THE SCOOP

Walt Willey is set to return to “General Hospital” as his former “All My Children” character Jackson Montgomery, beginning Tuesday, August 29.

In teasing his return to the daytime drama series, Willey said on Twitter, “Lots of other surprises in store so stay tuned (as they say)!”

As for his return to daytime, Willey notes, “This has been so much fun, to put on the ol’ grease paint and good clothes and entertain YOU, to hang with fellow actors who know how very fortunate we are, to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones along the way, to feel the love and support you’ve shown me for nearly thirty years just well up and spill over me.” He added, “Thanks to ‘General Hospital’s EP, Frank Valentini, for digging me out of the mothballs! And to YOU for caring that he did!”

During his mid-July debut on “General Hospital,” Willey appeared in three episodes with the actor sharing scenes with Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and Kristina Wagner (Felicia Scorpio) as the women tried to get the goods on Lucy’s man friend Martin Grey (played by Willey’s former “All My Children” co-star Michael E. Knight). Presumably, Jackson will continue playing an active role in the side story, airing across two episodes this time, according to a tweet by the actor. He appears in the Tuesday, August 29 and Wednesday, August 30 episodes.

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 told Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) he could no longer stand by her and that she can go to Los Angeles alone after she told him she didn’t want to marry him. 

As he leaves the room, seemingly walking away from her for good, Erica runs after Jackson, begging him to listen to her. In the end, Jackson spouts the line, “Frankly, Erica, I don’t give a damn what you need,” referencing the famous quote 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’s run to catch up with Jackson just happens to coincide with JR Chandler (then played by Jacob Young) aiming his gun and firing a shot, leaving fans pondering who got shot – in the 2013 reboot it was revealed to be JR’s ex-wife, Marissa Tasker (Sarah Glendening). 

Before joining “All My Children,” Willey played characters on such soaps as “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.” 

Willey also played the role of Jackson Montgomery over a series of episodes on the short-lived daytime drama “The City,” a spinoff of “Loving” which itself was a pseudo-spinoff “All My Children.” The late Agnes Nixon created all three shows.

Check out a clip of Willey’s recent appearance on “General Hospital” below.