JAMES PATRICK STUART ON GH RETURN
■ James Patrick Stuart is back in the Port Charles mix as Valentin, as he continues to juggle his GH duties with his role on the upcoming Disney+ series
VILLAINS OF VALLEY VIEW.
It was always Stuart’s hope to remain on GH. He recalls, “I was in a nice little groove on the show, I was really enjoying it,
Finola [Hughes, Anna] and I were really enjoying it, and then all of a sudden, I get backed up into this opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. I took Frank [Valentini, executive producer] out to dinner and I told him, ‘I hope you realize that my heart is here. I love the work we do together, I love this family.’ I mean, honest to God, everybody on the crew, it’s just unreal the amount of work they put out, and how can you not love something you put that kind of work into? And he said, ‘Well, we’ll make it work.’ ”
Valentini was true to his word, and Stuart beams, “I’m having fun on both projects. It’s nine minutes door-to-door from studio to studio, it’s just a lot of hours, a lot of 14-hour days. I’m not complaining; it’s really good fortune.”
Early call times are now the name of the game for Stuart at GH, and when he wraps there, he drives to his Disney+ workplace. The actor explains, “We’re back in the groove [at GH], it’s just that I have to be out at 9 in the morning, which means we have to work very quickly. And I actually like the danger of that, watching the minute hand approaching the 12 and knowing you don’t have any time at all, that any screwups you make are going to be kept, it’s going to make it on air.”
Expect Valentin’s screen time to tick up in the weeks to come. “I’m dedicated,” Stuart declares. “I told Frank, ‘I’ll be on your doorstep with a guitar, you might as well let me work!’ I like it here, you know? They are very good to me on the other show, but they understand that my heart is very much [at GH] as well, and they are not making any overtures that they want me exclusively. They’re happy to share. The guys who do the scheduling absolutely consult with GENERAL HOSPITAL before writing anything in rock, and GH has been great, saying, ‘As long as we can have everything up until 9 a.m., we’ll work with you.’ I’m very lucky.”