General Hospital's James Patrick Stuart Defends Valentin Cassadine

Soap fans knew that it was only a matter of time before Sasha and Valentin’s lie was exposed on GENERAL HOSPITAL and Nina would learn the truth about the woman she thought was her long-lost daughter. Of course, Nina believed Valentin’s claim that he was innocent in the scheme, which means even further heartbreak for her down the road when she learns the whole truth. But like many GH viewers, James Patrick Stuart loves his multifaceted alter ego. “Valentin Cassadine fascinates me,” he mused on Instagram. “It’s fair to say he’s a lying liar who hurts those closest to him. As an actor, I can’t play that.

“I see a man who was damaged very young,” Stuart continued. “No mother, thrown away by his father and ignored by society due to physical abnormality. A complete lack of love. Now, even with it staring him in the face, he is incapable of genuine intimacy. He’s like a scarecrow doing his best to look and act like a real human. Tragic tale.”

Nina forgave Valentin… for now! (Photo Credit: ABC)

That tragic backstory humanized a character introduced after being touted as one of the scariest members of the notorious Cassadine clan. And with the added benefit of Stuart’s nuanced portrayal, Valentin has become a character fans can sympathize with even as he does awful things to the people around him. “People like this exist to varying degrees and other people fall in love with them all the time,” he noted, “seeing their ‘potential.'”

But will Nina be the one to bring out that potential in Valentin or will she kick him to the curb when she finds out he’s been lying to her this whole time? (To make her happy, but still, lying to her this whole time!) Stay tuned to find out and for more from your favorite GH stars, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.

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