For the first time since “All My Children” went off the air in 2011, fans of the daytime drama series will find out what happened to Jackson Montgomery when his portrayer, Walt Willey, joins the cast of “General Hospital” next month for a brief stint.
According to Soap Opera Digest, which first reported the news, Willey will reprise the role of Jackson when the character heads to Port Charles. This marks the second time Willey will have portrayed the character in another series outside of “All My Children.” He previously portrayed the character over several episodes of “The City” in 1996.
In a post on Facebook, Willey confirmed his joining “General Hospital,” saying, “Been sitting on this one for a while but now I’ve been given the clearance to announce that ‘Jackson Montgomery’ is visiting Port Charles! I’ll be doing a few episodes of ‘General Hospital,’ due to air mid July. So excited to reprise my character and see and work with old friends!” He added, “I’ll keep you posted on any details. ‘Jackson’ in Port Charles…who would have thought it? Let me, and ABC, know what you think about it!”
Willey’s appearance on “General Hospital” marks a reunion of sorts for the actor as he previously appeared in scenes with Finola Hughes when she appeared on “All My Children” as her Anna Devane character from 2001-2003. Other notable “All My Children” alums who have made their way to “General Hospital,” albeit as new characters, include James Patrick Stuart (ex-Will Cortlandt; now Valentin Cassadine), Michael E. Knight (ex-Tad Martin; now Martin Grey), Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee Smythe; ex-Hayden Barnes on “GH”) and Cameron Mathison (ex-Ryan Lavery; now Drew Cain).
Although specific storyline details have yet to be revealed, it’s understood that Jackson is likely to be providing some legal expertise, similar to the experience needed by Nora Buchanan (Hillary B. Smith) from “One Life to Live” in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Willey joined the cast of “All My Children” in 1987 and played Jackson Montgomery until the show’s series finale, which aired on September 23, 2011. In the final moments of the episode, Jackson tells Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) he will no longer stand by her and she can go to Los Angeles alone after she tells him she doesn’t want to marry him.
Desperate for him to go with her, Erica runs after Jackson, begging him to listen to her. In the end, Jackson spouts the iconic line, “Frankly, Erica, I don’t give a damn what you need,” referencing the famous line from the 1939 classic film, “Gone with the Wind,” wherein Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) tells Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Upon hearing the updated line on “All My Children,” Erica again runs after Jackson just as JR Chandler (then played by Jacob Young) aims his gun and fires, leaving fans pondering who got shot – in the 2013 reboot it was revealed to be JR’s ex-wife, Marissa Tasker (Sarah Glendening).
Prior to joining “All My Children,” Willey appeared on the soaps “The Edge of Night,” “Another World,” “As The World Turns,” and “Ryan’s Hope.” His most recent acting credit is as Gregory Ashford in the digital drama series “Tainted Dreams.”
Watch a clip below of Jackson and Anna’s interaction on “All My Children.”
Watch a clip below of the final moments from the series finale of “All My Children.”