General Hospital star Michael Easton has opened up about his time as a soap opera star. Prior to starring in GH as Dr. Hamilton Finn, Michael has been on several other soaps, and, at times, he agreed with being fired. Was his departure from General Hospital mutual? Keep reading to see what he has to say about it.
Michael Easton Got His First Job With NBC After Acting In A Play
Fans know that Michael Easton isn’t new to acting, and he certainly isn’t new to the world of soap operas. Before appearing on General Hospital, he portrayed John McBain on One Life To Live. He also played Caleb Morley on Port Charles and had a stint on Days Of Our Lives. Michael also appeared in several primetime programs, including Ally McBeal.
That being said, his departure from GH wasn’t the first time he’s been fired. He sat down with fellow General Hospital stay Maurice Benard on his “State Of Mind” podcast. The pair talked about a number of things, including how Michael Easton got his start on daytime television.
His first role on daytime TV was in Days Of Our Lives. Apparently, Michael landed his role on the soap after someone from NBC saw him in a play he’d written. The meeting was less than ideal, but it did ultimately help him land a job that propelled the rest of his career.
“I was like, ‘What did you think of the play?’” he recalled on the podcast. “She looked at me, she goes, ‘That might have been one of the worst plays I’ve ever seen.’ She goes, ‘But you’re not a bad actor.’”
Following that chance meeting, NBC sent Michael Easton on several auditions. One of them happened to be for Days Of Our Lives. “They flew me out,” he told Maurice, “first-class to audition. I did a screen test. I flew back to New York and when I got back — these were the no cell phone days — there was a message on the answering machine, ‘You start on Friday.’”
General Hospital Star: ‘I Would Have Fired Me Too’
After he landed the job on Days, he spent the better part of the next seven months living in a motel. He told Maurice, “I just didn’t think I was gonna have a job that long.” After getting comfortable on the show, he wound up getting himself an apartment. Ultimately, he wound up getting fired.
Michael admitted, “I was difficult and they were difficult with me for being difficult, and I don’t blame them for firing me. I would have fired me too.”
After that, he spent the next 10 years of his career doing primetime series work. “It became kind of the joke,” he laughed with his General Hospital co-star. “I’d go into the meetings and go, ‘Hey, listen, good news is all my pilots get picked up. Bad news is they all get canceled after one season.’”
However, in 2001, he joined the cast of Port Charles and Michael Easton became a soap opera fan-favorite.
