On paper, General Hospital’s Jacinda and Michael shouldn’t work as well as they do. Yet their chemistry is undeniable. There’s an ease to them now, something softer than where Jacinda started, that feels completely genuine. It makes you forget how quickly she entered Michael’s orbit in the first place, in a story similar to Pretty Woman. But the path that got Paige Herschell there wasn’t as straightforward as it looks on screen. In a recent interview, she pulled back just enough of the curtain to show how close she came to being someone entirely different in Port Charles.
Key Takeawayss
- Herschell originally auditioned for Blaze and previously read for smaller roles on GH.
- Jacinda was not a role she expected, but it clicked, and was initially meant to be short-term.
- Jacinda has evolved into a more layered character, and Herschell’s performance has become more natural over time.
- Her casting path could have led to a completely different character and story arc.
The Role That Almost Was
Herschell appeared on the That’s Awesome! podcast with Steve Burton (Jason) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), and dropped the kind of detail that changes everything. “I actually read for the role of Blaze,” she shockingly explained.
It wasn’t a one-off either. She mentioned going in for smaller roles before that, the usual revolving door of auditions that don’t always lead anywhere. Then this one came along differently. Not because it guaranteed anything, but because it showed she was already on their radar.
And then the change. Instead of Blaze, she ended up reading for Jacinda, a character she admitted she didn’t expect. She leaned into it anyway, describing the moment as something that just clicked. While she hadn’t targeted the role as one she wanted, it ultimately opened the door for her.
From One-Off to Staying Power
What makes it work is how temporary it all seemed at first. Herschell said the job was only supposed to last a few episodes. “I thought, okay, we’re done. Next. Moving on,” she said, treating it like any other short-term booking.
Then the show called her back. Not immediately or with fanfare, just enough time in between to make it feel like the start of something special. That gap turned a small part into a character that kept growing, almost by accident.
Now Jacinda sits in a very different place. The edge is still there, but it’s tempered. As Herschell’s confidence has grown, she’s less over-the-top now, and more like a real person. And knowing she nearly walked in as Blaze instead adds a strange layer to it all. Same actress, different path, completely different story. (Was Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) too hard on Michael and Jacinda?)
