ABC
With his association with Michael no longer a secret to Sonny, it’s a whole new ballgame for GH’s Dex. Digest checked in with his portrayer, Evan Hofer, about what this portends for the character’s future — and his relationship with Josslyn.
Soap Opera Digest: The secret that just blew up in Dex’s face — that he was hired by Michael to infiltrate Sonny’s organization — has been percolating since your early days on the show. Did you get a heads-up that it was finally going to get exposed to Sonny, or did you find out by reading the script?
Evan Hofer: I knew nothing! I got the script and I went, “Ohhhhh!” I was excited because I felt like there were going to be some really awesome scenes. It’s always great when there’s cool story happening. It’s one of those things that had to come to a head at some point, and I think it’s [leading to] some really exciting scenes, especially between Mo [Maurice Benard , Sonny] and me, and Eden [McCoy, Josslyn] and me.
Digest: You had your mom come visit the set the day Sonny dragged Dex to the Pine Barrens, right?
Hofer: Yeah, I finally got to bring my mom to work the day of the Pine Barrens and get a picture of her in the Pine Barrens! You know, because of Covid, everything has been pretty tight in terms of bringing guests [to the studio]. I’ve been there almost two years now and the day of the Pine Barrens, as a joke, I was like, “Can my mom come to set?” And one of the producers was like, “Yeah,” and I was like, “Okay, great, sweet!” So I called her and was like, “Get ready!” She got to come, but she. didn’t get to see me film anything, unfortunately, because I was done by the time she got there. But I did get to show her around a little bit and it was awesome! She loved it, getting to put a face to all the names she hears from me all the time, all my awesome friends both on the crew and the captain upstairs in the office [Executive Producer Frank Valentini].
Digest: As the audience knows, Dex’s life was spared — at least for now — when Carly showed up. What stands out to you about filming those scenes?
Hofer: Well, it’s always incredible to work with Mo, and to get to work with Laura Wright [Carly] was so incredible, as well. What also stands out is that you really got to see a lot of the relationship between Sonny and Dex and see a lot of hurt on both side. That’s what I think is so cool. If this had happened just a few months in, nobody would have cared; there’s no relationship, no depth. Not as much, anyway. But seeing their relationship build over time and to see both of their hearts kind of break in this really unique way — I just feel fortunate to have gotten to do all of that with Mo because as I’ve said over and over again, he is such a wonderful mentor to me.
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
Secrets Are No Fun: According to Hofer, Dex feels “a grim sense of relief” about Sonny (Maurice Benard) knowing the truth.
Digest: So much of Dex’s existence in Port Charles has centered around protecting this secret. How would you describe his state of mind as he’s processing the fact that the truth is out there now?
Hofer: I think there’s almost a grim sense of relief because, “Wow, I don’t have to keep this secret from this person I really care about, Sonny, anymore.” But at the same time, he’s thinking, “Now that it’s out there, he doesn’t trust me. I know that; I know him well enough to know that he doesn’t trust me. So, all right, now that everything’s out there, is there some way to make this okay again?” For Dex, this loss is the loss of a relationship with the first father figure, the first parental figure that’s ever cared about him and taken him under wing and thought positively of him and believed in him. To be losing that, losing someone he felt he had this trust and relationship with and have that person just do a complete 180 on him is devastating.
Digest: Speaking of fathers and father figures, have you seen fans speculating online about whether Jagger, or John as he is now known, could be Dex’s father?
Hofer: I have, yeah. And I keep seeing stuff, too, where people think that I’m Jason’s son, as well.
Digest: Well, whose son do you want Dex to be, Evan?!
Hofer (laughs): Oh, gosh, everybody’s! I’ve met [Adam Harrington, John] in passing, and he’s very kind, and I haven’t had any scenes with Steve [Burton, Jason], but I have hugged him at work. There are too many historical intricacies that I don’t understand to say [which fictional dad I’d prefer], but I just know whatever the writers decide in whatever cool way sounds good to me.
Digest: Back to Dex’s predicament: Where does Josslyn fit into the fallout of this Sonny stuff for Dex?
Hofer: Well, Sonny wants Dex dead! Sonny was about to kill Dex in the Pine Barrens, so that certainly gets in the way of his relationship with Josslyn! He’s just trying to figure out where this leads in his future in general, if there is a future, because I think he’s still processing that it’s out there, and he doesn’t know if Sonny is still going to come after him. He let Dex go that night for Carly, but Dex doesn’t know if that’s for good. And where does that leave him with Joss? Because he can’t put her in danger, and he knows Sonny wouldn’t endanger her, but also, Sonny was willing to kill him despite her. Dex has never loved anyone the way he loves Joss before, or had anyone love him the way Joss does. And the idea of her having to mourn him, I think, starts to raise these warning flags in his head. So Dex is thinking he has to go [away from Port Charles] and that that’s what’s best for her. And I think Joss is thinking, “Okay, how do we make this work? He obviously didn’t kill you; my mom is not gonna let him kill you. We can find a way to make this work,” while Dex is like, “This is really bad and I don’t know that there is any way we can make this work. Sonny wants me dead. How am I just going to stay here and be with you like nothing happened?”
Digest: What did you want to communicate to fans of Dex and Joss about what he is grappling with as he weighs his options for their suddenly uncertain future?
Hofer: I wanted to really get across how he would shoulder as much pain as he possibly could to prevent her from pain. He loves her so much that he’ll put himself through anything, he’ll put his own feelings and his own well-being aside for her to try to protect her as much as he can. Her well-being and her heart are far more important to him than his own life. He loves her more than life itself.
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