Rory Gibson On Michael’s Baby Bombshell On GH: ‘He’s Not Ashamed’ (Exclusive)

Stepping into the role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital just as the character was poised to step into the courtroom to face off against soon-to-be-ex-wife Willow proved to be a case of perfect timing for Rory Gibson, the actor tells Soap Opera Digest.

Filming the scenes with such a wide array of his new co-stars “was a nice time to get to know everyone a little bit more because we were there for quite long days and we were all kind of in this enclosed space together,” the actor explains. “But at the same time, it was more difficult than it would be to film a wedding where everyone’s kind of happy-go-lucky — for the most part at least! I mean, we know how soap weddings can go [laughs]. But the intensity in the room was pretty prevalent, and I feel like me not being super-familiar with everyone yet kind of helped me focus a little bit more. I was a little bit more locked in because in this situation, the only thing that I feel like Michael was really concerned about was winning, so his dynamic with everyone else in the room doesn’t have to be warm and cuddly. It’s quite intense. He’s kind of a man on a mission in this, so I do think it helped me to just be able to lock in on the scene and focus on what was happening in the moment. It was a very intense time, but a very cool time, and by the end of it, I obviously knew everyone a lot better! And we had a wonderful time shooting it. And there are some scenes coming up that I’m very excited to see.”

While it was the previous Michael, Chad Duell, who played the ugly events that brought Michael and Willow’s marriage to the breaking point, Gibson did his homework to wrap his head around the emotional turmoil the situation poses for his character. As the actor sees it, “It’s a curious place for Michael to be in, because on the one hand, he is trying to do the justifiable thing, where he’s concerned for his children’s well-being. Willow seems to just be at the beck and call of Drew and anything Drew says, she seems to be on board with. And Michael knows for a fact that this isn’t a safe situation for his children to be in. So, that’s all justifiable and makes sense.

“But on the other hand,” he continues, “I do think he is fueled by a little bit of rage, you know? He loved Willow. He was absolutely head over heels, madly in love with her. And it just went away — and it was taken by someone who meant a lot to him,” Drew, “someone that he thought he could trust, someone he thought had his back and had his best interest in mind. It’s like a double betrayal of two of the closest people in his life.”

With Michael’s dual motivations in mind, Gibson says, “It’s like this weird line that I’m trying to figure out: How to tell between heartbreak and unfiltered, diehard rage over the situation he has been pushed into.” Especially in light of the physical ordeal he’s been through since being so catastrophically burned in that explosion back in January. “Michael almost died!” the actor reminds. “He’s gone through so much, and I’m almost looking at the explosion as a rebirth type of situation, where he was going through all this [in his marriage] but he was trying to be civil, but I think he’s come back to Port Charles with a new sense of clarity, and he’s like, ‘I’m not going to let life happen to me anymore. I’m going to start taking this by the reins and take control of the situation.”

Of course, the situation became a lot harder to control by the end of the June 4 episode, when Sasha was forced to admit under oath that Michael is the father of her (for now!) unborn baby. As her big revelation on the witness stand was taking place, confides Gibson, “That was quite tricky because I don’t really speak during those scenes, but I knew that the cameras would be cutting to me, and I knew this was a big moment for Michael, too. He knows this is going to hurt his case, but Michael never wanted to keep the paternity a secret in the first place. If Michael had it his way, everyone would [already] know, and he would be there for Sasha. Honestly, he’d probably be with Sasha, and he’d be wanting to raise this baby with her.”

For Michael, then, Sasha’s confession “creates this weird combination of feelings like, ‘Oh, this is the absolute worst time for this to happen,’ but also, a weird sense of acceptance. Michael’s not ashamed [about the baby]. He wants to be there for his kids and love his kids. So, this is a bump in the road, but now, the opportunity for him to be a father to his child is there. I think that he’s worried, but he also has a peace of mind in knowing that he doesn’t have to keep this giant secret anymore.”

Given that GH’s weekly promo video shows Sasha going into labor, it looks like Michael will be pretty busy welcoming Baby No. 3 into the world in the coming episodes — but sooner or later, he’ll have to face the music with Willow for sleeping with Sasha, especially in light of all the guff he’s given Willow over her tryst with Drew. “It’s not that I don’t think Michael is ashamed of the fact that he also cheated,” Gibson clarifies. “It’s more so that he’s not ashamed of the baby. He’s happy the baby is coming. But I’m sure Willow feels some kind of way about that, too, because Michael’s been dismantling her this whole time over Drew, while in her eyes, Michael’s done something very similar — if not potentially worse!”