GH: Classic Thread

[victoria foxton]

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[victoria foxton]

 

  

[Joseph]

They Changed Michael?

[carolineg]

Drew Garrett was the original adult/teen Michael after the show ditched the red headed kid.  DG was ragey Michael that did kill Claudia.  He was around maybe a year?  Then recast during Claudia's murder trial with Chad Duell.  No one really knows why they fired Garrett, but he was pretty good.

[Joseph]

oh oh right then, i'm not that familiar with the character and his casting history I only knew Chad "Baby Face" Duel, There's something about him, even as a straight man i find him cute

[victoria foxton]

Michael has been played by multiple actors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Corinthos

[Joseph]

Oh OK 4, as i stated before Gh is not a show i get to see regularly, Michael is not usually the subject of my interest, except for the rape storyline, so i didn't know much about him and his history

[titan1978]

Wasn’t the perception that his Michael was not capable of acting out what they wanted with the prison rape storyline?  As in a straight man being assaulted.

His Michael could very easily have been gay from what I remember back then, and he would have been fantastic doing it.  I know he was well liked by MB and other cast members.

Truthfully, Chad has had the most chemistry onscreen with other dudes anyway.

[carolineg]

I thought there were rumors DG was difficult to deal with and MB liked him, but not everyone else was a fan?   I think it's a mixture of both stories, as I do think Duell was much more sympathetic with his puppy dog eyes and what not and I do wonder if they were thinking of having Michael be gay with as well.

Who knows what they were going for originally with the prison rape story?  They danced around it for so long.  I felt like the story was too prolonged yet rushed?   The actual timing of the reveal was smack dab in the middle of the Brenda/Balkan stuff and most of the main character's Michael's rape involved were more involved with that story.  So I felt you heard about the rape, the reveal, and how Michael felt for about 4 episodes then we went right back into Brenda/Balkan and Michael ended up with Abby.  It just really felt like that was not the story Guza wanted or how it was supposed to be executed.  I would have to watch it again though.  

[Vee]

I was not happy about Garrett being let go, but I thought Chad was a very decent recast initially despite being more conventionally soapy cute. But his skills have completely atrophied over a more than a decade of total dreck, and nobody takes his Michael seriously as a lead anymore. There needs to be a recast.

I'd welcome Drew Garrett back today - but he notably has only worked so much since, which makes me wonder what exactly happened.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Vee

[carolineg]

Yeah, I definitely have the same feelings as you.  There was nothing wrong with Garrett onscreen to recast IMO, but Duell was very good in the beginning.  I don't even know if CD's skills have diminished or if he was only specifically good at playing that sad sack, misunderstood victim.  It worked great at the time and his awkwardness was perfect, but it doesn't work now.  I think I may have overestimated his range when he started more than Duell himself got worse.  He's just a horrible lead that isn't saved by things like charisma and chemistry with co stars.  I wouldn't mind Garrett back either, but I couldn't imagine him with someone lame like Willow.  I could imagine him taking over ELQ and being much more savage though-which would be a good thing for Michael.  I agree though it's telling DG hasn't worked much and that no other soap snapped him up.  

[soapfave06]

GH was slightly messy around that time onscreen but it used to be appointment TV for me, my cousin and my aunt and the casting was on fire then and we were so disappointed when they recast. DG was so, so good as Michael. 

[Joseph]

Humm interesting stuff, maybe that's why Michael never really captured my attention, he made me feel sorry during the rape story he was cute and he is a nice back burner I see once in a while, I don't think they'll recast because I've seen worst cases of hamming up and atrophied talent staying on a show for much longer than one would expect, if anything they should've try to write for him in a way to help evolve his acting back (through the years several average actors grew into excellency with the right writing, if anything explore his psyche, rape victims have a trauma for life, and maybe even as you mentioned and I previously discussed on the DAYS thread, have an episode of Sexual confusion, it's time to put those pretty puppy eyes to good use

[Paul Raven]

John Beradino signed a 5 yr contract when he began on GH but Emily  was on a yearly contract. In 1965 she insisted on daily billing before re-signing  and John did also.

i remember seeing their names for years whether they appeared or not. Later Rachel Ames, Peter Hansen,Denise Alexander and Craig Huebing were credited everyday I think.

When did that stop?

Mac Carey and later Frances Reid were billed on every ep of Days. Did anyone else have that perk?

Edited July 30, 2022 by Paul Raven

[Joseph]

On DOOL? No One that i Know of, But I Think Deidre Hall, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Bill Hayes and Suzanne Rogers were deserving candidates of such Accolades

also this stayed in my mind, it may just be me but I think that when they cast Chad Duell, They had the Wrong AJ in Mind