The REAL Reason Why Valentin Keeps Disappearing…

It’s been about a year since we first saw Valentin Cassadine over on Cassadine Island and he really did seem like the most evil Cassadine of them all. Of course, that’s all changed on General Hospital (GH).

However, what hasn’t changed is James Patrick Stuart’s status with the soap. He was hired on a recurring basis and remains that way.

That might seem hard to believe since he has become such a popular character in a popular pairing. He’s been in several front burner storylines and even turned Valentin into a multi-layered man rather than a one-note villain.

Yet, Stuart is not under contract with GH. But, what does he do during all that down time in between his soap stints?

Well, during this last Valentin disappearance (well, we knew he was in a European jail), Stuart climbed the Matterhorn Peak in California’s Eastern Sierras, according to the July 24 issue of Soap Opera Digest.Soap Hub even featured a tweeted pic of Stuart on his mountain adventure.

Stuart told Digest that he and Executive Producer Frank Valentini have a very good working relationship for coordinating time off.

“It’s a sort of mutual respect,” he said. “I’d never just go to Frank and say, ‘Dude, I’ve got some fun stuff I want to do, so you’re going to have to figure out a way to resolve that without me.'”

GH fans were thrilled when Valentin returned this week, but Stuart notes that the “vacations are really appreciated.”

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