‘General Hospital’ Star Chris McKenna Breaks Silence on His Future originally appeared on Parade.
Fans of General Hospital’s Chris McKenna were given the best news this weekend when the actor confirmed that he was sticking around. Now the actor has reflected on this news, his plea to share scenes with his former television mother, and working with his co-star Laura Wright.
The actor was recently interviewed by Women’s World where he discussed, amongst other things, the news that he would be staying with the show for the foreseeable future.
“It’s no longer a two-dimensional character or a sexy leading man. This is a complex human I get to play—and I get to plumb all the depths, now that I’m going to be sticking around.” After false rumors were spread on social media the beloved actor revealed at General Hospital Fan Club Weekend that he had been bumped to contract status with the ABC soap opera. “It’s my first chance since I was a preteen to spend time with a role. At this age, with much more experience under my belt, I’m excited to create a character I can be proud of and love—and hopefully people come to love, even if you love to hate him!”
Now that the actor is sticking around, McKenna is excited to dive deeper into his character. “More and more is slowly getting revealed about this guy, which has been cool to read, we’re starting to see different sides of him and starting to see cracks in his armor.” The actor explained, “He’s a guy who can’t let his heart get in the way, and he’s fallen in love against his will—perhaps at risk to his career and his health.”
As previously reported by Parade, Erika Slezak will be joining the popular ABC soap opera later this year. McKenna previously played her on-screen son Joey Buchanan on the series One Life to Live. Discussing this news McKenna shared, “I’m not just hoping to work with her—I’m gonna attack Frank [Valentini, executive producer] if he doesn’t put me in at least one scene,” The actor excitedly explained he didn’t care what the situation was. He just wanted to be in Slezak’s presence again. Sharing, “I can’t wait to see her in the hallway. It’s going to be hard for me not to cry. It’ll be special to finally see her again, and I just want to say one word with her on camera. Let me ask her where the bathroom is. Anything!”
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The actor reflected on getting to work with Laura Wright, portrays his love interest Carly Spencer. The actor explained that the series had been interested in pairing the two actors for a number of years. Sharing, “GH has reached out to me many times about pairing me with Laura, but it never happened, so when it came up again, I rolled my eyes . . . and then I didn’t have a bumpy road taking over on Valentine’s Day, right after the first kiss! I knew it was going to be a challenge, but it was exactly what I wanted, right now, so I’m glad it all worked out the way it did.”
The actor shared his perspective on the two characters interacting. “Just being around her gives him some sort of peace, It helps with the pressure of having to make decisions where lives are in the balance” McKenna Shares, “She is the only respite he gets, so he’s becoming more and more dependent on her—which is gonna suck when things come to a head!”
Discussing his relationship with Wright, McKenna added “When Laura sees scenes with me and Josslyn [Carly’s daughter, played by Eden McCoy] she’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I am going to kill you,’ The actor continued, “And Eden McCoy has said, ‘It gives me anxiety just thinking about what she’s going to do to you.’ But I am really looking forward to it.”
The actor is excited for the moment that Carly finds out what his character has been up to, adding, “Laura is such an amazing actress, and I’m having such a good time working with her. I can’t wait to get to those scenes.”
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and streams weekdays on Hulu.
‘General Hospital’ Star Chris McKenna Breaks Silence on His Future first appeared on Parade on Aug 7, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
