Jonathan Jackson Opens Up About Returning to GENERAL HOSPITAL

It’s been nearly a decade since GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Lucky has been living in Port Charles, and portrayer Jonathan Jackson still holds the soap opera near and dear to his heart. During a recent appearance on the Dishing With Digest podcast, the five-time Daytime Emmy winner reflected on his time at the soap, sharing memories of his GH audition, playing the son of soap icons Anthony Geary (ex-Luke) and Genie Francis (Laura)… and even answered the question of whether he’d ever again return.

“I always had it in my mind when I left, even in ’99, that I wanted to be able to come back,” Jackson shared. “I never say it as, ‘Okay, now I’m leaving and that’s it. I’m just not interested in ever coming back.’ It was such a foundation inside of me, that I always wanted to be able to come back and work on GH from time to time. It took longer than I thought, actually, for that to happen.”

Jackson left the soap to explore other roles and kept busy working in primetime and film until he finally headed back to GH in October 2009. Even though he called his return a “profound gift,” he stayed just over two years before leaving in December 2011 due to the soap’s grueling schedule and his desire to tackle other projects once more. Shortly after, the actor/singer landed the role of Avery on NASHVILLE, a primetime soap that ran for six seasons. Still, because GH held such a special place in his heart, Jackson answered the call when GH asked him to be a part of Geary’s final storyline in 2015.

“I’m so thankful I got to do that,” he confessed. “I shot four episodes over the course of two days. It was an insane amount, and I remember having the biggest splitting headache in between scenes but also loving every minute of it.”

And should GH call again, Jackson will gladly answer. “When I left in 1999, I always had it in mind to come back periodically. I’m always open to that,” said the actor.

However, his family’s relocation to Ireland last June may make matters a bit more complicated! “Logistically, it becomes more difficult to figure out, not only living in Ireland, but on top of that with the travel restrictions [due to COVID]. But it is a strange thing that Lucky left to live in Ireland and that I’ve ended up living here. Maybe that means something! It’s a method acting thing; I’m getting into character!” he joked.

At the end of the interview, Jackson confessed that he’s sometimes dumbfounded that after all this time, viewers are still interested in seeing him back in Port Charles. “It still amazes me. After so many years, receiving messages from people on social media asking about GH and ‘Are you coming back?’… it’s an amazing thing,” he marveled. “It’s always going to be a huge part of my life. I always look at GH with such gratitude and love. We’ll see… “