James Patrick Stuart’s GH Connections

James Patrick Stuart, who made his GH debut earlier this week as the supposed lowly Greek fisherman who just happens to bear a tattoo of the Cassadine crest, came away from his 1989-92 stint as ALL MY CHILDREN baddie Will Cortlandt with several connections to the Port Charles crew. Chief among them? Genie Francis (Laura), who played AMC’s Ceara in his Pine Valley days. “She was like a big sister to me,” he says fondly. “She and Jonathan [Frakes, her husband] used to take me out to dinner and order more Chinese food than was necessary so they could send me home with some, because they knew that I was living by myself.” He was also pals with Laura Wright (Carly), who he knew by her maiden name, Laura Sisk, and was then starring on LOVING as Ally. “Kelly [Ripa, ex-Hayley, AMC] and Laura were really close and I remember we would go on dates, we’d go to concerts, we’d go to the China Club, we’d go to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. We were all just goofy kids having fun in the city.” And even though he was working across the country as DAYS’s Tanner, Stuart also became friendly with Michael Easton (Finn) at industry events. “I remember that Michael got a pilot that didn’t get picked up and he was really frustrated. We all kind of went through that together, as friends just trying to survive Hollywood. [GH] has been like a reunion, and I just really want to connect with everybody and hear about all their adventures.” For more with the actor, check out the new issue of Soap Opera Digest, on sale now.