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THE DANIEL GODDARD INTERVIEW – THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

By Michael Fairman

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By Michael Fairman

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TV SOAP:

How do you feel about the whole Cane/ Lily, and Chloe pregnancy story angle?

DANIEL:

I am kind of curious to see what happens. I was wondering which way they were going to go with it. I have to say at this point, I am extraordinarily impressed with the storylines that are coming out. There is a very solid morale on the set at the moment, because all the storylines are intersecting now. Everyone has this new vigor!

TV SOAP:

So, do you attribute the changes to the new writing regime at “Y&R”?

DANIEL:

Definitely! When I found out where it was going I was so impressed. I went and phoned Maria Arena Bell, our co-head writer, and said, “I think its genius, because generally with anything to do with paternity suits or babies, and love triangles, it’s kind of been done. I was so impressed to make it new and fresh and to have a pay off, and I am excited to play it.” I have fear in my heart at work though, that all good things must come to an end as far as Cane and Lily, but at the same time I hope they will prevail.

TV SOAP:

How is working with Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe) on “Y&R”?

DANIEL:

She is awesome! What I love about Liz is we have a very solid rapport with what we want to do in scenes. Chloe is such an interesting character. You thought she was this put-together stylist. Then, she took a dive off the deep end. To not let her be a complete nut-bag, I think Liz is working the character so well. Honestly, you don’t think she’s crazy. If you put yourself in Chloe’s shoes, she is not crazy.

dan-ChristelTV SOAP:

What do you have to say about the whole older man, Cane, and younger woman, Lily storyline point?

DANIEL:

I never thought of it that way.

TV SOAP:

Well, I do!

DANIEL:

Well, some people do, but I never thought about it that way for the dynamics of the relationship. It’s always going to be a point in storyline. It was a point in storyline to break us up when I knew how old she was. Cane then decided he can’t be without her, so he tells her we will make this work. Because of the age difference between Christel Khalil (Lily) and myself, I think it allows Cane to play a sweet and tender side to his character. I think if Lily were the same age as Cane, it would be a different dynamic. And even if she were the same person, it would have to be different.

TV SOAP:

But, Cane has another new story coming down the pike, correct?

DANIEL:

Now Cane is going to have a business storyline, because he just got promoted as the CEO of Jabot, to everybody’s chagrin, due to his lack of experience.

TV SOAP:

How do you justify Cane’s suspending belief that he could have gotten Chloe pregnant when he doesn’t remember a thing?

DANIEL:

It’s difficult. When you have a moment of blackout, and even knowing he couldn’t get an erection, all things being equal, assuming he is this super potent guy from the outback…. He woke up and didn’t know what happened. It is tearing him apart at the moment. It plagues him to know it, but at the same time, I try to play it like the baby’s not mine. But Cane certainly must have his doubts.

TV SOAP:

I hate when they dummy-down leading men on soaps!

DANIEL:

I remember when Cane was with Amber. I looked back on it and it was pretty obvious something was going on. You find yourself having to make a choice. When Amber was entered in the “Face of Jabot” contest, I played it from day one that Cane knew it was Amber. I always try to justify things, if they do things that make the character look like not the sharpest tool in the shed. You have to be very careful. You are walking a fine line. If you’re not careful, you will make your character look like a manipulator, unless they are going to do a Nick and Phyllis type of story where they start off hating each other, but Cane comes to realize that he really likes Chloe.

Dan Goddard profileTV SOAP:

But do you really think they would really break up Cane and Lily?

DANIEL:

We are so popular at the moment. We are up to number 2 in “Soaps in Depth” magazine as actors and as a couple. Would they run it? That’s the question I don’t know the answer to!

TV SOAP:

So, what do you think the chances are that the baby is ultimately going to turn out to be Cane’s?

DANIEL:

The DNA test comes back. Chloe has not manipulated the DNA test. It comes back that Cane could be a possible match for the baby. So what ends up happening is Lily tells Cane to marry Chloe.

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TV SOAP:

There were so many reports online about the shock over the letting go of Raya Meddine (Ex-Sabrina) while the new writers were coming in. Were your cast mates afraid for their own jobs, as well? Were people truly shocked by her exit?

DANIEL:

When I thought about it my jaw-dropped! I was in shock; it did come out of left field. But, when you look at it logically, it makes sense. Victor and Nikki will always be together. I think the problem is when you put yourself in a position where you’re going to be Victor’s new wife; you are basically a storyline waiting to happen. But if the audience totally falls head over heels in love with you and they break up Nikki and Victor, they will put you with someone else. I feel within the confines of logic, if you have characters that work very well, and storylines with other characters that work well, and when you introduce an unknown factor and a new character, people will always come and go as a service of storytelling.

TV SOAP:

How is working with Christel?

DANIEL:

I love it. I love everything about her.

TV SOAP:

Your road to “Y&R” and the role of Cane came after numerous younger leading man role auditions for the soaps, right?

DANIEL:

I tested for Austin Peck’s role on “As the World Turns”. I tested for the Nash Brennan role on “One Life to Live”, and ironically, I recall I met the producers of “General Hospital” for Jason Thompson’s role of Patrick. It’s one of the things I forgot about it. I saw Brandon Beemer (Owen, “B&B”) today, and we talked about how he left “DAYS” and ended up on “B&B”. I said, “See, everything works out. You are on a bigger show that has fewer people in your demographic and you have people to work with, plus Susan Flannery (Stephanie) and John McCook (Eric)! It’s crazy how things work out. I think I was meant to end up on”Y&R”. I did not want to relocate to New York. It worked out perfectly and it could not be any better.

TV SOAP:

How are your parents enjoying your success, back home in Australia?

Dan Goddard and wifeDANIEL:

They are great parents, and they enjoy my success and following the journey of my career. I probably won’t go back to Australia till next year because I am heavy in story, and my wife Rachel and I have another baby on the way! She is four months pregnant, and we will find out the sex in a week. I am excited! I already have Ford, my two and half year old son. I am excited to have this new baby, with what I learned from my first time experience with raising Ford.

TV SOAP:

What do you miss most about Australia?

DANIEL:

I miss everything about it. There is a sensibility about Australians. When I first moved to America, I had to reprocess how I interpreted what I heard, because it was different than the speed and tempos of Australia.

TV SOAP:

Many have said, that the hiring of Australians, Daniel Goddard and Tammin Sursok (Colleen) to “Y&R” was a direct attempt to raise the ratings of the show in the Australian market. Do you think that was the partly the reason you both were hired?

DANIEL:

I was told when I tested for “Y&R”…”Oh, you’re Australian?” I walked in with an American accent, and they said, “So, where are you from?” The concept of Cane was that he was given away at birth. So he could have been from Mongolia. It just worked out luckily for me that I was the right person for the job. As far as Tammin, I think it’s just the way it worked out.

TV SOAP:

Do you and Tammin hang-out as “Aussies” on the set?

DANIEL:

What I like about Tammin is that we have a flow of conversation that’s at a different level than anyone else, because there is a nicety that doesn’t have to be there. We speak so fast together, and chop our sentences down so much, that people look at us and go, “We can’t understand a single word you are saying!” I enjoy that because I don’t have another single Australian out here other than my family. The problem is after I speak to Tammin so much, I go on set and they go, “Daniel we don’t understand what you are saying! Slow it down and annunciate!”

TV SOAP:

What do you make of all the success of Australian actors on the soaps? First there was Ingo Rademacher (Jax) on “GH”, and currently we have you, and Murray Bartlett (Cyrus) from “GL”!

DANIEL:

I think when Ingo came out here, I am sure it was very difficult for him to get a job. No one wanted to hire anybody with an Australian accent. You could be English, Irish, Scottish, or Canadian, but no Australians. I truly think that Mel Gibson pioneered for every Australian in the industry to come over to the States to get a job.

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Dan-JeanneTV SOAP:

How did you feel about your on-screen grandmother, Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) winning the Emmy?

DANIEL:

Oh, I was so excited! I was jumping up and down. When I found it was the first time she won, it dumbed me down to the point where I didn’t know what to say. I think she would have had five or six or seven in the bag already. I am so proud to be part of a storyline that Jeanne is in and to be part of that family. I am proud to say that Jeanne Cooper and Peter Bergman are my mentors on that show. There is nothing I cannot go to them about. I can talk to Jeanne about life, and she will say, “Sweetheart, what is happening with the baby, and how do you feel?”

TV SOAP:

We wish for more storyline for your incredible on-screen mom, Jill, played by the amazing Jess Walton!

DANIEL:

She is getting a great storyline at the moment and so is everyone else. Cane and Jill have a very different relationship than most men who are 31 and women who are in their 50’s. Whenever I see I have scenes with Jess, I am so excited.

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TV SOAP:

So what is the best part of being a leading man, and the worst part?

DANIEL:

The best part has to be you get to do what you love. I love to act.

Dan WorkoutTV SOAP:

But you know what I mean; to be the guy that gets the girl that everyone lusts after.

DANIEL:

It’s funny. “TV Guide” just ran “The Soaps Sexiest…

https://www.tvguide.com/

TV SOAP:

… And weren’t you number one? Congratulations Daniel! How do you feel about that? It’s cool!

DANIEL:

It’s a testament to the fans…

TV SOAP:

…. But you keep yourself in shape. Right?

DANIEL:

Well yeah, but if it wasn’t for the fans… I am extraordinarily flattered! What I love is when I get a smart piece of dialog that allows me to show something that has cutting-edge intellect or mother/son, Cane/Lily. I try to play everything in a different way, so the character becomes complex. I know a lot of people who say to me, “I don’t trust Cane” because there is something going on. That’s great for me, and it shows me that they are seeing that he is different with everybody, which allows me to become a more complicated person.

TV SOAP:

But being a good–looking guy or woman, when somebody compliments you on your looks, how do you handle that? Do you say “thank you” or do you get shy about it?

DANIEL:

I get shy about it… always. At the end of the day, when you get cast in a role that’s based upon your physicality…. and I use to play against my type all the time. I would try to audition for roles where I wasn’t the leading man. I was going nowhere. I was banging my head against the wall. My wife said to me once, “Daniel, when are you going to understand they are not going to cast you as the serial killer or the evil guy, because against him is the guy who is the leading man… and when you look at him, he looks like you!” I finally embraced it. Ironically, after that I booked this. It has become the greatest acting experience, and one of the most wonderful periods of my life. Looking back, in “Beastmaster” I ran around for three years in a loincloth and looked ripped, with hair blowing in the wind and saying, “I want to do these other types of roles.” My wife, said, “I am telling you that you’re going to get really frustrated by it!” So, I decided to try and go the other way and not try to fight against type and see what becomes of it. Now I am glad I made that choice.

TV SOAP:

What can we tease our fans to look forward to in the coming months?

Dan and JessDANIEL:

I think you are going to see an emotional unraveling of someone that had the ability to put everything they have neatly packaged in a box, because that is what they have done for so long. You’ve seen a person who drops his guard after it was up for so long, and now all of a sudden, he is put in a position where he asks himself: should he put it back up? That, plus Cane is going to become a corporate powerhouse who puts all his angst into something he can control. He knows he can control the business side of things.

TV SOAP:

But will he lose his integrity?

DANIEL:

No. I would not allow him to lose his integrity. Eric Braeden is notorious for not allowing Victor to do non ‘Victoresque’ things. I am a firm believer that you are who you are at the core, and your morale compass dictates this is the direction you should head.

TV SOAP:

Should Cane and Lily fans be very worried?

DANIEL:

I think they will always root for the couple, but I don’t think they will always enjoy the ride. I think it’s hard, when you are a fan of a character or a couple, to sit back and watch everything fall apart. Especially, when you know that guy didn’t do what he is accused of doing, because the fans are on the inside.

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TV SOAP:

As an actor, what did you think about the recent Christian Bale incident involving some form of abuse to his mother and sister?

DANIEL:

I don’t know what happened, but to be honest with you, nothing surprises me. Here is the thing: I remember watching a documentary called “Spielberg on Spielberg,” and he was talking about doing “Empire of the Sun” with Christian when he was 8. Christian had an orange on the table and he was asked a question from the press, and he did not know how to answer it, so he picked up a pencil and stabbed the orange and got up and walked away. I was like, “If you are 8 years old, and that is your reaction to something, there is something going on.” You look at the films, “The Machinist” and “American Psycho,” which I have to say, is one of the top five roles I would want to play. That being said, I am not surprised when you have an innate ability to play such a dark character, within you something must be lurking. I can’t judge whether or not, it’s the mother and the sister trying to cash in. I can’t judge, but I am not surprised by anything.

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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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