Five Minutes With … Jason Gerhardt
On GENERAL HOSPITAL, Coop may be living single, but in real life, his portrayer, Jason Gerhardt, is a devoted family man. In the 11/13 issue of Digest, he’s the subject of FOCUS ON… but as you’ll see, there’s much more to this hot young actor than meets the eye.
Soap Opera Digest: So, congratulations on the impending birth of your son in December.
Jason Gerhardt: Thank you! Yes, we’re having a boy. I’m so excited. [Wife] Chalae’s feeling great, but she’s so ready to get that baby out. She’s practically jumping up and down trying to get him to come out!
Digest: People must be shocked to find out you’re a family man, considering you look so young.
Gerhardt: Oh, yeah. Completely. Even people on set were shocked. When they found out I was married, they were like, “What?” Then they found out I have a baby [daughter Madysen, 2] and they were like, “Huh?” And now another on the way? It doesn’t quite compute [laughs]. I just tell people we’re a young, married couple who had babies really young.
Digest: Were you surprised that fans welcomed the Maxie/Coop pairing with open arms?
Gerhardt: They call them 3M because when we first met him, he was known only as “Three.” Isn’t that great? Even though they broke up, Coop’s still got strong feelings for her and I don’t think he’s able to just toss them away.
Digest: Does your wife watch your love scenes?
Gerhardt: She doesn’t like to, but I’m always open for her to do that because I’m not hiding anything from her. It’s my job to go home and make sure she feels okay. She met Kirsten [Storms, Maxie] and they get along great. Kirsten has a boyfriend, and she and I have talked about it. It is a little uncomfortable because it’s one of those things that’s only supposed to be between you and your significant other. But we’re very respectful and we have our boundaries. We make sure the other one is comfortable with it and I’m not going to do anything that she doesn’t want me to do. And Chalae’s seen that it’s very technical when you’re on set. It looks very different on camera.”
Digest: Will we be seeing more of the war storyline involving Coop, Logan and Cody?
Gerhardt: That is a good question. I sure hope so. I think it’s a terrific storyline, which I don’t think has really been done in soaps, dealing with the [after effects of the] Iraq War. I think it’d be fun to play — and hopefully play it in a way that honors the guys who are over there now. Our soldiers are doing an unbelievable service. I have cousins who’ve been affected by the first Gulf War. I don’t know what they’ve been through, but I think it would be fascinating to see that portrayed on a soap opera.
Digest: Is it true you used to sing in a gospel choir?
Gerhardt: That is correct. My dad and sister both liked to sing. She got into a choir in high school, so it was a natural I got into a choir there. Our music teacher would pick a lot of gospel songs, which were always my favorites. Then, when I went to the University of Wisconsin, they were playing some music at freshman orientation and I was drawn immediately to that booth and they roped me in. I was the only white dude in the choir for a while, but that changed after the first year.
Digest: We hear you also just launched a fan club.
Gerhardt: Yes. The Official Jason Gerhardt Fan Club has just been launched. We’re hoping it’s not going to be your normal fan club. It’s going to be very interactive with me. I’m going to be very available — and it’s really charity-driven. Right now we’re working with World Vision, which is an organization that helps children all around the world. It’s such a great cause. We’re just a bunch of people getting together, trying to do some good and change the world around us.
For more on Jason Gerhardt’s fan flub, check out the actor’s official Web site at www.jasongerhardt.com. For more on the charity it will be benefiting, check out www.worldvision.org.
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