It’s no secret that General Hospital’s James Patrick Stuart is a busy actor. When he isn’t juggling his daytime gig as Valentin Cassadine in Port Charles with his primetime job as Vic on The Villains of Valley View, the actor is busy doing voice work on a multitude of shows, working on feature films, singing, and composing.
James Patrick Stuart: Learning From The Maestro
In addition, Stuart spends time attending fan events, such as a recent one for Coastal Entertainment. One of the first fan questions was regarding working with the 3-time Oscar winner, Meryl Streep in the 2009 comedy, It’s Complicated alongside Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.
Stuart enthusiastically responded, “The great thing about working with Meryl Streep was that it came at a time in my life when I felt like I was able to hold my own.” The actor added, “I’m not saying I held my own against her. I’m not saying that I was able to do what she does, but I was able to feel confident in my abilities enough to enjoy the experience.
“If that had happened to me when I was a teenager or twenties, I would have crumbled under the pressure,” he continued. “I would have collapsed like, you know, we’re not worthy, we’re not worthy, right? She was dynamite.”
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The hardworking actor shared how special it was working with someone of her caliber. “I learned a lot in a moment with her, and what she does is she clearly has worked on the script backward and forwards. She’s broken it down. She’s worked all the character stuff.” He detailed her method, “I mean, all the stuff that Strasberg [The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute for Method Acting], all the stuff that those guys talked about.”
Stuart went on to describe more about her process. “She comes to that set more prepared than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life,” he shared. “What she does is she watches you, and she starts to, whatever you give her, she changes what she’s going to do based on what you’re giving her, and that’s, to me, what makes her the Maestro.”
The whole experience moved him beyond words. “She was very kind to me, and we talked about our children, and I was just hoping I didn’t say something too stupid, but it was one of those moments where I left, and I looked up at the sky, and I was just like, ‘thanks.’
“That’s not something everybody gets to do,” he said knowingly. Stuart summed up the once-in-a-lifetime experience. “I got to visit the top of the mountain with the Maestro, and that was nice.”
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