General Hospital Exclusive: Nathan Dean Explains Why Ethan is Giving Up His Daughter
On General Hospital, Ethan Lovett has been going to extremes to conceal his connection to Delilah, the late mother of baby Phoebe. But when Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) confronted him with a photograph linking him to the deceased woman, Ethan confessed to being the baby girl’s father. He then immediately pushed to sign away his parental rights in a closed adoption, ensuring that Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) could raise the child without ever finding out his secret. Actor Nathan Dean spoke with Soap Opera Digest about why Ethan is so determined to keep Phoebe’s paternity hidden.
Bringing Up Baby
After Ethan found out that Delilah had died and that her newborn was the foster child of Brook Lynn and Chase, he began looking for excuses to check in on the baby. But rather than get in the way of Brook Lynn and Chase’s efforts to adopt the little girl they believe is an orphan, he’s trying to ensure that it goes through. According to Dean, “This is the best-case scenario, given the circumstances. Obviously, it’s not ideal. I don’t think it’s what Ethan would like to have happened. He didn’t want Delilah to die. But given that Delilah is not here anymore, Ethan is in charge of making sure that this kid is safe.”
The actor notes that the Quartermaine name, fortune and influence can go a long way toward a secure future for Phoebe. “He doesn’t have a really strong relationship with Brook Lynn or Chase, but Ethan trusts Tracy [Jane Elliot] with his life,” Dean points out. “Tracy wants this adoption to go through, and if she is on board, then that helps Ethan out immensely, because suddenly, he’s got the ability to tap into all sorts of resources that he wouldn’t have if it was just him trying to keep the baby safe on his own. So he feels really good about Tracy being involved. He knows that she’ll be there, under the same roof, looking out for the baby.”
Secret Keeper
But why the closed adoption? Why isn’t Ethan being transparent with Tracy — or even his own sister, Lulu (Alexa Havins)? “Ethan has always played everything close to the chest,” Dean says. “But more than that, he knows that Tracy and Lulu would both be like, ‘That’s your daughter, why don’t you just say something and step up?'”
Ethan’s own paternity was once a closely guarded secret, and Dean muses that Lulu and Tracy might also invoke his late father, Luke (Anthony Geary). “They could say, ‘Luke didn’t turn you away, why are you doing this [to your child]?’ And in Ethan’s mind, he just doesn’t need that sort of guilt trip. They may be right, but at this point, he’s not really in the headspace to raise a child. And he knows that Lulu and Tracy would try to talk him out of it!”
So at least for now, Ethan has made his choice and he’s sticking to it. The GH star declares, “He believes this is the solution: ‘I’m going to get this adoption done, then it’s out of my hands, and I’ll know I did the right thing by this kid by taking myself out of it.'”
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