late boyfriend, Dex Heller’s (Evan Hofer) death.

“I think, at first, I struggled with the concept of me just joining the WSB, to bring Sonny down,” shared McCoy. “Me as Eden didn’t see that that way, at least at first. It feels like a big reveal because Josslyn is saying a lot of feelings she’s carried for a long time that are older feelings to have that she never really vocalized to her mother and this is that opportunity. I don’t think it’s her sole mission to bring Sonny down, specifically. I just think it’s more a rebellion against the history of her family and her choice as a grown woman at this point. To be on the other side of the coin, I think that obviously, Sonny and his behavior towards her mother, who she’s extremely protective of and Donna and her siblings, and people that have died, in regards to Sonny (is at play). They’re all very intense traumatic events in this person’s life”

Eden continued on Josslyn’s admission to Carly, “I think that she was just able to finally vocalize like, ‘Hey, this is about Sonny, but this is about me. This is about me not signing up anymore. What’s the alternative? Being a lifeguard for another 10 years and pretending like I’m okay with  everything that’s happened and not doing anything about it?’ I think the million dollar question is, ‘What lines is she willing to cross?'”

JASON RATTING OUT JOSSLYN

Coutesy/ABC

After Josslyn’s emotional fallout with Carly, she hightails it to Jason’s “office,” to confront the man she thought had her back. Jason has known since finding Joss with Vaughan at the Five Poppies in Dalmatia and rescuing them, that she was indeed in the WSB. However, his deep friendship with Carly eventually caused him to admit that Josslyn was working with Jack Brennan. Eden McCoy gave nothing but praise to her co-star on pulling the right emotions from her during the key scenes.

“Steve’s amazing. I think we’ve always had a really specific dynamic on and off screen,” expressed McCoy. “I always love his stability in the scenes that we usually have together. It’s me freaking out about something and him kind of being that stoic, stable force, which works so well for him and he plays amazingly. It helps me out (as an actress) because it kind of just helps me spiral more!”

SHOOTING CYRUS RENAULT

Courtesy/ABC

Josslyn’s spiral into the world of WSB, is thanks, in part, to Brennan leading her to Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober) with breadcrumbs of clues, where many thought he used an innocent young woman to kill the guy, while he explains it that it was part of a test to make her an agent. After Renault murdered her boyfriend, Dex, her grief was so great that she shot him dead. Since that time, there hasn’t been much discussion of how that moment changed her. McCoy explains how she feels about Josslyn’s grief and loss set against the backdrop of her character’s spy work.

“I would love to explore that trauma more in depth. But I think in this moment it’s almost, she doesn’t have the room,” said McCoy. “This is an autopilot situation. She killed someone, was put into this world/chose to be in this world, and yes, things get murky there, but she’s committed and now feels it’s too late. Right now, I think she doesn’t feel like she has a choice but to continue. I think that that’s a fun place to be (as an actress).”

McCoy also said that she knew the plan for Josslyn quite a bit before her character shift, and how she would land in the position she finds herself now.  “I was told everything at the same time. A long time ago, I was told Josslyn kills Cyrus and then you’re going be a spy, and then you’re going to be in the WSB, and that was kind of all I was told.” Eden added, “I was just super stoked. I haven’t done anything similar and I thought that their decision to kind of have this be, in a way, how Josslyn grieves another loss and another boyfriend’s death was interesting. I was excited.”

WHERE’S MY LEADING MAN?

Photo: ABC

As for Josslyn’s love life, well, that’s not going very well, yet again. After being involved with Vaughan, he wound up being whisked away and no one has heard about him since! Eden McCoy weighed-in on the potential resurfacing of her WSB trainer/lover or a new man entering her life.

Eden shared on Vaughan, “I mean, he’s not dead, right? So, that’s a plus! Not that even matters on the soaps because you know, if you’re dead, you can come back!  Josslyn feels like Eden does, like, ‘Wait? Where did he go?’ I think that trope is so fun … that weird enemies to lovers trope and you can’t be having sex with your coworker, trope, love all that. It’s soapy and fun. Bryce was great. I think that they could always bring him back. I don’t know if that’s the plan, but he was great and everybody loved him.”

As for a future love interest with another character, McCoy answered, “Listen, anything is fine by me. I’m just a down girl, whatever they want I’m down to do it.”

So, what did you think about the showdown scenes with Josslyn, Carly and Jason? Do you think Joss’ true motivation is to take Sonny down? Do you hope GH brings back Bryce Durfee, or pairs Eden with a brand new love interest? Do you also think Josslyn will land herself in a situation she can’t get out of with the likes of Sidwell and Cullum and company? Weigh-in via the comment section, and watch our full chat with Eden below.

It’s a big weekend for General Hospital’s Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos). The birthday boy, who turns 63-years-old on Sunday March 1, is celebrating with a very special episode of his mental health You Tube series, State of Mind on the same date.

In it, Benard who is used to interviewing his celebrity and soap star guests, had the situation flipped on him when his TV son, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante, GH) takes over the questioning and Maurice is the guest on his show. Look for Lisa LoCicero (Olivia, GH) to pop in too! “All in the Family,” State of Mind style!

Meanwhile, on General Hospital, Sonny is inching closer to a romance with ADA Justine Turner (Nazneen Contractor), as much as she protests and as much as he may have been playing her in the beginning! All this, while Jason (Steve Burton) and Sonny try to figure out how to stop Sidwell and their newest enemy WSB Director Ross Callum (Andrew Hawkes).

Photo: ABC

As a preview for Sunday, and to get the lowdown on the three-time Daytime Emmy winner’s life and times on-screen and off, Maurice visited You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel for a livestream chat on Thursday, February 26 where lots of topic were discussed. Fans also had the opportunity to pose questions to the soap superstar. Here’s what Benard had to say in key takeaways below:

The Oprah Winfrey Show landmark appearance in 2004

Photo: JPI

“I’ve said this before, but I wish I could do it again, only because somebody said to me, ‘Don’t cry on Oprah.’ Showing that vulnerability is what you should do. And so, the whole time on Oprah, I’m trying not to cry. I’m like trying to be cool and stuff. That’s not the way to do it. But I learned my lesson there. That’s why now all I do is cry. If you watch State of Mind. I’m crying and I’m crying. I get vulnerable. I get emotional because I know there are men, even women, but mostly men that can’t. My theory is watch me and I have no problem doing it. It’s not a terrible thing and you should feel good about doing it. That’s what I’ve been doing and I’ll continue to do it. I don’t care.”

State of Mind skit

Photo: SOM

“You have to understand something about this skit. It is ridiculous. Funny as hell. If you are a fan of us (Sonny, Dante and Olivia)  you’re not going to expect what we do here. A lot of overacting. … a lot of good acting. Dom is very funny. Lisa’s just a comedian. So, if you can imagine that all in one, it’s a family affair.”

Rory Gibson as a recast Michael Corinthos

Photo: ABC

“I’ve never seen anybody so quickly come in, and do it as well as he’s done. He’s a good kid, and a sweet kid. Rory is talented and he’s just taken the role and just made it his own. I’ve been there a long time, and I’ve seen people come and go, who can’t do that.”

Another Bipolar storyline for Sonny?

“When I go through things, it takes me a while to get right back up again. I can still act, but now I’m feeling like I can kick your ass, and I’m taking no prisoners. I’m back to that mentality. Now, if you said to me, ‘let’s do a bipolar story,’ I could do it, but it would have to be the greatest story writing because we’ve gone down that road so many times. Give me something like the Alzheimer’s story, and like the one I had, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Sonny and ADA Turner romance 

Photo: ABC

“I keep telling Nazneen and her husband Carlo Rota (Sidwell) that they’re so supportive of all the actors, and it’s not fake, and that says a lot about who they are.  This story between ADA Turner and Sonny is actually pretty good. So, Carly (Laura Wright) can have boyfriends and I’m supposed to be a monk! Now, I’m everyone’s uncle! I’m like, ‘Let’s go, man.’ I think I’ve proven I can do something. As for Nazneen, I think we are a good fit together, and she can very well. Now it’s a matter of how they navigate it. Actually, we’ve got something coming up, that’s pretty intense. It will probably air in the next week. So stay tuned for that.

Who’s zooming who?

“I felt like in the beginning Sonny is playing her. Then, I decided to get her to fall for me, so I can get what I want. Now, whether she’s falling, I’m confused. I don’t know. Sonny doesn’t need to know. But, it would be great if she started falling for Sonny more and more.”

Repetitive themes on the soaps

“How many stories on General Hospital or any soap opera have not been done 10 times over like people coming from the dead? How many times have they done it? It isn’t about how many times it’s been done. It’s whether there’s chemistry or not, and whether it works. But you can’t say, don’t do it because it’s been done. Of course, it’s been done a thousand times. But that’s the truth.”

Steve Burton’s hiatus

Photo: ABC

“I always feel like, especially now for him, he’s doing what’s best for his life and his wife and his kids. So, more power to him. He’ll be back. It’s not forever. So I’m going to miss Jason. I think Sonny always feels safe with Jason, but now he’s got Ricky boy! Rick Hearst (Ric)! For Sonny with his brother, I’m playing like I love him. He’s proven already that I can trust him. Now if he breaks Sonny’s heart …. that’s not good.”

Respect for the late Anthony Geary

Photo: ABC

“I saw Tony Geary (Luke Spencer) in a one-man play. It was literally the best acting I’ve ever seen, ever, anywhere. We were friends and we respected each other. I respected him a great deal, and we did some great stuff together. What made him great was that he could do play anything. He was such a versatile actor. That’s the quality of a great actor. Now I can play quite a bit, but I’m just going to be a gangster (laughs).

All My Children start as Nico Kelly/Lifetime Movie Reboot

Photo: ABC

“It was good in terms of the actors. I met Michael Knight (ex-Tad, now Martin, GH), Susan Lucci (ex-Erica), and Peter Bergman (ex- Cliff, now Jack, Y&R) there. But they didn’t let me act on that show. I mumbled. They would say, ‘Why do you put your hand on your face and why are you taking so long when you talk?’ I said, ‘because that’s what we do in life.’

As for the All My Children reboot and if they brought Nico Kelly back: “Oh, I’d do it. 15 years ago, I wouldn’t have done, but I’d do it.”

WWE’s AJ LEE (AJ Mendez) Mental Health Story

Photo: SOM

“I’m trying to get her on again.” She said, ‘yeah,’ but we have to touch base again. AJ told the story that blew my mind when she was on State of Mind, where she wanted to commit suicide, and she went to a motel. Before she decided to do what she was going to do, she made one last phone call and it saved her life. And I thought, ‘Wow! That’s amazing.'”

Speaking openly

“When I talk about this, I have no problem doing it because my intention is, I need to talk about it more so people can start talking about it. Because what happens is, when we don’t talk about it, and we have a certain judgment on it, we hold that in, and then it gets worse, And then your thoughts are, ‘I can’t take it. I can’t do it anymore. The pain’s too strong.’  You can’t go through another day with that kind of pain, but the reality is you can.  Always have hope that you can get out of it, if I did it, and I’ve done it, anybody could do it.”

You can check out the full conversation with Maurice below..

Drop your birthday wishes via the comment section below for Maurice! Then let us know, are you on-board for a Sonny/ADA Turner romance? Do you like Ric and Sonny becoming closer as brothers? What do you think about the inroads Maurice has made over the last 22 years for raising awareness for mental health? Would you like to see Maurice working with Susan Lucci in the All My Children reboot for Lifetime? Share your thoughts below.