GH’s Chad Duell Says He’s ‘Glad’ About Michael’s Fiery Exit Story
General Hospital fans were in for a shock when Daytime Emmy-winner Chad Duell announced in November that he had made the decision to exit the show, where he has played Michael Corinthos since 2010. Many were even more gobsmacked by the way the show began his exit arc, with Michael clinging to life after being engulfed in flames early in January. Duell discussed his true feelings about Michael’s fiery fate and more when he sat down with his friend and on-screen father, Maurice Benard (Sonny), on Benard’s mental health-focused YouTube series, State Of Mind.
Exit Strategy
In his conversation with Benard, Duell acknowledged that his father’s recent passing, which he said he had yet to truly process or find closure with, factored in to his decision to leave GH. “I’ve never lost anybody close to me in my life like that,” Duell shared. “So this is just new to me.”
Also relatively new to the actor is fatherhood. He and Luana Lucci became first-time parents in August 2023 to son Dawson. “When it first happened,” Duell admitted of Lucci’s pregnancy, “everything was just freak-out mode, panic, scared, anxiety, depression… We were only dating for six months and that happened — [having a child] was the last thing on my mind.” When Dawson entered the world, “It was just really scary.” As Dawson ages, however, Duell has come to cherish having a son, and enjoys “making him laugh and [him] seeing me in the mornings when I walk in there and he just, like, screams out of excitement…. It’s becoming more fun.”
As the men’s talk continued, Benard asked him what his biggest fear was. “First thing that comes to mind is unrealized potential,” Duell said. “That’s been kind of the story for a large part of my life.” Observed Benard, “I would imagine that that is one of the reasons why you’re leaving General Hospital.” Benard added, “Selfishly, I don’t want you to go, but there’s the other side of me that says, ‘Go!’ Because you’ve been talking about this, like I do — ‘I’m getting the hell out of here,’ you know? — for so long.”
Duell clarified, “I’m not saying about me [that I’m getting the hell out [of GH]’ or anything.” He explained, “I realized how unbelievably blessed I am to be in this situation, to be on the show as long as I have, to have so many great people that I work with all the time for such a long time. And really, for me, I look at it as, it’s just taking a step away and with that would be this, like, ‘We’ll see what happens with doing that.’ ” Referencing that there have been “a lot of changes in my life,” he said, “I just want to take some time to maybe go home for a bit,” to his native Arizona, so that Dawson could spend time with his extended family.
“I feel like I’ve just been kind of in a bubble for a long time,” Duell continued, noting that, “I would still be in involved in the industry, but that’s a large part of [why I decided to leave]. It’s not just like, ‘Peace!’ I’m going on to [do other things].’ ” He said that if the right opportunity came along, he would be open to it, but a desire to work on other acting projects was not the driving force behind his departure.
Recounting how he relayed the news to Executive Producer Frank Valentini, Duell recalled, “I sat with Frank — Frank Valentini, our producer — [and] he was very understanding and I really respect and appreciate him for allowing [me to leave]. The door’s open there for me to come back.”
Duell voiced his appreciation for how the writers chose to handle writing Michael off the canvas, calling it “smart… It was really good, what they did. It’s going to turn out really well, I think…. I’m glad they did that [and not] a typical, ‘I get shot or blown up and I’m gone.’ The whole thing was really well done. So, kudos to everybody.”
The actor concluded by comparing his long stint at GH to running on a treadmill, saying of his break from the show, “I just want to catch my breath, and step back on, possibly, down the line with a different perspective and a new respect.” He emphasized, “I’m thankful to Frank for allowing the opportunity to come back, leaving the door open. He didn’t need to do that. I’m aware of how blessed I am for that.”
Watch the full conversation between Duell and Benard below:
Conversation
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