Before Patrick became half of a supercouple on General Hospital, he arrived in Port Charles as an ego with a pager. He was brilliant, arrogant, emotionally closed off, and convinced he didn’t need anyone. Over time, that armor was stripped away as Patrick grew up on screen, softened by love, humbled by loss, and reshaped by fatherhood. For many fans, he remains one of the show’s most complete character arcs. In a recent interview, Jason Thompson reflected on why those years still matter to him, even now.
Key Takeaways
- Patrick’s arc worked because the show let him grow slowly, not all at once.
- Robin’s long history gave the relationship emotional weight from the start.
- Thompson views his GH years as formative, not nostalgic.
- The partnership with Kimberly McCullough shaped both the character and the storytelling.
- Fan investment helped give “Scrubs” its staying power.
- Patrick remains one of GH’s most fully realized characters.
The Role That Changed Everything
Thompson spoke to Swooon while marking a major milestone on The Young and the Restless, but the conversation kept circling back to his decade on GH. He described that period as foundational, both professionally and personally, in ways that only became clear with the passage of time.
“There’s a magic to watching someone grow up in front of your eyes, and General Hospital fans had that in Kimberly,” Thompson said, reflecting on being paired with Kimberly McCullough (Robin). He talked about how much Robin already carried into every scene, and how that history did half the work for them in a way you can’t fake.
That context, he explained, made Patrick’s evolution feel earned. The character arrived loud and self-assured, then slowly learned how to think and feel beyond his small world. Thompson credited the writers, the partnership with McCullough, and the audience for allowing that transformation to breathe without rushing it. (Check out the video flashback of Robin and Patrick.)
Why It Still Stays With Him
Thompson acknowledged that the connection fans still feel isn’t accidental. “We had incredible writers that really leaned in on ‘Scrubs,’ and it was nothing without the fan energy,” he said. The synergy between story and audience helped sharpen the work and deepen his trust in the process.
He also noted how rare it was to be part of something that unfolded over such a long period, with room for vulnerability and failure. “I was never afraid to let people see who that character was when nobody else was looking,” Thompson shared, explaining how those quieter moments shaped Patrick more than any plot twist.
Looking back, he doesn’t frame those years as nostalgia. They’re reference points. The kind that recalibrates how you approach every role that comes after. Patrick wasn’t just a job. He was a stretch of time where the work clicked, the people mattered, and the stories stayed with the audience. Thompson knows how uncommon that is and is very grateful that it happened at all. (Learn how McCullough reflected on her GH past.)
