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Julia Montgomery Talks on Her Daytime Comeback on Y&R, and Shares Memories as OLTL’s Samantha Vernon

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: Joanna DeGeneres

It’s hard to believe that its been over four decades since Julia Montgomery first hit the daytime scene as Samantha Vernon on One Life to Live. Now on the Wednesday, March 23rd episode of The Young and the Restless, Julia returns to soaps in the role of Tanya and shares scenes with some key people in a red-hot new storyline.

Montgomery, who later after her One Life to Live years starred in the movie Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and other TV and film roles, is looking at her stint on Y&R as jump-start, perhaps back to daytime. But what wonderful stories and insight she has of being part of the iconic cast of One Life!

Julia shares some inside stories on working with: Phil Carey, Judith Light, Gerry Anthony, Brynn Thayer, Steve Fletcher, and the original Vernon family with Jameson Parker and Farley Granger.  Throughout her time on the ABC soap opera, Julia left OLTL on a few occasions and shares here with Michael Fairman TV what ultimately led to her decision to depart for good.

So, who says you can’t come home again to a genre that kick-started your career at 16?  Montgomery is starting here, and starting now with this guest visit on Y&R.  Check out what she had to share about her time in Genoa City and Llanview below.

You stepped into acting on a soap again for a short stint on Y&R.  What was it like being on the top-rated daytime drama?

JULIA:  Honestly, it was really fun to be back on a soap opera set.  It’s so interesting with the multiple cameras, etc.  It’s its own animal.  At one point, I was sitting down between my scenes, and I just had this kind of a rush.  I purposely have not been on a soap set for decades, and then this came about, and I was like, “Why not?”.  I’m just in a completely different place in real-life as an empty nester, plus it’s kind of hysterical that I’m also a realtor, and I’m playing an LA realtor!

Typecasting!

JULIA:  I know! The writing is very good.  I changed a few things here and there to make it more authentic.  The Young and the Restless is, I think, my favorite show of the soaps, and I think the lighting is so good.  I loved everyone: the hair and makeup, the actors, loved my director … I had a total blast!

Photo Credit: Sheldon Botler

You worked with Y&R newcomer Kelsey Wang (Allie) in your scenes. How was she to work with?

JULIA:  She was wonderful, and a really good actress.  She had a lot to do that day, but she is extremely present, bright, and alive.  I loved working with her, and then the mystery person.  I’m not allowed to say who it is; but tune-in and you will see! My character is in the story to help Allie settle Keemo’s estate.

Would you want to return to Y&R and do something if they said, “Come on back and let’s explore Tanya more!?”

JULIA:  Well, perhaps yes!

Photo: ABC

Well, let’s talk your signature soap role of One Life to Live’s Samantha Vernon.  You landed the role and debuted in 1976 and then left and came back a few times through 1981. When you came on the show who was in the Vernon Family?

JULIA: Jameson Parker, played my brother and my first dad was Farley Granger.  I just remember that Jameson was there for my audition, and they invited my parents back to the control room. Jameson was talking very highly of me to my parents, saying, “Oh, she’s really good.”  At one point, I stumbled on a line and found my way back, and I guess they were just ecstatic that a 16-year-old who had never been on a real television set was getting such feedback. Farley Granger, couldn’t have been more wonderful to me.  He was just a doll and a big film actor at the time.

Well, he was a big get for the show!

JULIA:  Totally, and he was still completely gorgeous, but it was still “Doctor Vernon,” and that means you’ve got all of that doctor dialogue to learn.  Coming from a film set to a soap opera set, and having tons of dialogue to begin with, he was just exhausted.  I think at the end of six months, he was just like, “This just isn’t for me.”

Brad was the bad boy, and Samantha was the good sister. Is that how you viewed it?

JULIA:  Let me settle this.  When I came on the show, I was 16-years-old, and the character was 16-years old.  Six months later, they turned me 18, so that I could be involved with men, not only men, but generally older men, not as old as Asa, but it became as old as Asa later.  My character had a flirtation with Tony Lord, who was played by Phil MacHale at that point.  So, of course, Samantha was good, but what does every good girl want … to be bad!  (Laughs) That’s how it works!  Later, they had some great scenes with me and Marco, played by the amazing Gerry Anthony.

Courtesy/ABC

I was going to bring up Gerry.

JULIA:  He was so wonderful. The thing about being on One Life to Live, was that when I came on the show, the actors who I ended up working with like Judith Light (Ex-Karen) and Gerry Anthony were all into making the scenes great.  We had so much fun working on these scenes, and, not everyone on the set did that.  Some people had been on there for years.  They did their thing, and they didn’t necessarily have the same joie de vivre as some of the rest of us who were like, “Let’s make this great.”  So, I think we really just had a tremendous time, most of us. When we had a scene, we worked on it.  In those days, of course, we worked on it all day.  We started in the morning, and we didn’t tape it until after lunch.  Everyone was there until like 5 or 6pm at the earliest.  Whatever it took to get it done.  We had the likes of Robin Strasser (Ex-Dorian), Michael Storm, (Ex-Larry) and Brynn Thayer (Ex-Jenny), who came on about a year or so into my first year, and since that time Brynn and I became BFF’s.

What was it like working with Phil Carey (Asa)?

JULIA:  Phil was a nice guy, but he had sciatica, so as the day wore on, he would have to take medicine for that, and he’d go to lunch, and then he’d come back, and it was he wasn’t really that present.  He was sort of just getting through it.  Interestingly enough, somewhere during those soap opera years, I ended up being interviewed several times by Dustin Hoffman and his writer for the movie Tootsie, and they literally based that older doctor character off of me telling them about Phil Carey.

Photo: ABC

Did Phil’s situation cause you to leave One Life?

JULIA:  He would have a drink, come back to set, and I think he may have forgotten he had already taken his Percocet, and it’d be like, “Is anybody home?” So, I mean, it wasn’t very fulfilling, at least for me, and so that’s ultimately why I left.  The storyline was really fun, though.  It was young Sam, being kind of independent, and it had that fun banter with Asa.

I remember you left, and there was a new Samantha!

JULIA:  I left and they kept trying to replace me, then they kept asking me back. Finally, I said I’d go back, then I did go back, and of course it was a continuation of the storyline with Sam, and then by the end of that contract, I finally was like, “I can’t take it anymore.”  That’s when they brought in Dorian Lopinto, and she took over the role of Samantha.  It was a good time for me to leave. I ended up staying in New York for a few years and doing some movies of the week and films, but in those days, it was like, “You’ve got to go out to LA!” and I’m like, “Alright.  I guess I’ll go try it,” and I did, and it was pretty fruitful.  I did lots of television and films and it was a lot of fun, but I purposely, at that point, completely stayed away from soaps, but now it’s a completely different time.  My kids are just about out of college, and I’m footloose and fancy free! I am ready for action!

Photo: ABC

It’s so much fun for everyone who loved One Life to see you again because it was so great.  Did you think back then that Judith Light would become as prolific an actress as she has become? I did.

JULIA:  I knew she was a powerhouse, but I didn’t know she would take the world by the horns.  Later, I worked with her on Who’s the Boss.  She’s just brilliant.  We all know.  We knew she was brilliant then.  There was no question.  There was an actress who played the role of Karen before Judith too, Kathryn Breech.  She was so gorgeous, and I loved her, but I think there were a behind the scenes reason she had to leave, and that all seemed to happen very quickly. All of the sudden she was gone, and Judith was there.  I hope Kathryn is good out there somewhere.  Every time I looked at her, I was like, “Oh, my God, I’ve never seen someone so gorgeous in my life.”

When Judith stepped in, she just owned that role!

JULIA:  She did.  She owned that thing, and it was tremendous because again, talk about wanting to make something great.  With Judith, it was like, “Wow.  This is fantastic!”

Photo: ABC

Steve Fletcher came in to replace Jameson Parker.  How was working with Steve? He was wonderful as Brad!

JULIA:  Oh, yes.  Jameson left before me.  He was planning to leave because he had a movie… The Bell Jar with Sylvia Plath … so he was flying to Budapest.  He asked me if I wanted to sublet his apartment.  I was like, “Yes, I do!”  It was walking distance from the set. It was amazing, and as for Steve, I thought he was wonderful.  He truly was like my big brother.  We had that same relationship where we would really work on the scene and try to make the best of everything that we could.

Well, that’s amazing.  What a great experience!  Well, I hope this works out now that you’ve dipped your toe back into daytime. 

JULIA:  Right, exactly!  It was really fun to revisit the whole experience and have it feel so sparkly and new.

Photo: CBS

Are you watching Y&R now, or were you watching it before?

JULIA:  I had watched it just a little bit.  Now, I’m watching it!  However, I know Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R) from my New York days.

From his time on All My Children?

JULIA:  Well, actually, what’s funny is he was the bartender on Third Avenue in New York when I had run away from home when I was 18 (so, it wasn’t technically running away), but … I had run away from home because my parents did not want me to live in the city even though I had been working on One Life to Live for two years. I was like, “Sorry, I’ve got to go. ” I ran away to a Catholic residence hall on the east side.  This is all to say, one of my roommates from this Catholic residence hall had met Peter Bergman because she went to this bar because there was this gorgeous bartender there.  Later, I come to find out that it was Peter Bergman right before he got All My Children.  Then, we kind of knew each other from the soaps, and when I moved out to Los Angeles, we ended up in the same spinning class together. It was bizarre. I’m like, “Peter!”  He’s like, “Julia!”

Photo: IMDB

Hearing all of these stories of yours, I think you need to write a book!

JULIA: I would need help with it … but that’s an interesting thought!

So, what do you think of Julia returning to daytime and The Young and the Restless? Were you a fan of Samantha Vernon, and One Life to Live back in one of its heydays of the late 70’s and early 80’s? Comment below.

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Reading this piece reminds me of the large number of recasts OLTL went through in the late 70s/early 80s. Granted I was rather young, but if someone mentions Sam Vernon, I picture Dorian Lopinto.

Montgomery certainly does throw some shade at Phil Carey. Hilarious that George Gaines (OG Frank Smith) character in Tootsie was loosely based on Carey. I said good day Dr Brewster (I said good day!)

Yes it’s amazing when people are dead and can’t defend themselves you crawl in like vultures never watched that era but if she thinks Y&R is a great soap she needs to sit in a mental chair! The show is horrible and this story about Keemo/Bergman hated it!! The man was never mentioned for thirty years! Please when you all get over yourselves then will talk ! Bergman was never Jack that role was snd always will be Terry Lester! Bergman has been a mad Cliff Warner and not good at it

Agreed Kat! Peter Bergman’s Jack has been a wallowing mess for the past several years. Griffith has stripped Jack of his edge and made him the town philosopher. Jack is irredeemable in this Keemo story since it’s seen he was long forgotten. Regardless of the horribly boring way Jack’s been written Bergman looks out of place and uncomfortable in most scenes, especially with his hand mannerisms, nail picking etc. Nevermind Bergman , poor Michelle Stafford looks horribly uninterested in this latest Jack propping support story. Then again she hasn’t had anything of interest to do since her much ‘ hyped’ return to Phyllis.
With y n r in Griffith and Morina s hands the show will be on the verge of cancellation soon…

Oh, the memories this brings back. I loved One Life to Live and she explained one of the reasons why. The actors who took the effort to make the scenes great. Bravo to Julia Montgomery, Judith Light, Gerald Anthony, Brynn Thayer, Steve Fletcher, and, of course, the incomparable Erika Slezak and Robin Strasser. I could go on and on listing outstanding actors who gave there all for a scene. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss our beloved One Life to Live.

Congratulations Julia and best of luck on your return to daytime TV.

Thank you for this terrific interview of Montgomery! This news of a 70s soap actress returning to a soap, however briefly, is stunning! I was watching OLTL throughout virtually all of its run. I always enjoyed the character of Sam, but I honestly found it cringeworthy, at the time, that Asa could be with her. They did the same thing with Asa’s son Bo: as he got older, his love interests became younger. Who was writing back then? Woody Allen?!?!

I fondly remember how exciting it was when the Vernon family came on. In addition to Montgomery and Granger, the character of Brad was quite appealing, but the actress who played his mother was also very good: her character had mental problems. As I recall, she unintentionally took her own life, thinking that her son Brad would save her in time (as he had previously done). And, of course, the character of Sam was always interesting, thanks to Montgomery. Welcome back! And I hope it becomes a more permanent gig.

Hi Jamesj75! Two other things I enjoyed here: her description of the excitement of being on a soap opera set is just as vivid and real as I’ve always imagined… and the reference to the movie THE BELL JAR. I didn’t much care for the movie but the novel and Sylvia Plath’s poetry are mainstays in my life. This was a refreshing interview.

Hi Soaphound! Glad to read that you also found much to enjoy with this interview! Montgomery certainly related “the excitement of being on a soap opera.”

Love Her! Can hardly wait to see her again!

Wonder if Peter can make a Dirty Martini, shaken, not stirred? Imagine that handsome, YOUNG face serving your drink? Yum! Peter, not the Martini.

I have great memories of Julia’s Samantha and was so sad to see her leave. I was only around 11 or 12 and she quickly helped cement my lifelong love for OLTL. Great interview and greater still to hear of her memories on the soap and that she’s doing well.

In some of the vintage episodes of “One Life to Live” that are on YouTube, it seems Julia’s “Samantha Vernon”, had a slight attraction to the character of Joshua Hall, the adopted son of Lt. Ed Hall and Carla Gray Hall. It would have been in the vein of “One Life to Live” creation for the soap to tell a story of young love and interracial romance, and it would have given Al Freeman, Jr. and Ellen Holly something memorable.

I didn”t care for her version of Sam Vernon. I much preferred Dorian Lopinto’s take. As someone posted, it’s not cool to speak ill of the dead. Soap magazines were around during her OLTL tenure and she could have aired her dirty laundry then.

I think she has rather loose lips in regards to Peter Bergman being a bartender in his early years. Maybe he doesn’t want that shared and painting Phil Carey as a drinking pill taking Zombe is not very attractive either. Maybe she should write a book or sellig some of the other stuff she’s been privy to, would make a good expose.

Interviews

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)

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Heather Tom

The Bold and the Beautiful’s Heather Tom (Katie Logan) is heading into the 53rd annual Daytime Emmys next month with a chance to win not one, but two gold statuettes to add to her collection of six!

Heather is once again a nominee for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, and for the first time a nominee as part of B&B’s writing team in the Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series category.

Currently, Heather is tied with One Life to Live icon, Erika Slezak (Ex-Viki) as the actresses with the most wins in Daytime Emmy history. An acting victory by Tom would break the tie, although Slezak’s wins have all been for Lead Actress, while Tom literally grew up before our eyes over 35 years in daytime, and has won in all three actress categories: Younger, Supporting and Lead.

Photo: JPI

Whether Tom wins the gold this year, next year is looking even like stronger lock with Heather delivering some of the best work of her career, over the last several months. Who can forget Katie’s showdown with her sister Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) over the creation of her own fashion house named Logan, that slap from Brooke, and eventually being disowned from the Logan family by Brooke and their sister, Donna (Jennifer Gareis). 

This fall, Katie is in full momma bear-mode and being overprotective of her son Will Spencer’s (Crew Morrow) heart and pocketbook. In story, Katie has a massive distrust of Melissa Dylan, who has made her move on her son, while Will is still trying to deal with the break-up with the love of his life Electra Forrester.

During a live chat this week on the Michael Fairman Channel, Heather opened up on a myriad of subjects, including why Dylan gets under Katie’s skin in such a major way, and what scenes earned her a shot at Lead Actress gold at the October 30th Daytime Emmy ceremony.

Photo: JPI

HEATHER TOM’S DAYTIME EMMY SUBMISSION

In daytime, Heather Tom does it all, she acts, directs and writes for The Bold and the Beautiful. When deciding what material to submit for Emmy competition with its eligibility rules of episodes from 2025, it relayed heavily on scenes with her longtime B&B scene partner, Don Diamont (Bill Spencer).

“I submitted material having to do with the Luna (Lisa Yamada) storyline and having to do with Katie and Bill. I love that Katie and Bill have been really trying to find their way back to each other for, honestly, five years. He’s been trying to woo her back. Katie’s been like, ‘No.’ However, they come together, especially over their son, Will (Crew Morrow) and they have a very real relationship-type of discussion. It wasn’t an argument. It was more about, ‘I know you. Don’t do this.’ That’s always kind of been Katie’s relationship with Bill. The scenes with Don Diamont were about Katie and Bill’s history, the pain, and the drama, and especially about their son, seemed very familiar to me.”

Heather added, “There’s also a couple scenes with Will and Luna, when Katie finds out that Luna is pregnant. Katie was like, ‘Nope! Our son is having a baby with somebody, and we’re going to figure this out. We’ve got means and the ability to do this. I don’t care if we have to take this baby away from Luna because she’s crazy, we’ll figure it out.’ They were some really good scenes that I felt very proud of. I thought to myself, “OK, this is Katie really taking a stand for her son, and having these conversations with Bill where I just felt they were real and honest.”

In conclusion to standing by her choices of scenes, Heather explained, “It was nice to see Bill and Katie operating as a parental unit and have her be like, “Yep, we’re not doing this. You know, you can’t force Luna to do anything, so let’s just figure out how we’re dealing with this.” Katie was kind of the adult in the room. Then, the scenes where Bill says to Katie, “You have to come back to me and I need you,” while Katie shed a few tears, she still didn’t take him back, not yet.”

Photo: JPI

DYLAN BROKE THE ‘GIRLFRIEND CODE’

There are specific reasons why Katie has it out for Melissa Dylan. In fact, Dylan went so far as to get her mother Darcy Dylan to town to shut down Katie’s suspicions of her, but it still isn’t swaying Katie away from her stance on the matter. Heather revealed how she is playing the scenes.

“So, here’s the deal. It’s multifaceted,” began Tom. “This girl pushes Katie’s buttons. She reminds her of her sister, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang), and what Katie’s going through with her sister right now is very unpleasant. I think she looks at this girl and says, “This girl is going to crawl over anyone to get what she wants. And right now, she wants my son, and she’s willing to throw her best friend (Electra) under the bus.”

Heather also said, “Honestly, there’s something known as the ‘girlfriend code.’ Would you like to know what the girlfriend code is? ‘The girlfriend code’ is if your girlfriend, who is also your best friend, dates a guy and is especially in love with him, it doesn’t matter if you break up, that guy is off limits. You need to find yourself another guy.”

KATIE’S TROUBLES WITH BROOKE AND DYLAN MAKE HER TAKE A STAND

Katie clearly draws a similarity to her sister Brooke and Melissa Dylan which is also driving her attitude, which Heather confirmed. “So to Katie, it’s like Dylan broke that code. She is someone who follows her heart just like Brooke and leaves carnage in her wake,” said Tom.

She continued, “I think Katie looks at her and goes ‘Okay, one, you were living in your car. You didn’t call your mother who clearly loves you and ask her for help, but you were more than willing to take help from this, lovely rich guy.’ I think Katie feels like the fact that Dylan has been so expressive of how in love she is with Will, I think she finds that a little weird.  She’s telling him that she’s e in love with him, and he doesn’t say it back to you. So, clearly he’s in not in love with you.”

In story, Katie can’t trust a young woman, who knows her son doesn’t feel the same way about her and yet is still hanging around. Heather shared Katie’s viewpoint to Dylan: “He’s clearly in love with your best friend. So, isn’t it a little unsettling that she kind of keeps saying she’s in love with him? So that’s my multifaceted reason why Katie doesn’t like her. It really has nothing to do with the fact that she came from humble beginnings because Katie did too. That being said, the Spencers are billionaires, so she would have to also look out for that. However, I don’t think that’s the main reason why she doesn’t like this girl or doesn’t trust her. I really don’t.”

You can check out the full conversation from our livestream conversation on the Michael Fairman Channel below.

Now let us know, are you rooting for Heather Tom to win the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? What did you think of the scenes she submitted? Will Katie be proven right about Melissa Dylan, or will her distrust blow up in her face and she will wind up respecting Dylan when all is said and done? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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Interviews

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Kelly Sullivan Talks Becoming Darcy Dylan, Who’s Melissa’s Dad, and Future Love Interest (Exclusive)

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Kelly Sullivan

Kelly Sullivan made her triumphant return to daytime on recent episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful in her new role as Darcy Dylan, the mother of Melissa Dylan (Sydney Bullock).

In story, Melissa, better known as just “Dylan,” phoned home to her mother to come to Los Angeles, in an effort to calm the waters with Will Spencer’s (Crew Morrow) nosy mother, Katie Logan (Heather Tom), who doesn’t trust Dylan one iota.

Soap fans remember Sullivan from her previous Daytime Emmy-nominated role sas Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri on General Hospital and as Sage Warner on The Young and the Restless. During a livestream conversation exclusively on the Michael Fairman Channel, Kelly spoke about her time on GH and Y&R, and the wonderful co-stars she shared the screen with, and her excitement on her brand new role on B&B.

Photo: JPI

As to her thoughts on if Darcy will ultimately prove to be a gold-digger, opportunist, but still has a heart of gold (as we saw in recent scenes with her daughter, seemingly), Sullivan explained, “Characters like Darcy can be dangerous. I think Darcy is a survivor and she can charm. She’s a flirt. She knows what she wants. Darcy is self-made, according to her, and she made it.”

THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN DARCY AND HER DAUGHTER, MELISSA DYLAN

However, Melissa plays a big role in what’s next for Darcy! Kelly explained, “She’s got this beautiful daughter and that was her entire life who is now making her way. Let me tell you, I don’t know what Darcy’s retirement plan is, but one would assume she doesn’t have much savings. This is a great opportunity for her to connect with her daughter and get the lay of the land.”

Finding out that Melissa has been dating Will Spencer from the rich and powerful Spencer family in Los Angeles, while initially a shock, could prove interesting if the mother/daughter were to work together for a common cause, their survival.

Sullivan explained, “Darcy’s all about the tabloids and all about this life of illusion and the haves and have-nots, essentially. She would never shy away from an opportunity to see what’s around the corner. I think the interesting thing for me, that I’m excited about is to explore the dynamic between Darcy and Melissa and what is that going to become?”

From all accounts, Darcy is here to stay in Los Angeles, and fans will see much more of Sullivan on their-screens. “Darcy’s not going anywhere”, confirmed Kelly. “I always said to Sydney Bullock, Darcy didn’t buy a round trip ticket. If you think about it, Melissa could be her ticket. She might be Darcy’s only hope. There are serious stakes here if Darcy has been waiting for this moment.”

Photo: JPI

SHARING SCENES WITH HEATHER TOM

Last week, Sullivan had her first on-screen confrontation with Heather Tom. In the scenes, Katie was disapproving of Dylan and let Darcy know it. Eventually, Darcy takes Dylan with her to leave Will’s beach house apartment, but Will stops Dylan.

Recalling the taping of the scenes, Kelly said, “Heather Tom is a real special artist. In the story between Katie and Darcy, you’ve got momma bear and you’ve got momma bear. You can’t fault either of these women for how they feel, and how protective they are of their children.”

There are many things viewers and perhaps the writers have not totally fleshed out about the Dylans. Are their Dylan sisters coming, or to be revealed to rival the Logan sisters? Who is Melissa’s biological father? Plus, some more nuggets as Kelly revealed.

“I think there is a juicy, juicy story there of the Dylans,” previewed Sullivan. “It would also be interesting if they decide who Melissa’s dad is. Who is that? I mean, that’s interesting. You know, when I auditioned for this role, it said on the page that the character was charming, from the Midwest, and dance skills a plus. and I was a Broadway dancer. So, I hope this means there might be an opportunity to dance on the show at some point.”

Photo: JPI

DARCY DYLAN AND WYATT SPENCER PAIRING?

As for the men on the canvas, Kelly was asked what she thought of a potential Darcy and Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks) pairing? To which she responded, “That would be so much fun. I’m such a fan of Darin’s work. Oh, I would have a ball working with him. One of the things that really excited me about Darcy when I was coming into audition for her was that they said that they wanted her to have a  comedic sensibility, comedic chops as they said it.”

Sullivan concluded, “To work with Darin, I would be so lucky. He’s such a great actor and he’s got great comedic timing and he’s just really present and phenomenally talented. He’s a great actor, so I would love that. I mean, anyone on the show would be really fun.  You throw it at the wall (in daytime) and say, ‘Is there a thing? Is there something here?’ Chemistry is chemistry.”

Now below, and in case you missed it, you can check out our full video livestream chat with Kelly Sullivan below.

So, what have you thought of Kelly’s performances thus far as Darcy? Do you think Darcy will turn out to be an opportunistic woman, but who deeply cares and loves her daughter, or will it turn out to be a ruse? Would you like to see Kelly paired with Darin Brooks on-screen as a love interest, and who do you think truly is Melissa Dylan’s biological father? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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