Zachary Garred Recalls Playing One of GH’s Most Hated Characters (EXCLUSIVE)
Many GENERAL HOSPITAL fans still remember the character of Levi Dunkleman, although not particularly fondly! But portrayer Zachary Garred loved his time on the soap from his introduction in April 2014 until Levi met a violent end in September of that year.
“It was only supposed to be for six weeks and then they kept adding me and adding me and in the end, I ended up being on for nine months,” the actor marveled to Soaps In Depth. “I think the fans were one part of it. The fans made it really enjoyable for me. I laughed a lot and really got a great experience out of it from them.”
Even if some of his encounters with GH fans were a little on the awkward side! “I was at Disneyland once and a lady jumped back from me,” Garred recalled with a chuckle. “We were in line at the King Arthur Carousel and this lady was behind me and I felt her sort of jump away. She put her hand out and just went, ‘Oh my God, it’s you!’
“And I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, what did I… did I back into your car once? Is everything okay?’” he continued. “She’s like, ‘You! You’re keeping Nathan away from Maxie!’ She finally realized what was going on and we had a chat and we had a little laugh and she took a photo and it was a little bit of a giggle. It was never boring. And yes, I did get mail. I got letters from people that I still keep. Someone sent me this really aggressive one telling me in no uncertain terms where I should go and how fast I should get there!”
Soap fans are very passionate, and Garred totally understands the enthusiasm. “I’m a fan of things, too,” he declared. “I’m a fanboy of things like Star Wars and Game of Thrones and things like that. So I get the passion that people have. And it’s part of the fun. Because it ceases to become just a job. You sort of step into a community in a show like GH that’s been on the air for years. It’s incredible to step into that world. And the fans make it. They make it.”
And even if they don’t particularly like your character, soap fans will follow actors throughout their careers, like Garred’s later roles as Dennis in the sci-fi action movie series Occupation and in TV series like NCIS: LOS ANGELES and AUSTRALIAN GANGSTER!
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