eX-FILES
Billie Hayes Remembers GH's O'Reilly

Although Billie Hayes' tenure on GENERAL HOSPITAL may have been brief, she left a lasting impression with her portrayal of O'Reilly, the feisty WSB agent, who was partnered with the suave and adventurous Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers). Hayes came on to the show during the height of GH's enormous success, in late 1981, when its most popular storyline ever, The Saga of the Ice Princess, was playing to rave ratings.

While Hayes had been a successful actress in numerous stage and musical productions, as well as a regular on a popular children's show, she was a relative newcomer to the world of daytime. "I had never done it before, so it was a whole different ball game for me," Hayes recalls. "I have a lot of respect for soap actors and actresses. You shot a whole script a day, so you had to have your dialogue down, and you had to be prepared. I was in a constant learning motion all the time, so it really was a difficult thing."

The task was made easier when Hayes was immediately welcomed into the fold by Anthony Geary (Luke), Genie Francis (Laura) and Tristan Rogers (ex-Scorpio). "They were all your key players then, and so I went into it right at the beginning of the Ice Princess spy stuff," she says. "They were all fabulous to work with."

What's even more amazing, according to Hayes, was that Geary and Rogers had a reputation for ad libbing, which certainly kept her on her toes. "Tony and Tristan together, that was like watching a ping-pong match without your glasses," she says, laughing. What was wonderful, though, was that when I came to the show, the bulk of my scenes were with Tristan, so he stayed pretty close to the script for me. But when it was Tony, Tristan and myself--and once in a while Genie would be in there, too, but she never varied from the script--Tony and Tristan would play," she relates. "They were used to one another and knew each other's characters and rhythms, but because they knew I was the new kid on the block, they always bounced back onto the line that was my cue. They were very respectful, and I love them both."

Despite her character's on-screen demise, O'Reilly remained a most beloved part of the canvas--so much so, that several years later she was called back to reprise the role in newly created footage for a storyline centered in the past! "It was the time that they introduced Finola (Hughes; ex-Anna) to the show, "Hayes recalls. "After I was off the show for quite a while, I dropped by the studio, and Gloria (Monty), who was there with her sister, Norma, said she liked the outfit I was wearing. It wasn't too long after that I heard from them, and they asked me if I would mind wearing that outfit again," she says with a laugh. "I felt that something was in the air when I went there; and that's how my return came to be, and it was very clever how they did it."

Prior to joining the daytime soap, Hayes had a prominent career. Not only is she an accomplished stage actress, but she also appeared in the Saturday morning kids' show H.R. Pufnstuf, as the outrageously funny and flamboyant Witchiepoo. "It's amazing how my career has jumped around," she offers, "but that was a role that everybody would love to do at one time in their lives. It was wonderful because I had carte blanche to do anything."

Moreover, Hayes never imagined the series would retain its appeal years later. "They're already talking about doing the movie, and they've already asked me to do it, but I don't really count on anything," she adds, chuckling. "Not until I see a script and a contract!"

Hayes thoroughly enjoyed working with (l to r) Anthony Geary, Genie Francis & Tristan Rogers.