General Hospital Star Kim Delaney Explains Jackie’s Name Choices

While the characters played by Michael Easton and Josh Swickard are “Finn” and “Chase” on General Hospital, the reality is those aren’t the two characters’ given first names. That point hit home when Kim Delaney joined the show as Jackie Templeton and she explains why.

Kim Delaney Explains Jackie’s Choices

Finn was born Hamilton Finn Chase and Chase was born Harrison Chase. Finn started going by his middle name, his mother’s maiden name, at one point in his life, and when Det. Harrison Chase made the scene in Port Charles, he was referred to as his surname. However, when Delaney joined the show as Chase’s mom and Finn’s ex, she reasoned that her character would use their birth names, given their respective and unique histories.

“We talked about that when I first started,” Delaney tells Soap Hub. “The writers were still writing ‘Chase’ and ‘Finn’ [in my dialogue]. But I said that there’s no way I’d call my own son ‘Chase’ — that just wouldn’t happen. The same with ‘Hamilton.’ If Jackie and he had known each other all those years ago, I don’t think I’d call him ‘Finn.’

“I’m [Harry’s] mom and [Hamilton] is my husband’s [Gregory, played by Gregory Harrison] son,” Delaney points out in character. “Jackie had known Hamilton before. She knew him before she met his father, so I don’t think Jackie would call them by their last names.”

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Delaney says her suggestion as to which names Jackie would logically use was well-received by the show. “It’s very collaborative [here],” she says. “I’m having fun. It always starts at the top. Frank [Valentini, executive producer] and all the producers are great. It’s a great cast.”

This Sunday, Delaney and GH co-star Michael E. Knight (Martin) will join fans in a special Zoom gathering produced by Fantasy Events, Inc. As veteran ABC Daytime fans recall, the duo started their daytime careers as siblings Jenny and Tad on All My Children in the early 1980s. At the beginning of their first scene as Martin and Jackie on GH, Knight inserted a little nod to fans who watched AMC.

“That was Michael’s idea,” Delaney warmly shared. “He told the director, ‘I’m going to play with this a little bit since this is the first time we’re seeing each other on-screen.'” General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.