In a soap opera shocker,General Hospitalis giving a new, yet familiar face to Michael Corinthos. After narrowly escaping death in an explosion in an episode back in January, the fan-favorite from Port Charles is finally making his return, and it’ll be a soap opera veteran taking over for the departing, Daytime Emmy-winningChad Duellafter fifteen years.Rory Gibson, best known for his run onThe Young and the Restlessas Noah Newman from 2021 through 2023, will be stepping into Michael’s shoes just in time for the annual Nurses’ Ball. He’ll make his debut on the series this Friday, May 23, onABC, but ahead of that, he sat down with TV Insider to share his reaction and approach to taking on such a long-running role.
When Michael was last seen on the series on January 21, he was being flown to a clinic in Germany to have his burns treated following the blast at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. Duell had announced his departure last November, so the accident gaveGeneral Hospitalplenty of time to determine a full-time replacement. However,Gibson’s path to taking over the role didn’t start with Michael. “I originally sent in a tape for Vaughn (Bryce Durfee),” he said. “I came in and did a chemistry read with Eden (Josslyn Jacks), then I had a nice little chat withFrank (Valentini)afterwards, and I could kind of see the wheels turning as we were talking.” He was eventually called back in, only instead for the role of Michael, in a process that he said was “super, super top secret,” and involved screen tests with cast membersKate Mansi,Katey McMullen,Steve Burton, and others, who gave him a warm welcome to the show.
Gibson most recently appeared on Netflix in a minor role inZack Snyder’s big-budgetRebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire. Though he’s certainly experienced withdaytime dramasafter spending 99 episodes onThe Young and the Restless, he says there was a more personal connection toGeneral Hospital, given that his family watched the series “religiously” when he was young and they were all thrilled to hear the news. Coincidentally, it marks a sort of full-circle moment for the actor, as he previously took over the role ofThe Young and the Restless’s Noah fromRobert Adamson, who was also a former Michael Corinthos fill-in. Stepping into the shoes of the long-running Duell was no small feat, but Gibson had a lot of help from the show’s creative team and his diehardGeneral Hospitalfan friends to learn what he needed without being influenced by the performances that came before:
“You don’t want to necessarily copy anything that anyone’s done before, and I know Chad really owned this role and he did incredible, incredible work, so I tried to stay away from watching too many old episodes and was more looking things up online. And then the show sent me a huge summary of who he was, so that was extremely helpful. Outside of that, it was honestly just endless phone calls with my friend, Jenna, who is a diehard fan, just asking her everything about the character that she could possibly think of. So, I got a pretty in-depth summary of who Michael was and where he might be in his life right now, considering all the traumatic things that led up to the point of me getting there.”
What’s in Store for Michael Corinthos When He Returns to Port Charles?
Michael’s return was first teased earlier this week when an unidentified man watched the red carpet of the Nurses' Ball from a tablet while speeding toward Port Charles on a jet. He’llcome back to a lot of dramabeyond the annual event, though. Following a one-night stand, Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) is currently pregnant with his child. Moreover, his moment of infidelity came just moments after learning his wife Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) similarly had relations with his uncle, Drew Quartermain (Cameron Mathison). In general, the series has forced him to navigate some very sticky family dynamics over the years, whichGibson will now embrace.
The actor hinted at where the series will pick up with Michael as he tries to get back up to speed with the happenings in Port Charles while grappling with everything that he left behind during his recovery. “Heis at a huge crossroads in his life,” Gibson added. “He has a thirst for vengeance and justice because it’s no secret what Drew put him through. I think he’s at a place where he so badly wants to have a calm and peaceful life, especially after everything he’s gone through, but I don’t necessarily see that happening for him.”
General Hospitalwill introduce the new-look Michael Corinthos tomorrow, May 23, on ABC. Stay tuned here at Collider for further developments.
