“One Life to Live” legend Erika Slezak officially arrived in Port Charles last week, taping her first scenes as a yet-to-be-revealed character on “General Hospital.”
According to an update by her official fan club on Sunday, Slezak’s first week went well, and she felt “warmly welcomed” by the cast and crew at Prospect Studios in Hollywood, where the daytime drama series tapes.
“Everyone at ‘GH’ is so wonderfully kind and helpful, and by now I know my way around the studio a bit,” commented Slezak, talking about her experience. Further, she has already reunited with several people she knew from her days working in New York, which the fan club notes “has made her feel comfortable and at ease” in her new working environment.
Although an air date for Slezak has remained unknown up to this point, the fan club shares, “the past week has been quite busy,” and Slezak anticipates an even busier week ahead. “Her evenings consist of learning lines for the following day! Despite missing her family and animals back home, she is thoroughly enjoying her time at ‘GH.’”
As previously reported, “General Hospital” co-head writers Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten confirmed that Slezak will be playing a new character with ties to the Quartermaine family, with the writers saying in an interview with TV Insider, “We can’t wait to see how her character challenges the status quo in Port Charles.”
According to Korte and Van Etten, the Quartermaines will be devastated upon learning their matriarch, Monica, has passed away, with Jason (Steve Burton) and Tracy (Jane Elliot) hit the hardest by the news.
Further, as the family prepares to celebrate the life of one of their own with a grand goodbye after nearly 50 years of the character on the canvas, the occasion not only provides a time for mourning and togetherness, but also an opportunity arises with Slezak’s character arriving with a surprising connection to the Quartermaine clan and mysterious ties to others on the canvas.
While not explicitly stated by the writers, a report by Daytime Confidential in July revealed that Slezak is slated to portray Monica’s sister, marking the first time since the character’s introduction in 1976 (played by Patsy Rahn at the time) that the soap opera would establish a sibling for Monica, considering the character was known to have been an orphan raised by Gail Baldwin (played by the late Susan Brown) with no direct family ties introduced beyond her cousin Lorena Sharpe Barrington (Shelley Taylor Morgan).
News of Slezak’s joining the daytime drama was first announced in June by the show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini, who previously worked with Slezak in the same capacity at “One Life to Live.”
