Michael Easton wrapped up his run as Dr. Hamilton Finn on General Hospital last week and is now opening up about his exit and how he wished he had more time to explore his character’s departure.
The Daytime Emmy nominated actor starred on the long-running soap opera on and off since 2012 and played three different characters — John McBain, Silas Clay, and, most recently, Finn, who left Port Charles last week as he fell off the wagon and checked into rehab.
Speaking to Soap Hub, Easton said he wished Finn’s relapse would have played out over a more extended period. “From an acting standpoint, I would have liked to have just brought a little more subtlety and nuance to it,” he said. “I had to get to a point very quickly.”
On the show, Easton’s exit story began after his character’s father, Gregory Chase (Gregory Harrison), died, and Finn fell into a depression that led him back to alcohol. It all seemed to happen rather fast, and ultimately, Finn checked into rehab on last Thursday’s (June 27) episode.
Despite the quick exit, Easton praised the General Hospital cast and crew, especially Harrison. “I have such an affinity for Gregory [Harrison],” he shared. “He’s a wonderful actor. He’s equally, if not more, wonderful as a human being. I became very close with him.”
“I was the beneficiary of a lot of really good writing and directing,” Easton continued. “I got to work with some really wonderful actors.”
Jophielle Love and Michael Easton on General Hospital; Disney/Christine Bartolucci
He also touched on that emotional final scene with his TV daughter, Violet (Jophielle Love), describing it as “the hardest goodbye of them all.”
“I have a daughter [in real life], and so Jophielle and I had this immediate connection,” Easton stated. “People said that our relationship looked so natural, as if we’d known each other in past lives. I think [Jophielle] is going to do amazing things both as an actress and as a singer. She’s going to do amazing things in life.”
Finn’s stint in rehab is set to last three months, leading to the question of whether Easton will reprise his role once the rehab is over. According to the Ally McBeal alum, a return to General Hospital is not on the cards, at least not for the near future.
“I think there was a finality [to my exit], and there was a finality for me to it, too,” he explained. Instead, Easton is looking forward to new parts and new projects, whatever those might be.
He added, “I mean, I’m not done. I’ll [be] trying to find that right part, that next great storyline… I don’t know where that will come from.”
General Hospital, Weekdays, Check Local Listings, ABC
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