General Hospital star Roger Howarth is working on his third role in Port Charles. He started off on the medical drama playing his One Life to Live persona Todd Manning. Then, he became eccentric artist Franco Baldwin, who sadly was killed off last year. Then, he returned to the show as Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt, the son of the late Jimmy Lee Holt.
Roger Howarth And His Three GH Roles
As actors on daytime drama are sometimes called upon to do double duty, it’s always possible Howarth could reprise the role of Todd Manning as ABC regained the rights to the OLTL and All My Children characters a while back. But what about reprising Franco? Howarth was asked about the possibility of Franco being alive at the recent General Hospital Creation fan event in Burbank. Soap Hub was on the scene to hear the actor’s response. Buckle up, if you will, for what Howarth had to say.
“That’d be great,” Howarth responded to the possible (though not probable) idea of Franco being alive. “I really, really enjoyed playing Franco. I was really, really lucky to be a part of [that story].” The actor heaped praise upon co-stars Rebecca Herbst (Liz Webber Baldwin), William Lipton (Cameron Webber), and Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin). “To move in circles with those actors…every minute was a pleasure.”
Baby, You Can Drive My Car
Howarth compares the character of Franco and his fondness for him to a treasured 1967 Chevy Camaro automobile he once owned. “I loved that car,” he shared of the vehicle he purchased back in the late 1990s. “I couldn’t get out the passenger door. It was an older car, [but] every time I drove it I said, ‘I’m the luckiest guy.'”
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Sadly, someone stole the car after Howarth parked it in front of a friend’s house one holiday. He took a very calm approach to getting a lump of coal on Thanksgiving. “I said [to myself], ‘Okay, now somebody else is going to sit in that car and have a great time.'”
Roger Howarth Lives In The Present
Howarth admits that’s a weird allegory to make but he says there’s a connection to be made regarding his thoughts on Franco. “What I’m saying is I loved it when I was playing Franco,” he notes. “Playing that guy was a real pleasure. I’m proud of myself for enjoying it.” Just as Howarth had to embrace driving a different kind of car after his was taken, he’s doing the same now with Franco and Austin.
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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