Tanisha Harper Reveals The GH Role She Thought She’d Be Playing!
After convalescing in an out-of-town facility for several months, GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Jordan returned to Port Charles last week with a new look: daytime newcomer Tanisha Harper is now playing the role vacated by Briana Nicole Henry last September. “I was so excited to find out that I’d booked the job,” Harper told Soap Opera Digest. “It still doesn’t feel real!”
Harper knew from the moment she read the audition script late last year that the GH role was meant to be hers. “I was like, ‘I just feel like this is the one.’ Something about it was just very natural for me,” she confessed. “I just really felt it.”
While her gut instinct about the role was right, Harper had no idea that she’d be a second recast. “When I went in for the role, they changed the name,” said the actress, who had auditioned for a district attorney named Michelle. “I didn’t realize until a few days after booking the job that I was going to be playing the role of Jordan Ashford and that two other actresses had played her!”
Thankfully, GH executive producer Frank Valentini eased Harper’s concerns about taking over the role of a character who already existed on the canvas. Explained the newcomer, “Frank said, ‘Do what you feel is right for this character. Everybody has their own take on it, and this is why we have you here. You’re bringing something new and fresh. We don’t need you to emulate what they did.’ So, that was kind of the mindset I’ve brought into it.”
Although Harper had appeared on a handful of THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL episodes, landing a series regular role on a soap opera is a new ball game for her. “Coming onto a soap, there’s a lot to learn,” she admitted, adding that her colleagues have been wonderful in filling her in on Jordan’s backstory. “I can’t say enough how lovely everyone has been, and patient with me and helping me out. I’m so excited to be here!”
Love GH? Be sure to join our We Love General Hospital Facebook group to chat about all the latest storylines and juicy gossip!
