For Stuart Damon, taking on the role of AS THE WORLD TURNS's Ralph was a journey home. Not only did he reunite with former GENERAL HOSPITAL/PORT CHARLES co-stars Jon Lindstrom (Craig; ex-Kevin/Ryan), Lynn Herring (Audrey; ex-Lucy), Julie Pinson (Janet; ex-Eve) and Marie Wilson (Meg; ex-Karen), but he returned to Brooklyn, where he was born and raised!

Soap Opera Weekly: Was it really wonderful and comforting to be surrounded by so many GH alums at WORLD TURNS?
Stuart Damon: Oh, yeah, it was great. It made me very, very much at ease those first couple of days, because I was nervous to go and do this. First of all, it's been a while since I've been acting, and second of all, it was so totally different — I was going to try different things [in this role]. I mean, Ralph doesn't start off being evil. It takes quite a while for that to happen, but I tried to be as charming and as deadly as I possibly could. I put the notice out right away: "Don't mess with him." But it was great. It was just like being at home with Jon and Lynn — and Julie and [her husband] Billy (Warlock; ex-AJ, GH), who I have an ongoing friendship with. He and Jon were great to me. They were just wonderful.

Weekly: The reunion is a treat for viewers who have watched both shows for years.
Damon: Well, now you've got it from both ends [in one place]. Now you've got GH and ATWT.

Weekly: Exactly! It's like the perfect merger [laughs]. It's truly wonderful to see you back on daytime.
Damon: I love working in daytime. I've been in it for so long, it's really comfortable for me, and it's exciting, because it's really a rapid pace. It just keeps my heart and my brain going at full tilt. It's a pleasure for me to do all that.

Weekly: What was your best memory of coming to New York to shoot the show?
Damon: My best memory was having a chance to see the house I grew up in — which was literally 10 minutes from the studio. And it looks exactly the same. That was my best memory — taking a ride down there and seeing it. It was fabulous. It was very special. I had all these fabulous ghostlike memories coming back, just going down the street...how, as a kid, I used to play slap ball and punchball out on the streets. So it was really special. It took me so many years to get rid of my New York accent, but lo and behold, it came in handy [for this role].

Weekly: Whether you grew up here or you move here, New York becomes part of your blood.
Damon: Oh, it absolutely is, it absolutely is. I grew up there in Brooklyn, and then I lived in Manhattan for the first part of my career, because I was in the theater. So I was in a lot of Broadway shows, and I used to travel the country in summer stock. New York was my home. I used to live on 86th Street and Riverside Drive. You couldn't get an apartment for what I paid there now [laughs].