Exclusive: GH’s Josh Kelly On The ‘Awkward Love Triangle’ He’d Love To See For Cody

This hasn’t been the best week for Cody Bell — not only did his ill-advised decision to bet on Kai’s PCU football game land him in debt (again) to Selina Wu, but his drunken antics at the reopening of Charlie’s landed him in a cell at the PCPD. Soap Opera Digest checked in with Cody’s portrayer, Josh Kelly, about his character’s behavioral backslide, the end of his romance with Sasha and who might be the next woman to catch Cody’s eye.

 

Soap Opera Digest: What were your thoughts about Cody gambling again? It hasn’t worked out too well for him in the past!

Josh Kelly: Yeah, this is true, but you know, a lot of people know what it’s like to feel desperate, and when you’re feeling desperate, you’re willing to rely on the things you know. And that’s what Cody knows! Cody has only recently — and very briefly — been a good guy, and he was doing it for a girl [Sasha]. And he lost the girl, so we’ll see…. He’s definitely reverting a little bit back to his old ways.

Digest: Cody and Sasha’s relationship came to such a sudden end, of course, because they discovered that they were cousins. Did that twist come as much of a shock to you as it did to your character and to the audience?

Kelly: Yeah, kinda — I mean, what’s funny is that people kept saying, “God, when are you guys gonna finally consummate this relationship?!” And I was like, “I don’t know, I don’t know. It is taking a while….” And in hindsight, it’s probably a pretty good thing [that the characters never made love]. Although, I think it would have been good drama if we had, because it’s not like they would have been doing it intentionally, but then it would have [led to] more awkwardness and higher stakes for the story. But he was definitely in love with her.

Digest: And your take on Cody is that he’s still in a little bit of a free fall from finding out she’s his cousin, and still trying to come to terms with that?

Kelly: For sure. Yeah, I guess free fall would be the word. He definitely feels a little lost.

Digest: After playing Cody’s attraction to Sasha for so long, has it been interesting trying to figure out the new dynamic between the characters when you work with Sofia Mattsson (Sasha)?

Kelly: Yeah, it’s fun. I mean, we were both a little bummed that we weren’t going to get to work together as much because we both like each other and we like working with each other, so, but it’s a soap. Gotta roll with the punches! Make that lemonade — make that soap opera lemonade!

Digest: This being a soap, at some point there will be another love interest on his horizon. Fans wondered if there was some significance to the scenes where Cody gave Lulu that ride — and somehow didn’t recognize her, even though he’d visited her in her hospital room, but I digress. But that could be an interesting idea, something sparking between Cody and Lulu, what with the Dante connection. What do you think about that possibility?

Kelly: Oh, I’d love for there to be an awkward love triangle! Alexa [Havins, Lulu] is great. Chloe [Lanier, his real-life girlfriend, who played Nelle] and I hung out with her and her husband [Justin Bruening, ex-Jamie, All My Children] at the GH Christmas party, and we all got along quite well. They’re very fun! They’re a great couple, and she’s great — she’s got great energy.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide: Kelly would welcome a triangle between Lulu (Alexa Havins), Cody and Dante.

Digest: You’ve also made it pretty clear that you are really rooting for a Tracy/Cody relationship. Are you still loving that idea, and getting to work with Jane Elliot (Tracy)?

Kelly: I love it, but I want more! He definitely loves her, she loves him. He’s a rascal — a rascal that reminds her of Luke. Jane wants my character to fleece her, and I don’t. I don’t want him to, actually — I want everyone to think he’s trying to fleece her and con her, but he’s actually just like, “No, we know exactly what this is and we just like each other more than we like you guys! Plus, I’m pretty sure she’s not my cousin [laughs].”

Digest: Well, romance will have to wait, because as we speak, Cody is cooling his heels in jail.

Kelly: Yeah, he’s been pushing the boundaries. He’s been getting a little too edgy.

Digest: His antics earn him a bit of a talking-to from Mac. How would you describe the state of their still relatively new father/son dynamic?

Kelly: Well, obviously, this is a setback, because Cody is trying to impress his father, and lately, he hasn’t been doing so. But it’s sometimes hard to live up to the Mac Scorpio way!

Thank You, Next? With Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) no longer a romantic possibility, Kelly is rooting for Cody and Tracy (Jane Elliot) to form a new kind of bond.