Photo Credit: Kathie Hutchins

Fans of General Hospital have sadly been watching the story unfold of the sudden death of Dr. Robin Scorpio, and feeling the loss of her portrayer; long time favorite Kimberly McCullough, who opted to leave the series.  How can the show cope with such a big departure?  While the answer to that question remains to be seen, the onus of this story falls into the more than capable hands of Jason Thompson (Patrick).  And who better to carry the torch for the couple known to many simply as Scrubs!  Thompson’s performance has been a transcendent, riveting, and emotional roller coaster that has called for day-in and day-out such pain, grief, and heartache … that as viewers he has pulled us along with him in the most powerful way.

On-Air On-Soaps chatted with the man of the hour to get his take on the way Robin’s exit was played out on-screen, and how he is handling the delicate material that is so close, not only to him, but to millions of viewers that follow GH.  Clearly, throughout our discussion one thing remains clear; his love, respect and admiration for his longtime scene partner Kimberly McCullough, and the big changes happening in his professional life in Port Charles.  If there is an Emmy god, Thompson will walk away with the gold statue when 2013 rolls around.  But first we deal with this year, where Jason recently received a Daytime Pre-Nomination in the Supporting Actor category for his other stellar work.

Today and tomorrow will be tough days, and must-see episodes for General Hospital fans, as Robin’s funeral plays out as her loved ones gather together to mourn and grieve.  Jason fills us on in on what to expect, and the difficulties playing the highly charged emotional scenes that meant so much to many in the cast.  Plus, he shares his thoughts on working with the longtime GH vets, Finola Hughes (Anna) and the returning Rick Springfield (Noah) in such a poignant story.  So now we get to some of your burning questions, our thoughts, and Jason’s, in this very special feature.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

How are you doing post-Kimberly McCullough’s departure?  She told me you weren’t doing well with it at all!

JASON:

(Laughs)  Well, she knows me better than I know myself, sometimes.  It’s definitely an adjustment.  It’s going to work and not having her there, and seeing her, and spending time with her, and having our regular catch-up that we do every single day, basically.  It’s amazing how much happens in a day when we did have our catch-up every morning.  But, the thing about our relationship is that I know she is still going to be in my life as one of my best friends, and I already talked to her this morning.  I get that for the fans they don’t get their pieces of Kimberly McCullough that I get, but the work and the process is different and an adjustment and at the same time.  With what I am doing right now, she is not there, but she is in so many ways, because I am constantly talking about her whether it’s at the funeral, or the ashes, and things like that.  I still feel a huge connection to her.  As we progress into the storylines and whatever may happen, that is going to be different.  I am not going to have the crutch that I have had for six years to lean on.  So we will see how that goes, but it’s never really going to be the same.  That is for sure.

MICHAEL:

I’ll say!  This couple has been so beloved.  Let’s talk about the final scenes between Robin and Patrick in the lab.  What did you feel about those?  Because for fans of the show, it seemed so abrupt!  I guess everybody wanted to see a different death perhaps, if there had to be one to facilitate Kimberly’s exit.  Nobody wanted to see Robin die of AIDS, and nobody really knew what the exit strategy would be.  It was devastating to see Patrick looking at Robin, and then a millisecond later, the lab blew up with her presumably in it!  There was just a quick exchange between the two in that moment.  Do you feel the same way about it?

JASON:

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Absolutely.  But in real life death can be abrupt and you don’t get those moments of closure. I think people wanted a little bit more, let’s just call it a “goodbye” or whatever it may be.  This thing went through so many people, and changes, and writers and producers, and our thoughts, and at the end of the day it came to the tape day that it was happening, and this is what was there.  As somewhat of an afterthought, I wish it could have been different.  However, in the moment Kimberly and I just tried to make it the best that it possibly could be, and so did our executive producer, Frank Valentini.  He was there.  We were taking our lunch break trying to rewrite some of these moments and trying to get a little bit more of a connection out of them.  Everyone worked really, really hard to make the scenes the best that they could, and the day had come, and we had to do it, obviously.  In hindsight, I think it could have been handled a little bit differently, but that’s the way it is.

MICHAEL:

Did you and Kimberly get to speak to the writers about how you wanted it to end for Scrubs?  If you noticed the credits on screen the first day that Ron Carlivati had taken over as head writer, it was the day after Robin had blown up in the lab and the aftermath had begun.

JASON:

Yes, and I don’t know all the ins and out logistically and contract wise, but from what I heard some things were in the places that they were in and they couldn’t be changed. That is what we were left with, and there were changes that day as we have almost have every single day at General Hospital.  This one had a little bit more.  It was tough, and it came really, really quickly… especially for us and let alone the fans.  So I can imagine that there are a lot of questions being asked.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of answers to how that could have gone differently, or why it happened the way it did.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

Then immediately after Robin dies, Patrick is wandering around the hospital in shock and they immediately went to Patrick’s conflict about saving Jason Morgan’s life, and will he or won’t he, given the circumstances and their history.  There is Patrick trying to save a life after he just lost his wife.  Nobody really sat down with him and talked to him until the now classic Epiphany scene.  I thought, “Thank God! Finally someone talked to poor Patrick!”  It was weird that it took so long.  But in the end worth the wait.

JASON:

It was weird.  I thought there were some great moments between Anna and Patrick, but at the same time she is grieving in such a massive manner in her own right.  So it was a little bit tough in that she is obviously not going to come and make Patrick feel better, and vice-versa.  I remember thinking at the same time nobody has even hugged the guy yet and said, “It’s going to be Ok.  I am so sorry.”  Maybe it worked out for the best, because that scene that Sonya Eddy (Epiphany) and I had together was really something special, and they have had a great connection over the years, and a really funny kind of relationship.  It’s kind of a give and take with them.  She is more than a big sister, and not quite a mother, but somewhere in that realm.  I am really glad that scene came when it did and it came in a way that Sonya delivered it.  It was special and it meant a lot.  I think at the end, when she kind of walked away and Patrick kind of looked at her, it was very much an acknowledgement.  I was really happy about that.  You know, Sonya does not get to do what she is capable of very often.  She is a wonderful, wonderful actress.  She has a lot of depth to her and I hope we show more of that, because it’s a special gift she has got.

MICHAEL:

Today and tomorrow are Robin’s funeral episodes.  Can we expect some big scenes between you and Finola Hughes (Anna)?  The two of you have been just outstanding through this story arc.  I keep wanting to see these two connect more.  As you related, it seems like these two characters have been in their own personal hell, trying to deal with Robin’s death from a mother and a husband’s perspective, which makes so much sense.

Courtesy/ABC

JASON:

Stuff goes down between Anna and Patrick.  She finally finds out what Patrick did with Lisa, and there are some pretty heavy moments between the two.  If it’s not Kimberly, I would take Finola to act with for sure, because they both have this depth to them and I love working with Fin.  I think personally, and I don’t know if she would say the same, but I think we kind of compliment each other, because we think in the same way as far as attacking a scene and playing out different scenarios, and talking about it.  It has been really wonderful to have something to play, and to play it with Fin.  But, I hope there are more Patrick and Anna scenes for sure.  There is a lot of history there and they both made their mistakes.  I think that is the thing they can talk about.  I think Anna would be the first one to say she let her daughter down, whether Robin would think that, that is a whole different story.  I think Anna would think she has, and Patrick feels they wasted too much time trying to mend the wrong that Patrick brought into their relationship. There is ground there to rake at.  We definitely have some more scenes coming up.  Hopefully, people will enjoy those as much as they have enjoyed the other material they have seen.

MICHAEL:

Speaking of Lisa, what did you think of Lisa wielding the HIV-filled syringe at Patrick and Robin?  I touched upon this with Kimberly in her exit interview with On-Air On-Soaps.  I really hated that plot point!

JASON:

To be completely frank, I think the whole thing went on way too long. I could probably pick out a couple things or story points, and that was one of them.  The hard thing is that sometimes the show and this genre have a problem with knowing when to say goodbye to certain storylines.

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MICHAEL:

I know.  In this genre, we hold on and we hold on and it’s like “Yeah, we get it.  Now end this already!” (Laughs)

JASON:

Yeah, and I understand that, when you get someone that comes onto the canvas who does a great job, and is a great actress.  Brianna Brown (Ex-Lisa) did everything she was asked to do, and she did it to a great level.  She had a really tough character to play, let alone the whole logistics of doing a daytime soap opera, with how quickly we go.  When you do find somebody who does all those things, I get it as a producer; it’s hard to let somebody go.  I get that.  But at the same time that story kind of went on too long, and the whole needle thing was one of a couple points along the way that I can think of.

MICHAEL:

Now, the funeral begins and what can viewers expect?  What do you remember when shooting it, or is it all a blur?  I know we are going to need our hankies, and then some hankies, and more hankies, as it will be highly emotional.

JASON:

Courtesy/ABC

I hope you will.   I remember doing it.  There are a couple scenes before the funeral that come first at the Drake family home.  They are really special.  It was really tough to do the scenes where Patrick is at home getting ready for the funeral.  When you see them, you will understand why.  As for the funeral itself, I remember watching a couple of the actors speaking at the funeral and being blown away!  I was thinking, “Wow. They are so good.”  John York (Mac) had a beautiful speech, as did Tony Geary (Luke) and Finola.  I think there is something very special that the core people of this storyline have gone through.  They really all really love Kimberly, and not only the character of Robin.  But when people are up there, whether it’s me, or Finola, or John, they are talking about this character.  But realistically, we are sitting there and we are laughing and crying about Kimberly because she meant so much to us in so many ways.  I have said this before: one of the most amazing things we have in daytime television is that we have such a rich deep history.  We get to call on that so readily in these kinds of moments.  As an actor, you are taught to build this history and make it personal for you.  But when I am sitting there in the Drake living room, and Finola and I are having these scenes where we are laughing and crying, it’s kind of like, we are talking about the same person.  It feels like Kimberly is sitting right there.  Going back to the funeral, I remember sitting there trying to hold it together, and even as an actor just trying to hold it together.  It was really moving to hear these people.  They are up there just talking and not really trying, it’s just them talking.  It was really great!

MICHAEL:

Do you think that the funeral will be satisfying for longtime Robin and Patrick fans?

JASON:

I really hope so, but I don’t know, because there is always something more that people are going to want, and I understand that.  Even me as an actor, or as a fan of this couple, I feel I wish there was more also.  Being selfish, I wish I could do more with Kimberly, too.  I thought I had a certain responsibility with this storyline to kind of give the fans as much as I possibly could.  You talk about the final scene, without us playing it out together; it was up to me to express how much I love her.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

Right.  Clearly the brunt of making this storyline work is put squarely on your shoulders.

JASON:

Well yeah, but for the Patrick and Robin fans I felt a heavy responsibility to show the love that he has for her and to mourn for them, in a way.  I took it very seriously.  It was a pretty heavy couple weeks of work.  I am grateful for work in that way.  And I am also grateful that I can think of the person I am grieving over, and the emotions right then and there.  It’s in my gut constantly with her.  Leading up to the funeral, there were some moments that were really difficult to show.  I remember thinking, “I don’t want to go to this funeral.”  I hope that is there for the people watching at home.

MICHAEL:

Rick Springfield comes back to Port Charles, reprising his memorable role as Noah, to be supportive to his son, Patrick.  Does the emotion of the whole situation drive Noah to drink?  (Laughs)

JASON:

I think I give him tea!  I did not spike it either and I should have. (Laughs)  Noah is supportive.  Going back to history, Noah dealt with the same thing, maybe not quite the same, but he lost his wife on the operating table while doing a surgery.  Different situation, obviously.  But you can always blame yourself for something, and so when Patrick sees Noah for the first time, Patrick is unaware that he knew Robin died.  Matt called him and told him what happened.  I think there are a couple lines where Patrick says, “Is this the way it’s going to be?  Because, I don’t like this feeling.”  Rick is not there for very long, I think two days, so there is not very much.  But at the same time, I think the moments that they have together, and as me, Jason working with Rick, I felt I had someone in a scene of this magnitude and it was just there.  We didn’t have to work for it that hard.  We just had to be there and sit there in these moments with the heaviness all around us… and it felt good.

Courtesy/ABC

MICHAEL:

Do you think they are going to eventually, and possibly, put Patrick with Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) together?  After all, Robin told her to watch over Patrick and Emma and take care of them!  Big soapy hint there!

JASON:

You went straight there, hey? (Laughs)  I honestly don’t know.  I did not talk about this kind of stuff with Ron Carlivati when he first came to L.A.  Everyone in the cast had a meeting with Ron, and we talked about future storylines.  I just sat there and we talked real quick and I said, “Listen. I don’t want to know anything that you have planned, or if you have it planned … nothing.  If you have ideas with who Patrick is going to be with six months or a year down the road, just don’t say anything.  I just want to be where I am right now.  I don’t want to have to try not to play it if I have scene with somebody, where down the line something may happen, and so it will play differently.”   But at the end of the day, everybody knows it’s a soap opera and all sorts of things are going to happen.  But when I look back, and maybe I’m wrong because I don’t watch every episode, I do feel that Elizabeth had been very supportive of Patrick and Robin.  And, the fact that Robin went to Elizabeth means a lot.  I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.  I have not heard anything about it and I don’t see it happening, to be honest.  I think that would be a little too typical.   I think there is more to play than Patrick and Elizabeth ending up together.  That is what I think, anyways.

MICHAEL:

How is having Frank Valentini steering the ship that is General Hospital?  I know Frank is very hands on at the set.  He did a fantastic job at One Life to Live and made it a soap classic.  Are you feeling a change for the better?  Are things clicking?

JASON:

Courtesy/ABC

It’s big changes that our show went through.  I was sitting at home one night, and it all just kind of hit me at one time.  I was like, “Oh my God!  Jill Farren Phelps (ex-executive producer, GH) is gone.  She changed my life by giving me this job, and then Kimberly has shined a light in a way for so many years that I am not ready to say goodbye to it.”  But it is the business we are in and things change.  And saying that; I owe so much to Jill and obviously to Kimberly.  After these last couple weeks, I personally thanked Frank Valentini, because he was a huge supporter throughout all of this storyline and it felt very, very good to have someone there who cared a lot about what was happening and who tried to make it as right as possible.  From the little moments and the big moments, and like you said, he pretty much is right there for every single take.  If Frank wanted something different, or if you didn’t like the take, Frank will come and talk to you.  He just made it feel like it was important work.  For me, that is the most important thing he has brought to the set, and that is that this is a very important thing that we do on a daily basis.  We are so fortunate to be on the air and on a television show bringing this kind of entertainment to people’s homes.  We have to respect that.  We have to respect that people give of their time out of a day where they could be doing a hundred million different things.  So, we owe it to them to take it very, very serious.  I think that is what Frank has brought to the table.  I have in turn said, “If he is here every single day, doing as much as he is doing, then I can do more also.”  And it’s not about getting away with, “OK. We are on the air.  Let’s just try not to get dropped or canceled.”  It’s more, “Let’s fight for this thing!”  I think Frank has brought that kind of mentality.  I think it has changed the way we are doing business now, and I think it’s the best thing he has done in my eyes.  I appreciate him for that.

MICHAEL:

Congratulations on your Emmy Pre-Nom for Outstanding Supporting Actor!  If I am correct, you sent in the moment at Emma’s birthday where Patrick puts a special message to her on videotape.  Why that choice?

Photo Credit: Kathie Hutchins

JASON:

I don’t know!  What else is there? (Laughs)  It has nothing to do with the stuff I am playing right now because for the Emmy submissions it has to be for work up till the end of 2011.  There was Jake’s death and things like that, but I watch my scenes in that and then I see Jonathan Jackson’s (Ex-Lucky) and I think, “Well, now I am basically putting in two reels worth of material for Jonathan, because he is fantastic in them!” (Laughs)  So then I am like, “Well, OK.  Let me just put whatever as a submission, because it looks like Jonathan is going to go home with this one again.”  It’s so hard to pick the right thing and when I looked at the episode with the Emma birthday scenes, I loved that episode.  I don’t think there are that many scenes like that, or days like that on a soap opera, and I wish there was more of those.  It was fun and we were joking around.  Patrick and Robin were laughing and they have this beautiful daughter, who fell asleep on her birthday, and they are making this videotape.  Patrick and Robin are wearing stupid hats, and they are loving each other through the whole thing.  It is just a family at home.  It’s not a bunch of tears and grief, and this and that.  I loved that day of work.  I was saying to Kimberly, “Yeah! Let’s be stupid. (Laughs)  Let’s just put on the hats and joke around and have these moments.”  At the end of that scene, you just see the love that they have for their daughter and the life that they have.  They are just so grateful for it, in those moments.  Now looking back on it, it just means so much more.  It means more than all the other stuff that Patrick and Robin went through.

MICHAEL:

I remember those scenes so well.  They were so tender and sweet.  Are you aware of how amazing your work has been over the last couple of weeks?  Have you given yourself any kudos?  Have you watched some of these shows since Robin’s death? 

JASON:

No, not really.  You see things a little bit different when you, as an actor, watch your work and you see snot coming out of your nose. (Laughs)  Maybe when I get a little bit of distance from this material, I can go back and watch it.  I really didn’t want to watch right now, because I knew I was continuing to play the emotions of losing Robin and things that I was doing in those scenes are going to come up again.  Kimberly texted me a couple of times and said, “Fantastic job.”  I know when she says things like that, because I know there have been times where she will absolutely call me or say that it didn’t go well, that I respect that just as much as if she says, it does go well.   I know she is watching it from an objective perspective.  So when she says something, I do give myself a little pat on the back, because she said it.

Courtesy/ABC

MICHAEL:

I hope that someday you will watch them.  You are so present and so there in the scenes, that they have been heartbreaking.  Finally, assuming that we don’t get a surprise at the end of the funeral episodes and we find a very much alive Robin somewhere, there is a burned and charred body.  My biggest concern is some day some actress is going to wander into Port Charles and go, “I am really, Robin!”

JASON:

Hmmm.  I don’t think I am going to be there for that, because I would walk out if they ended up doing that.