General Hospital’s Josh Kelly on His ‘Adorable’ New Co-Star — Outback the Dog! (Exclusive)
Outback — the adorable dog discovered back in June by Emma and Gio, who fell in love with the pup but were forced to rehome her due to the no-pets policy in Anna’s building — went missing last week on General Hospital, much to new owner Rocco’s horror. Happily, viewers got confirmation on the September 16 episode that Outback is alive and well, as she was seen helping herself to Cody’s sandwich in the stables at the Quartermaine mansion. Cody’s portrayer, Josh Kelly, tells Soap Opera Digest that he couldn’t have been more delighted to find himself with a new four-legged scene partner.
A Dog’s Life
“That dog is adorable!” pronounces Kelly, who, courtesy of his character’s on-screen profession, is already used to sharing screen time with Leche, the horse who plays Comet. “Her real name is Bailey and she is super-sweet,” he continues. “Bailey is a little beagle, and my first dog as a kid was a beagle mix named Stormy, so I’m a fan of the breed.”
Once he started working alongside Bailey, Kelly’s only regret when it came to their scenes is how little time they had to bond behind the scenes. “I wish I could have worked with the dog more off camera,” he explains. “I wish I could have been its handler, because the dog’s handler is on set and they only pay attention to the handler! I don’t know if it’s her owner or her trainer, but talk about having to be present in scenes! You really have to do more acting because you can’t really react with the dog, and you have to really be on your toes because, well, it’s a dog, and it might move or do something you’re not expecting it to. You’ve got to ‘yes and’ it [the term used in improv comedy for working off what your scene partner does]. Which is fun! It’s another level of acting, but it’s not the same as being present with another human actor.”Not only that, but Kelly found himself a bit envious of Bailey’s focus on her handler. “When it’s an adorable dog like she is, you want it to like you,” he admits with a chuckle. “You know when you’re at a party and a dog kind of likes you, but it really likes your friends and you get kinda jealous? It feels like that. You’re like, ‘Well, why doesn’t she want to look at me?’ Of course, then you realize, ‘Well, I’m not the one with a bunch of treats in my pocket [laughs]!’ But it did make me a little jealous. I was like, ‘Come on, let me train her!”
Conversation
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