On General Hospital, Drew has been walking around Port Charles like a full-tilt Scrooge lately — cane tapping, lip curling, leaving a heart-attack-stricken Ned on the ground while he hobbles off with a little chuckle that’s colder than the Quartermaine freezer. It’s a performance that’s pushed viewers right to the edge of the couch. But the line between “love to hate him” and “hate him” blurred this week when Cameron Mathison pulled back the curtain on what that hostility looked like on the other side of the screen — especially for his daughter.
Key Takeaways
- Mathison shared that hateful comments about Drew hurt his daughter.
- He reminded fans that actors have families who see what’s written.
- His video explained how Leila panicked after reading harsh reactions.
- GH castmates publicly backed him with strong support.
- Fans praised Mathison’s acting and separated him from Drew.
When Comments Cross the Line
Mathison wrote on Instagram, “Leila FaceTimed me after watching a YouTube compilation of some of my character Drew Cain‘s darker scenes on General Hospital. At first, she was troubled by how despicable my character was, but then, after reading the comments with so much hate and aggression toward me, she needed to FaceTime and talk it out. Just posting this as a gentle reminder that when we make comments on social media, these people have kids and families and friends and are real people.”
He continued with a gentle reminder for his fans, noting, “It’s just a character and I’m just doing my job. I love my job and I’m so grateful for all the support that I’ve got through the years, believe me. But maybe this post will help keep in mind that [there are] other things to consider.”
In the video he attached, he gave a quiet, almost dad-in-the-gym debrief of what happened. He explained that he’d screen-recorded the FaceTime with Leila but somehow lost the audio. So he walked viewers through it himself — how she’d watched a Drew “horrible human being” montage, made the mistake of scrolling the comments, and spiraled into that tight-chested worry kids get when the world feels too sharp. He said she “just couldn’t handle it.” And he then shifted the conversation back to all of us: the reminder that actors have families reading along, that words land in real households, and that he hoped the reel would nudge people toward a little more care.
Praise Rose Above the Noise
The GH cast circled him fast — Katelyn MacMullen (Willow) sending love, Maurice Benard (Sonny) warning, “if you mess with Cameron, you’re gonna have to mess with me,” and Rory Gibson (Michael) calling him “the most kind, chill, generous guy on set.” Asher Antonyzyn (Danny) lovingly wrote, “Cam- you’re one of the coolest and kindest people I know. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me—it’s always a blast being on screen with you.” And Leila herself jumped in with, “This comment section restored my faith in the GH watchers!!” before her dad hit her back with a flood of hearts.
Fans filled the rest of the thread with their own blend of praise, apologies, and total Drew-directed fury. One fan said he’s “doing the job well if you’re eliciting such a strong response.” Another told him the hate belongs to Drew, not the actor. And much of the general praise for Mathison revolved around the fact that he must be a darn good actor to enrage people the way Drew does.
Maybe that’s the part Mathison hoped would stick: that even in a storyline where Drew’s colder than January in upstate New York, kindness still counts. (Could this surprising person be Drew’s shooter?)
