Twin Pique: Drew (Cameron Mathison) refuses to plays second best to Jason in Carly’s (Laura Wright) life.
The recent tension between Carly and Drew comes to a boil this week when Drew learns that his presumed-dead twin, Jason, is back in the Port Charles mix.
Carly has been struggling with the personality changes she has seen in her lover over the past few months. Says Laura Wright (Carly), “Look, she loves Drew and she wants everything to work out. He’s comfortable, he’s good. He felt safe and he did the right thing and he’s the best guy. And now, when he’s doing these other things … that’s a bit difficult for her. She’s still all-in, but she’s concerned because she can’t fix the trauma, she can’t fix what he went through in prison and how angry he is.”
That all seems poised to become a moot point when Drew seeks out Carly. “He hears that Jason is back and that [the cops] think he shot Dante he shows up at Carly’s house and he’s like, ‘I know Jason is here!’ ” sets up Wright. “He’s really upset that Carly didn’t tell him. He’s like, ‘You didn’t call me.’ And he is basically like, ‘You’re going to put him first.’ He says, ‘You believe that Jason is innocent.’ Carly goes, ‘I know he is.’ Drew says, ‘Did he say he was?’ Carly says, ‘No,’ and Drew says, ‘So you’re gonna be all-in, no matter what, without even knowing the details.’ And Carly is like, ‘Absolutely.’ He says, ‘Why?’ And she says, ‘Because it’s Jason.’ So, Drew is asking, ‘Why are you so sure he’s innocent?’ And she’s like, ‘Why are you so sure he’s not?’ ”
The argument escalates quickly. “You see that the rug gets pulled out [from under Drew] the second Jason comes back, “Wright reports. “Drew is just like, ‘You’re going to put Jason first every time.’ And Carly says, ‘I can’t tell you that I won’t put Jason first.’ He says, ‘I can’t deal with that’ — and he breaks up with me and walks out the door! But it’s so great, because it’s powerful and honest. I think they are the best scenes I’ve ever had with Cameron [Mathison, Drew]. It’s some of the best work I’ve ever seen him do. He was so beautiful and raw.”
Wright says that both she and Mathison were caught off-guard by the turn of events. “We were shocked!” she nods. “I hadn’t read the script yet because I had three shows prior [to focus on], but Cameron was shooting the aftermath [scenes], talking to somebody about breaking up with Carly, and he texted me and was like, ‘What the hell?!’ It was definitely an about-face — but I kind of like that, because I think that’s what daytime used to be like, right? And the scenes were so full of emotion. They were so well-done. I’m proud of them.”
Carly doesn’t wallow in any upset over her suddenly single status, as her focus is elsewhere. Wright shares, “As much as I’m sure that she’s affected by Drew leaving, she gets it. One hundred percent of her attention is on Jason. He’s alive. What does he need? It’s not romantic at all,” she asserts. “It’s like family, you know? So, the whiplash [of their split] is not so hard because it’s all about Jason. And this is where Carly, I think, is so strong. She thrives when she goes into protective mode with the people she cares about — whether or not they want it!”