Guiding Light's mob guy got cut -- but it was his choice.

"I went to the executive producers and said I'd like to try a new look," explains Stephen Martines (Tony) of his new haircut. "I was getting sick of the old spiky hair, and I was a little worried about my hairline, thinking I might look bald. I wanted more of an edge to Tony, with the upcoming story of him taking over the mob and doing business under the table. I wanted him to be more threatening. So they changed the image a little bit, and it worked out. People love it. I'm pretty happy about it."

Will Tony become even darker now? Don't bet your pinkie ring on it. "The funny thing is, you'll see with the upcoming story the more sensitive, vulnerable side to the character," promises Martines. "He's coming into his own and creating his own life. Unfortunately things will probably backfire, but that creates the drama."

In a way, Tony is a lot like Martines' last brooding character, Nikolas Cassadine on GENERAL HOSPITAL. "I've gotta be honest with you," he confides, "I've been very blessed with two great shows, playing two phenomenal characters, and both times being a recast. [It's been] a great experience with the fans being warm and welcoming. It helped this time coming from another show, because a lot of people had seen my work. It allows the fans to warm to me a little bit easier when a show is taking the character in a different direction."

For Martines, change is good (just look him up as Coltin Scott). "I'm having a blast," he sums up. "It's a different world when you come to a show where they respect people as people, and not just as actors. Everybody's very tight. Egos are checked at the door."