WSB Director Ross Cullum’s (Andrew Hawkes) reign of terror came to an end last week on the July 2 episode of ABC’s General Hospital, after WSB agent Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) shot him dead. That ended the run of Andrew Hawkes who will go down for his portrayal of one of the ruthless, bad guys in the soaps in a very long time.

Just look at a partial laundry list of his crimes: stabbing Marco Rios (Adrian Anchondo) brutally to his death, gaslighting Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) to where he was held captive and then was sent to mental institution in France, attempting to kill WSB Bureau Chief, Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna), by tying him to his hospital bed at Turning Woods, putting a gas mask on it and making him breathe a full tank of carbon monoxide.

How about being the person responsible for the penthouse fire targeting Sonny (Maurice Benard) that instead got Michael (then Chad Duell, now Rory Gibson) burned so badly he had to be sent away to a clinic in Germany, and then there is the matter of lying to Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) for years, that she never had Huntington’s disease, instead she was injecting herself with saline, until near the end of his life, he had put poison in the vials of her medication, and let’s not forget taking a weaponized baton and attempting to beat the life out of Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and kill him, till Cullum was stopped by shots to his back fired by Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr).

Photo: ABC

HOW CULLUM TURNED INTO A RUTHLESS MASTERMIND AND KILLER REVEALED

This week, Andrew Hawkes participated in a livestream chat on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he touched on many subjects of his six-month run as Cullum. One of the more intriguing moments came when Hawkes explained in-depth for the first time what drove Cullum to become a double agent, and to become this heinous of a man.  While it was never given to him by the soap opera, as an actor it is always helpful to fill in the blanks for yourself to help with your performance and the “why” a character is behaving the way they are.

Andrew explained, “This has nothing to do with the writers, or anything that anybody ever said, because we don’t get that backstory on Cullum, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. The reason why Cullum is so single-minded and ruthless is because he was on a job, did his job, which was taking out a high ranking government official in a foreign country. Then, he was turned out by the WSB, locked out of getting back to the United States, and therefore missed holding his daughter who died of leukemia because they froze everything.”

Photo: ABC

“Cullum had no health insurance, Cullum had no money, Cullum had no anything”, continued Hawkes. “What I’ve done with Cullum is he’s coming back to rip everything to shreds from the inside out. So, that was my secret. It’s much more detailed than that. Being a parent is so personal, and  Cullum could not get to his child in her time of greatest need, and he couldn’t do anything because the WSB turned on him. They wouldn’t bring him from out of the cold.”

HEROES AND VILLAINS

Hawkes added, “I played it as I played it, and I am not trying to make it about these mitigating circumstances. It’s just an example of why this guy is so full of rage and violence and that was what I was trying to do as that character is as I said, destroy everything from the inside out.”

On TV, in the movies or on the stage there are usually heroes and villains to every story.  Hawkes explains more on what caused Cullum’s vendetta with the world, “It’s a gasket being blown in your brain plus trauma. I heard somebody talking about what’s the difference between a hero and a villain. A hero says, ‘the world hurt me, and I don’t want to hurt anybody else.’ A villain says, ‘the world hurts me and I’m going to hurt the world.’ So, it’s a very fine distinction.”

Photo: ABC

MEETING JOHN OLIVER AND HIS PERFORMANCE AS Z

In addition, Andrew spoke on his last day of shooting and getting to meet guest star, John Oliver and how impressed he was with his performances, even though he, personally, didn’t get to share any spoken screen-time with the late night Emmy-nominated talk show host.

“I did meet him and talk to him, and when I was down on the ground (after Cullum was shot) I was going, ‘Wow, I’m done.’ I don’t have to sweat anything more today. But he came through, and I’ve been a fan of his for a long time and he was so cool and so prepared. I think he’s amazing. I was like, if you never knew this actor and watched him on GH, he’s just fascination to watch. He’s just so committed. I get the biggest kick out of it, and I hope they keep bringing him back.”

Photo ABC

FINDING OUT CASSIUS HAD LIVED

Hawkes admitted, “I thought Z was only in for one episode/day, but then I found out all the other stuff from watching the show that he had scenes with Carly (Laura Wright) and and then Cassius (Ryan Paevey). I didn’t even know that Cassius wasn’t dead. Of course, Ryan and I had talked a lot and it was the end of his contract and he was leaving the show, but I didn’t know that Cassius had lived through it.”

“As for John Oliver, it’s not easy walking in there with all these incredible professionals being like, “we’ve done it for a long time.” I mean, luckily he has his own show and it’s him talking for 30 minutes. He put in the work. The first behavior, you really see of him is him walking. And then, the way he just pulls out his gun and casually caps the guy on the ground who’s going try to shoot him was just the coolest. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with him, but he was gracious and kind and cool, and you couldn’t ask for a better scene partner.

In case you missed our conversation with Andrew Hawkes on the Michael Fairman Channel, you can check it out below.

Now, let us know, what did you think of the incredible backstory that Andrew creating for himself to rationalize and play all the scenes and nefarious activities of WSB Director, Ross Cullum? What did you think of his final moments on GH in the shootout with Josslyn and Cassius shortly before Z arrived? Let us know via the comment section below.

On General Hospital, the current PCPD commissioner Dante Falconeri  (Dominic Zamprogna) has been lied to, and kept in the dark, by those he thought he could trust which includes his ex-wife Lulu (Alexa Havins), his own son, Rocco (Finn Carr) and a man he considers a good friend and police partner, “Nathan” West, only Dante doesn’t know that “Nathan” is a fraud, and really his twin brother, Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey)!

The only person, who seems to be a good friend and reliable is ‘General Hospital’ head nurse Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst). For months, GH viewers are witnessing key moments when Dante and Elizabeth are there for each other. In fact, she helped Dante realize it was Rocco who shot Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) and was willing to help him cover up the crime so his son does not go to prison. Problem is, Rocco took off with Britt Westbourne (Kelly Theibaud) and as of now Dante has no idea where they are.

In a new and exclusive interview out this weekend on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Dominic Zamprogna chats about the potential pairing of Dante and Elizabeth and the opportunity to work with beloved longtime GH favorite, Rebecca Herbst, and if he thinks when all is said and done, Dante will wind up back with Lulu. Here’s some excerpts from the conversation below.

Courtesy/ABC

ELIZABETH HAS PROVEN HERSELF TRUSTWORTHY TO DANTE

Speaking on how Dante feels currently about Elizabeth, Zamprogna explained, “At this point, Elizabeth is the only person, he can trust. She’s the only one who’s essentially told Dante what’s what. But. there’s also this connection for sure beyond that, right? That’s something that we’ve tried to play. We don’t know what the end game is, honestly, as actors, I don’t know what the end game is. You have to assume that every time you’re in a scene with anybody, you’re chemistry testing, and you want to do right by the characters.”

Although Dante’s primary romances have been with Lulu and the late Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco), a paring of Dante and Liz has never been approached by the series until now.

“To me, it’s interesting because they’ve never really explored anything between Dante and Elizabeth before. So, it’s all kind of new,” shared Dominic. “That’s the most exciting part of any relationship, the new stuff, before you jump into the domesticated stuff. That’s maybe where Ric (Rick Hearst) and Elizabeth are. They’re kind of more in this domesticated thing, or experiencing that, whereas Dante and Elizabeth truly are kind of needing each other at this moment.”

As Dominic explains it, Dante has found himself needing Elizabeth as his sounding board, since everyone else betrayed him. “Dante definitely needs Elizabeth and has reached out to her. She’s been honest, and provided him with things that he needed (to help cover up that his son, Rocco shot Cullum), explains the five-time Daytime Emmy nominee. “There’s also the other stuff that he’s finding out about her that he didn’t know. Like when she’s in the office with him and she’s talking about her past and the trauma that she’s been through (referring to Elizabeth’s rape).”

Courtesy/ABC

COULD THERE BE A DANTE/ELIZABETH/RIC TRIANGLE AHEAD?

Dominic continued with high praise for his co-star, “It’s interesting for me to play, because I don’t know that story of Elizabeth as an actor, because it was before I got to the show. So, it’s two characters finding out more about each other who’ve been in each other’s orbit for 17 years. (As to the potential pairing), I’m happy to hear people are  digging it because I dig it. Rebecca is phenomenal, and she plays a legacy character, and to me, one of the best actors on the show.”

With Lulu seemingly falling for “Nathan” and then currently breaking it off, Zamprogna and GH fans are awaiting to see what happens when Lulu finds out that “Nathan” is Cassius, while also finding out if Ric Lansing could be the true spoiler in any potential Liz and Dante budding romance.

“I don’t know what the long game is. I literally have no clue,” shared Zamprogna. “I currently don’t believe that there’s a Dante/Lulu happening. It feels like if they did go down the road of Dante and Ric fighting for Elizabeth, I think that would be interesting to have two guys fighting over her as opposed to two women fighting over Ric and Dante.”

Courtesy/ABC

PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR DANTE/ELIZABETH ROMANCE

GH fans will recall the recent scenes where Elizabeth was dressed for her date with Ric, but stopped by Dante’s office at the PCPD first. Dante remarked, in so many words, how beautiful she looked.

Zamprogna hoped that viewers caught it, explaining, “Those are real little moments that I’m always happy or captured. It’s two people who don’t have a romantic relationship, but, planting those little seeds of her coming in and him seeing her out of her scrubs for the first time and being like, ‘Oh my, God  You look amazing.”  And then as the scene ends, they’re kind of wrapped up in things, and then he is like, ‘I could keep talking to you forever,’ but she has a date to get to with Ric.”

You can check out the full conversation with Dominic Zamprogna now on the Michael Fairman Channel below.

Now, let us know, after checking out Dominic’s thoughts on a potential Dante and Elizabeth pairing? Are you hoping the GH writers put them together, or do you want Liz with Ric? And, do you think the end game will still be Dante and Lulu as the exes still have to come together to find their son, Rocco, who is on the run with Britt? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

On Friday’s June 12 episode of Beyond the Gates, after it appeared Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) survived being trapped under a tree after a tornado ripped through Fairmont Crest, viewers were left with a frightening cliffhanger when Martin got up and tries to walk, but only took two steps before he collapsed right in front of his husband, Smitty (Mike Manning)!

Previously, Martin had directed Shonda to use all the money donated from his campaign fundraiser for tornado relief efforts. Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix), Ted (Keith D. Robinson) and Smitty advised Martin that he needed to go to the hospital to get check out for any internal injuries or brain trauma. However, when Martin found out his sister Kat (Colby Nixon) was missing he began to panic. Martin says he just wants to go home and get some rest, even as his husband told him he should get checked out. Now, viewers will need to wait till the Monday, June 15 episode to see the upshot.

Official Beyond the Gates spoilers for June 15 share, “In the wake of the tornado, Shanice, Ashley and Jacob rush into action when someone collapses. Meanwhile, emergency surgery is required to save a life. Nicole’s update worries Samantha and Tyrell.” But is the surgery for Eva (Ambyr Michelle) who was rushed to the hospital or Martin?

Courtesy/CBS

MEETING THEE VICTOR NEWMAN

With such a pivotal week of story, Michael Fairman TV caught up with Brandon Claybon earlier this week during a roundtable press junket at A Toast for Black Excellence event in Los Angeles, promoting the major crossover event on Beyond the Gates which featured six cast members from The Young and the Restless, who also got caught up in the twister, but not the mighty Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). He somehow escaped and made it back to Genoa City in one piece.

Claybon shared his excitement of initially meeting Eric Braeden, because in the Black community, they have a long-history of watching the soap, and love Victor! “I think I just had to pinch myself because I was shaking hands with Victor Newman (on-screen), that means so much too many people spiritually,” expressed Brandon. “For people in my community, Victor Newman is everything and to have the Y&R cast in Atlanta and at our studios.”

While viewers wait to find out the fate of Martin Richardson, Claybon recalled the shooting of the Tornado storyline. “These episodes were a lot of hard work. We’re talking about 12 to 15 hour days, and you have to think about all of the actors supporting each other, it’s tremendous. Everything that we went through that viewers we’ll see sooner or later was so well worth it!”

Courtesy/CBS

PRIDE MONTH REPRESENTATION

In a very important illustration of inclusion, it was key in the story to note that Genoa City titans, Victor Newman and Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), were backing Martin Richardson’s political campaign. Martin is married to Smitty in an interracial romance, and the two men are raising two black teenagers, which is a first on daytime television for a nucleus of a family. This story point is not lost on Claybon.

“Martin needs money (it was a fundraiser), so it was amazing that both Victor Newman and Jack Abbott were financially helping him with his campaign. This is is Pride month, you know, and for the first interracial gay couple on daytime TV, people are coming up to me to all the time, saying, “I see myself in your character and relationship,” and that’s what it means, representation, and that’s what we’re here for. It’s something that I’ve prepared for and I do know the responsibility it holds. Martin loves Smitty dearly, and Martin loves his family, and family is everything now.”

Previously, Michael Fairman TV spoke with Beyond the Gates series creator, head writer and executive producer, Michele Val Jean, where she named the racism storyline involving Martin killing a white bigot to protect himself and his grandfather, Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis), one of her favorite storylines in the young soap’s history.”It’s absolutely remarkable. She didn’t tell me this. I didn’t know, but it means a lot coming from her,” expressed Brandon. “Michele’s been doing this a long time, and especially for her to have her own show, she thought it would never happen. The words, “a legacy.” I think about it all the time, especially because the show has the power to change attitudes.”

Photo: CBS

WILL BEYOND THE GATES SCORE BIG AT UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS?

Coming up next month, the nominations are expected to be announced for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. This would mark the first year that Beyond the Gates is eligible for the competition for its season 1. Will they triumph?

Claybon had this perspective, “I am looking forward to having a moment to celebrate with the cast, and with each other. That’s the most important thing. Recognition is fun, but at the same time, it’s not why we do this. I’m an actor, but my passion in life is to encourage, uplift, entertain and inspire. I don’t want to think about that when acting. Let (awards) come if they may, but if they don’t, I’ll still be OK.”

You can check out a moment from Friday’s Beyond the Gates below, where Martin is seemingly “OK” and Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) finds out Victor got out of Fairmont Crest just in time!

Now let us know, what do you think will be the fate of Martin Richardson? Will he have sustained a life-altering brain injury or be OK? What did you think of the final episode of the crossover? Do you enjoy the portrayal of the same-sex relationship between Martin and Smitty and sees its importance, as we are in the middle of Pride Month? Weigh-in via the comment section.