THE SCOOP

Nearly 13 years since the cancellation of “All My Children,” fan favorite Eva LaRue is returning to ABC, this time playing a new character on “General Hospital.”

According to TVLine, which first reported the news, LaRue is set to hit Port Charles, where she’ll appear as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez, Blaze’s (Jacqueline Grace Lopez) mother, starting with the Monday, February 26 episode of the daytime drama series. The outlet shared a first look photo of LaRue shown in a scene from her debut episode, which you can view here.

On the show, Blaze is adjusting to her feelings for Kristina (Kate Mansi) where she’s embracing being an out pair after spending much of her life in the closet due to fear over how her sexuality might negatively impact her career and how her family would react to learning about her same-sex attraction. 

LaRue’s casting will see the actress reuniting with some of her former “All My Children” castmates, including Cameron Mathison (ex-Ryan Lavery), who now plays Drew Cain on “General Hospital,” and Michael E. Knight (ex-Tad Martin), who plays Martin Grey on ABC’s 60-year-old soap opera.

Portraying Dr. Maria Santos Grey on “All My Children” off and on for 18 years, LaRue joined the cast of “The Young and the Restless” from 2019-2020 and played Celeste Rosales, the matriarch of the Rosales family. The role won her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series during “The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.” LaRue was previously nominated two other times, first for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Maria on “All My Children” in 1997 and again in 2004 for Outstanding Original Song for the song “Dance Again With You.”

Outside of soaps, LaRue is probably best known for her seven season run as Natalia Boa Vista on “CSI: Miami,” as Linda Lorenzo on “George Lopez” or playing Carmen in the UPN comedy “Head Over Heels,” among other roles.

LaRue made a name for herself in 1988 when she joined the cast of NBC’s “Santa Barbara” as Margot Collins, which had Patrick Mulcahey as one of its writers at the time. Mulcahey was recently named co-head writer of “General Hospital,” working alongside veteran writer Elizabeth Korte, who has been with the show since 1994 in various positions ever since, including her most recent role as script editor and the show’s historian.