While many soap opera actors have reprised their popular roles over the years, Michael Easton seemingly confirmed that his recent General Hospital exit is permanent.
“I think there was a finality [to my exit], and there was a finality for me to it, too,” Easton, 57, revealed in an interview with Soap Hub published on Wednesday, July 3. However, he noted that he’s “not done” in the soap world, adding, “I’ll [be] trying to find that right part, that next great story line … I don’t know where that will come from.”
Last month, Easton announced he was leaving his role as Dr. Hamilton Finn on General Hospital after more than a decade on the ABC series. His exit comes as his character decided to check into rehab, a storyline Easton told the outlet he wishes he could have explored in more depth.
“From an acting standpoint, I would have liked to have just brought a little more subtlety and nuance to it,” he explained. “I had to get to a point very quickly. I was the beneficiary of a lot of really good writing and directing. I got to work with some really wonderful actors.”
Easton went on to praise several of his costars, including Rebecca Herbst, Finola Hughes, Nancy Lee Grahn, Josh Swickard and Gregory Harrison. It was the death of Harrison’s character, Gregory Chase, that catapulted Dr. Finn’s dive into depression and addiction.
“I have such an affinity for Gregory [Harrison],” Easton shared. “He’s a wonderful actor. He’s equally, if not more, wonderful as a human being. I became very close with him.”
Out of all of his costars, Easton said the “hardest goodbye” was with his onscreen daughter Violet, played by Jophielle Love. “I have a daughter [in real life], and so Jophielle and I had this immediate connection,” he gushed. “People said that our relationship looked so natural, as if we’d known each other in past lives. I think [Jophielle] is going to do amazing things both as an actress and as a singer. She’s going to do amazing things in life.”
Easton concluded the interview by stating he’s “so indebted” to the show’s cast and crew. “I always think anytime you have any sort of success as an actor, the real person who should be acknowledged is the person you’re working with,” he added.
He shared a similar sentiment in his exit announcement Instagram video on June 26, telling fans, “I’ve loved every minute that I’ve been here. I want to thank the entire cast and crew for allowing me to share their stage this past 10 years.”
He continued: “Most importantly, I want to thank all of you for the kindness and love you’ve shown me and my family. I won’t ever forget you. And as I walk out here for the last time, and with apologies to the great Lou Gehrig, I feel like the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”
Easton made his General Hospital debut in 2012, playing his One Life to Live character, John McBain. He took on the role of Dr. Hamilton in 2016 upon joining the show as a full-time cast member and scored a 2018 Daytime Emmy nomination for his work.
