Finola Hughes and James Patrick Stuart revel in how their General Hospital characters, Anna Devane and Valentin Cassadine, are able to size each other up and still consider each other a port in a very tumultuous storm.
Finola Hughes and James Patrick Stuart on Vanna’s Smarts
The two actors enjoyed discussing their characters’ romance during a recent General Hospital Fantasy Events Zoom they attended with fans. Stuart brought home what makes it work when he looked back to scenes that aired not too long ago.
“Remember the scene we did by the pool,” Stuart asked Hughes and those in attendance. “When we first read that, I remember thinking, ‘Oh no,’ because it was written…initially, I read it kind of one level, which was, ‘Oh, here goes Valentin lying again.’
“And it wasn’t necessarily…it didn’t leap off the page that Anna knew absolutely…it was almost like it came from Kate in ‘Taming of the Shrew’ — totally hip to the whole game. And it didn’t leap off the page like that, and by the time we were done rehearsing that, you realize that Finola had taken it to another level…the level of just totally getting that he’s lying to her. He probably understands that she gets it, and by the time they’re done, they’re kissing by the pool. It was like…come on — this is an interesting couple.”
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“It was really nice reading people’s remarks about those scenes,” added Finola Hughes. “You know, I think people always want characters to be smart. That’s why Maurice [Benard] as Sonny has always managed to go so long with the stories that have interwoven that he’s always kind of sat back and assessed people. That kind of thing is gold dust, I think.”
Stuart stepped in and added, “I had an acting coach tell me a character always knows unless, of course, it’s essential to the story that you don’t. If it’s not implicit in the text, then you know. It’s just more interesting — not knowing — it’s literally an uninformed choice.” Fans indeed appreciate smart characters (and smart actors), making it clear why the pairing of Vanna is such a hit.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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