The Secret Behind Michael E. Knight Joining General Hospital

We can’t have our canceled soaps back (as much as we’d like to), but we do get to see past favorites pop up on the four remaining broadcast daytime dramas and that’s just what happened when General Hospital cast Michael E Knight (ex-Tad, All My Children) in a mystery role.

Welcome To GH, Michael E Knight

“At the risk of deflating everything, it’s a nothing burger,” Knight told TV Insider as to how he wound up in Port Charles as attorney Martin Gray. The actor says pals suggested her reach out to Frank Valentini, who helms GH, and used to executive produce One Life to Live, the soap on which Knight’s former wife, Catherine Hickland, appeared as Lindsay.

“I asked [Frank] if he’s ever amenable to stunt casting — ‘Oh, my Gosh, Michael Knight’s still alive!’ — to please consider me. He got back to me right away. He talked to [head writers] Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor. The stars aligned.”

The self-effacing Knight used the term “nothing burger” to explain how he came back to daytime, but as far as fans are concerned the three-time Emmy-winner’s initial scene with Chloe Lanier (Nelle) was a tasty appetizer to what everyone is guessing will become a gourmet feast!

“I’ve been watching the show to get the lay of the land,” Knight says. “[Nelle’s] the master manipulator. I asked [Chloe], ‘Where do you see this going?'” Lanier suggested the two characters are sharks, circling one another. “Our scene grew out of that.”

Michael E. Knight also credits Valentini for giving him some direction that added to Martin’s mystique. “He said to me, ‘You need a secret. We have an idea about something.’ I was the beneficiary of two talented people that day. Let’s face it, [Tad] was an open book. The chance to do somebody who has skeletons is great.”

Martin is set to make future appearances on the show, but Knight says it’s anybody’s guess as to what specifically is going to happen next. “Right now, Martin’s a blank slate. It depends on where they want to take him.” General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for air times.