General Hospital: June 2023 Discussion Thread

[Liberty City]

Considering Kriegel and Mansi started, likely, on the same day, I'm guessing it was a last-minute recast. Mansi's casting was announced on Thursday, May 4, 2023, and it stated she had already begun filming. And Kriegel's casting was announced on Thursday, May 11, with Haley Pullos' arrest happening on Saturday, April 29. And since GH films on the same set for different episodes, and both Kriegel & Mansi were in Alexis' home set, I am guessing they were alerted on Monday, May 1 she wouldn't be there, and they scrambled for a last minute recast.

[carolineg]

Yeah, your time frame sounds completely accurate.  I was more curious about what GH execs knew when they recast Molly.  As in were they just alerted by HP's people that HP was in an accident or did they know the seriousness of the accident and her arrest?   I am just wondering if they cast Kriegel with the intention of it being only a few days on short notice or if they knew it was going to be a longer stint.  The way HP described the issue on her social media truly makes me wonder if she thought this all would fly under the radar and the press wouldn't find out.  Obviously it did and that is the case now, but I do wonder if HMK was cast as good enough in a pinch or truly the best they could find (even on short notice).  Due to how similar she looks to HP I would think the former not the latter.

[Liberty City]

I don't think TPTB knew how serious it was, honestly, because Pullos did not enter into treatment until the news broke about the accident. I can only imagine how stressful it might've been to find a last-minute replacement. Given how close tape-to-air they are right now... I don't think they knew.

Sarah Joy Brown is on Twitter Spaces, stating she spoke out against Bob Guza & Scott McKinsey, about her upset with the assault by McKinsey and Guza turning Claudia into a child molester of her own child ("unnatural thoughts" per script), and after meeting with Brian Frons, it was decided she would exit.

[Vee]

You're going to have to elaborate on this.

[Liberty City]

Per Brown, there was a stunt McKinsey made her perform and as a result, she suffered severe injury.  I remember her telling the story before but cannot remember the exact details, but I think in the movement of the stunt she hit her head on the camera, and because of McKinsey making her to do the stunt, she's suffered long-term injury because of it.  And how no one has reported on it nor spoken out against the people she's spoken out against.

[John]

Guza wanted to turn Claudia into a killer and a child predator who was attracted to her son Johnny

McKinsey made her do a stunt herself and she got hurt

Edited June 8, 2023 by John

[Planet Soap]

Was Claudia being Johnny's mother a rewrite or was this a bombshell that was always planned for later on?

Edited June 9, 2023 by Planet Soap

[Vee]

Garin Wolf was the one who made it canon that Johnny was Claudia's son several years after Brown's exit. Guza had nothing to do with that. It didn't surprise me tbh, but there was always an incestuous element to their relationship which I thought was interesting onscreen.

[Liberty City]

Per Brown, she always maintained it was Guza who made the choice for Claudia to have those thoughts about Johnny... but that she didn't know about the retcon of Johnny becoming Claudia's son until post-her exit and that she does not support the decision, especially given how close in-age she is with Brandon Barash, and she wouldn't have wanted to play it.

[carolineg]

In a slight defense of Guza I don't think he ever planned to have Claudia be Johnny's mom.  I don't think the incestuous stuff with Johnny was a specific slight to SJB or Claudia. IIRC Anthony seemed to be weirdly attached to Claudia as well.  I think it was Guza's creepy, misguided way of making the family seem gothic and very toxic.   I think Guza wrote Claudia in very misogynistic ways, but I don't necessarily think the Johnny/Claudia relationship was part of that.  I agree with SJB that the decision to make Johnny Claudia's son was weird and pointless, but the Zacchara family dynamic and the unhinged mess of all of it did make that family a bit different from the usual mob foil for Sonny.

[Vee]

tbh the whole gothic, incestuous vibe of the Zacchara family was the major thing that made it stand out of interest to me. But no, I don't think Guza intended to make Claudia his mother. I just wasn't surprised at all when it happened.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Vee

[carolineg]

I wasn't surprised it happened either, but I still don't think it was an intentional slight to SJB.  Yes, she is close in age to Barash-so are LLC and DZ.  Does it speak to some sort of overall sexism/ageism in Hollywood?  Absolutely, but I do think there are much worse aspects in Claudia's characterization.  I think on twitter especially it's sometimes difficult to follow SJB's narrative.  She jumps to several different points that on the outside don't always seem calculated or abusive.  I wish she would write a book or something because I think numerous things do add up to very toxic and unfortunate environment for her at GH.   I am not trying to minimize or discount her feelings or truths in the matter, I just wish I could read about it in a more coherent fashion.  I am probably just showing my age here though lol.

[Vee]

Me neither. I think it just made sense for that family and story.

I agree with everything else you said.

[John]

I believe SJB that Guza wanted it to be mother/son but she walked and Claudia was killed

 

I do remember after Wolf took over he had Sonny gleefully tell Johnny that Claudia was his Mom , not sister

[Vee]

Is that what she actually said? Or did she just say they wrote incestuous feelings into the script and she didn't want to play them?

Because Claudia and Johnny came off incestuous whether she played it or not.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Vee