Catching up With Guiding Light's David Andrew Macdonald (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s as impossible for GUIDING LIGHT fans to forget the havoc that Edmund wreaked in Springfield as it is for his portrayer, David Andrew Macdonald. But the prince wasn’t just a mustache twirler, he said to Soaps In Depth. “Edmund’s villainy came from being emotionally abused by his father. That’s why, when he got together with Cassie, the loving side of him was able to come out. He wasn’t a psychopath.”

GL Edmund Cassie — “Edmund was getting the upper hand by making Richard and Cassie be really suspicious of each other,” the GL alum recalled. “But at the end of the day, their love triumphed.”Lorenzo Bevilaqua

Since then, Macdonald has found a home in stage productions, the latest of which, Paradise Lost, had him playing Lucifer. Based on John Milton’s 17th-century tale of humanity’s fall from grace, the play also explored another fall: the one in which free will took the angel out of heaven. Surprisingly, Macdonald shared, it prompted him to lament, “Why is there no repentance? I can’t do anything about this. I’m lost. I’m horrible. I hate myself.”

So, Lucifer winds up plotting revenge, and while Adam and Eve figure into his plot, the Off-Broadway show also featured his minions. “Some of it’s actually terribly funny,” Macdonald shared. “We play against that to sort of make it more serious.” While audiences have been wowed by Paradise’s colorful sets and Macdonald’s elaborate costumes, the experience of bringing a story to life is always more cerebral for him. “I got involved in the business,” he said, “because I fell in love with language and Shakespeare.”

David Andrew Macdonald Paradise Lost — “The first line of Paradise Lost usually gets a laugh because Lou Liberatore, who plays Beelzebub, is a fantastic actor,” Macdonald said.Jeremy Daniel (www.jeremydanielphoto.com)

Now that the play has wrapped, Macdonald and actress Monette Magrath (whom he wed last year in Italy) plan to make a new life for themselves and their 5-year-old in Minnesota. “Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of the top two secondary theater markets in the country,” he said, adding that he’s also a fan of snow. “I’m remodeling an old farmhouse [there]. It needs a lot of work, but it’s beautiful!”

While he’s looking forward to becoming a Midwesterner, Macdonald remains interested in reprising his soap career, even if that means traveling to Los Angeles. Wouldn’t it be fun to see him reunite with GL alum Laura Wright (Cassie) on GENERAL HOSPITAL, where she plays Carly? “I’d love to,” he admitted. “That would be a hoot!”

For more on what your favorite GL stars are up to now, keep reading the CBS edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.

This story originally appeared in our print magazine