Cari Shayne originated the role of Karen Wexler, Jagger’s ex-wife, a character who has been referenced often as of late on General Hospital. Soap Hub caught up with the actress at The Bay‘s pre-Daytime Emmy bash in Hollywood to learn about what she’s been up — and if she’s open to reprising Karen.
Paging Karen Wexler
Shayne’s aware that the late Karen has been mentioned quite a bit on GH. Jagger (Adam Harrington) has thrown in Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) face the fact that he got Karen hooked on drugs and hired her to dance at his club, The Paradise Lounge.
“Somebody called me and said, ‘Hey, do you know that they’re bringing Jagger back?'” Shayne says. “I did hear Antonio [Sabato, Jr.] was not [asked back].”
Shayne didn’t reprise Karen when the character returned on GH spinoff Port Charles in 1997. Marie Wilson (ex-Meg, As the World Turns) was playing the part when Karen died in a car accident. Karen’s death came just as Port Charles was canceled. (Cut the heart out, which Karen was, and the body, in this case, Port Charles, tends to die.)
However, soap characters have survived more than “fatal” car crashes over the years. It’s always possible that Karen could return — especially as both her father, Scotty (Kin Shriner), and her ex, Jagger, are on the canvas.
“I heard they’re talking about Karen a lot,” shares Shayne, who adds with a smile, “We all know what [being in a car crash] means.
“I think I would be open to it,” she says about reprising her role if GH were to extend an invitation. “It might make sense.”
In the meantime, Shayne is working on a cookbook that’s due out later this summer. (Soap Hub will have more on that closer to the tome’s print date.) She appears on The Bay as Dr. Genevieve Cates, a nod to her married GH character. The medical jargon is easy-peasy because Shayne has a background in that field.
“I took a break from acting for a while and I became a labor and delivery nurse for about seven years,” Shayne says. “It allowed me to be at home while I was raising my kids. I felt it was time to take a break. It was great.”
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