General Hospital’s Rory Gibson spent the weekend meeting fans alongside co-star Eden McCoy in Stamford, CT, Astoria, NY, and Long Island, courtesy of Coastal Entertainment. The pair took part in two personal appearances and a private dinner, all while a blizzard loomed over the city. Off-screen, Gibson balanced fan time with downtime — and Michael’s explosive brawl with Joshua Swickard’s Chase remained on everyone’s minds.
Key Takeaways
- Gibson balanced fan events with a relaxing NYC trip with fiancée Alicia Ruelas, including Central Park strolls and vintage shopping.
- Michael’s explosive fight with Chase remains a fan favorite, while Gibson bonded off-screen with co-star Cameron Mathison for the first time.
- Meeting fans reminded Gibson of General Hospital’s real-life impact, leaving him grateful for his role and the audience’s support.
Michael & Chase Come To Blows Again
Last week, Michael (Rory Gibson) learned during his questioning at the PCPD that Wiley (Viron Weaver) saw Chase with his keys. On Monday, the pair came to blows again and had to be broken up by Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) as Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) witnessed her cousin and husband battle.
Gibson says filming Michael’s explosive fight with Swickard was both thrilling and nearly impossible to get through without laughing.
“It was very fun. I like doing stunt stuff and things that require a little bit of physicality,” Gibson said of the intense showdown.
But keeping a straight face proved to be the real challenge.
“Simultaneously, it’s so unbelievably difficult,” he admitted. “Josh is the silliest guy on the planet. He’s the nicest guy. He’s annoyingly beautiful… and I can’t help but laugh every time. We’re supposed to kind of hate each other, and every time I look at him, I just want to laugh.”
At the dinner, fans were united in their reaction: Chase got what was coming, and cheered loudly when talk of Michael and Chase’s brawl was brought up. Chase has been relentless in proving Michael’s guilt in Drew’s shooting, refusing to believe Willow could be responsible — even though she actually is.
New York State Of Mind
Gibson traveled to Brooklyn with his fiancée, Alicia Ruelas, where they spent time with close friends and explored the city together. The pair have been together since high school and got engaged in 2022.
“Yeah, me and my lady, we did Central Park two days ago and we just walked all day and it was beautiful and nice and cool,” Gibson shared.
The couple also kept things low-key during visits with loved ones.
“[Our] best friends live here in Brooklyn, so we hung out with them, spent some time with them, did a little vintage shopping, just devoured food,” he said.
Lately, Gibson has been especially drawn to vintage furniture.
“I’m just now kind of delving into vintage furniture because the builds are so much stronger. They’re so much more unique,” he explained. “I try to do anything I can to avoid cookie-cutter anything.”
The visit also gave him the chance to bond with co-star Cameron Mathison (Drew) outside of work for the first time — a sharp contrast to the tension between their characters in Port Charles.
“And then Cam, he hit me up and we met up for breakfast yesterday, which is really nice,” Gibson said. “Me and Cam, we’ve always gotten along really well, but I’ve never spent any time with him outside of work. We really got to bond a little bit more. It was cool.”
Unlike their characters Michael and Drew — whose relationship remains ice cold — Gibson and Mathison clearly enjoy a very different dynamic off-screen.
Gibson was scheduled to return to California on Monday, but those plans changed because of the blizzard. “Now that it looks like I’m gonna be staying here for an extended amount of time, I really do want to go catch a show because I’ve never been to a Broadway show.”
Gratitude For The Fans
Gibson took part in several events, including a private dinner. He enjoyed meeting and talking with the fans, all of whom paid him compliment after compliment on his portrayal of Michael, including how he “was” Michael from his first episode. Stepping outside the General Hospital studio bubble has been a powerful reminder of the show’s impact.
“When we’re filming, you feel like you’re in this weird bubble and you forget that people watch it — that people really care about it and that it’s a huge part of their day-to-day life,” Gibson said of meeting fans in person.
Those face-to-face moments have left a lasting impression.
“When you’re having that one-on-one time, and they’re expressing how much the show means to them and how much they’ve appreciated the performance, it’s really refreshing,” he shared. “It makes you very aware of how fortunate we are to be in this business and to have the jobs that we do.”
If you would like to meet your favorite GH stars, Coastal Entertainment has you covered! They have in-person and virtual events almost every week. Their next East Coast event, they are bringing in The Day Players this March, which consists of GH and Days of Our Lives’ alums Brandon Barash (Johnny) and Scott Reeves (Steven), as well as DAYS Carson Boatman (Johnny) and Eric Martsolf (Brady). In April, they will be hosting Chris McKenna (Brennan) and Laura Wright (Carly).
To see their upcoming events and purchase tickets, click here.
