Beginning Monday, May 18, former “All My Children” and “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett marks his return to daytime soaps, playing the newly created role of Detective Joe Fitzpatrick on ABC’s “General Hospital.”
While the opportunity came as a surprise to Bennett, he said in a recent interview with TV Insider that he couldn’t pass this full-circle moment up, noting, “Daytime is where I learned to act. It’s where I learned what this business was. The opportunity to come back to where it all started just felt like the right thing to do. Plus, I was very excited to work with the best of the best, like [executive producer] Frank Valentini. He’s a legend.”
Besides Valentini, Bennett is also happy to be surrounded by some of his “All My Children” co-stars who’ve gone on to play interwoven characters in Port Charles, like Cameron Mathison, who appears as Drew Cain, but previously portrayed Ryan Lavery during his time in Pine Valley.
“Cameron was actually the first call I made when this opportunity came up,” said Bennett to TV Insider. “I was like, ‘Cameron, should I do this? I really want to do this.’ He said, ‘You should do this. It’s going to be very fun for you, and you’re going to enjoy it.’ There’s something about being around Cameron, you feel so safe. He has this magical energy, ever since I met him when I was 19 years old, had just fallen off the turnip truck from Ohio, and moved to New York City to make it big. Back then, Cameron was a safe space for me to be around, and here in Port Charles, nothing has changed. He’s the same guy.”
The same can be said for Michael E. Knight, who plays Martin Gray on the soap opera, following his “All My Children” days as Tad Martin. “I can’t wait; I hope he remembers me,” Bennett says.
As for his new character and what fans can expect, Bennett shares, “I feel like I hit the jackpot when this opportunity came because the character is something that I really wanted to play.” He added, “I’ve never read something where I was like, ‘I have to do it,’ and when I read this, I called my agent and said, ‘I’m playing this character.’”
Bennett will be sharing some of his first scenes with co-star Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri). In a preview clip provided to PEOPLE, Bennett, as Joe Fitzpatrick, can be seen explaining to Dante the details of a recent arrest.
“A call came in from the maître d’ at the Metro Court [Hotel], he said there was some sort of argument, scuffle happening in the gardens and was concerned things were going to escalate and patrons would get injured,” explains Joe to Dante. “When we got there, it was obvious, things had escalated.”
The preview clip did not include information on who was involved in the arrest or what had happened since.
“Coming to work every day and getting to work with so many amazing people under the guidance of Frank Valentini is just a win-win situation,” said Bennett to PEOPLE. “I’m having a blast, and Port Charles already feels like home. I freaking love it,”
