GENERAL HOSPITAL
Luke and Laura

Adventure + Romance = LUKE AND LAURA

Interview
Anthony Geary & Genie Francis Prove They're Still Port Charles' Favorite Pair

It was as if the clock had stood still when Anthony Geary and Genie Francis (Luke & Laura, General Hospital) sat down to talk about their triumphant return to the roles that made them household names. Both talented performers still had the excitement and passion in their voices as they shared their feelings about returning to Port Charles, sentiments echoed by Executive Producer Wendy Riche and Supervising Producer Shelley Curtis.

How does it feel to be stepping into the shoes of these characters ten years later?
Tony: It doesn't feel like ten years to me, but I really liked seeing her! (gesturing to a radiant Genie)
Genie: It's a little scary and hard to do.
Tony: It's hard to stand in your own shadow.

Genie, the rumors about your return to the show were swirling for months before it was announced on the Emmy Awards telecast. How long had you really been thinking about it?
Genie: I had been talking with the people at GH about returning for a long time. It was a really hard decision to make. I was living in New York City, I was missing my husband (Jonathan Frakes of Star Trek: The Next Generation), and I was having a lot of fun working in the theater. It was difficult to decide which path to take. However, the way I felt about this was that we had done something extraordinary ten years ago and I didn't want to do something today that might lack that quality.
Wendy: We had extensive creative sessions, all of us, including our Head Writer Claire Labine (Emmy winning Ryan's Hope co-writer). We all decided to go forward with it when we knew we had the right story for them. We got Tony and Genie's input into not just the story, but how the characters would play. That was instrumental in the feeling that we were doing the right thing.

Do you think many viewers who stopped watching the show will be back to see you both in action again?
Genie: We hope so. We hope they'll feel like some old friends are coming back to visit them, and it will be so much easier coming back to the show with Tony here.
Tony: This story couldn't have been done without Genie. Genie defines Laura by allowing an audience inside a complicated moment, and I could not allow an audience in without her love, Laura's love.

With all the excitement surrounding your return, it's clear that the love story of Luke and Laura made an impact that hasn't been matched.
Genie: I think it was a beautiful love story. It was the kind of love that everybody wishes they could have and today, that love is still there.
Tony: I think it's stronger. They've been together for ten years, they have a child, they've lived under very precarious circumstances which, rather than driving them further apart, helped them get closer. Even after ten years, given their history, I don't think Luke goes to bed each night without hoping that in the morning, she still loves him.
Shelley: That's right. They don't take each other for granted. Each day is a new day, and there's an unconditional love that has bonded these two people. I feel strongly that that's what the audience responded to ten years ago. It's also what held the couple together until today. That, coupled with the fear of tomorrow is also very real. They have a bond of unconditional love which is something we all aspire to.

This is certainly a big undertaking for the show. Was there any hesitation in bringing back Luke and Laura?
Shelley: I was here during the days when they both started. There was a magic then and we were really afraid going into this that maybe the magic wouldn't be there any more. When we went on location and shot the first scenes, the magic happened.

Even though it's been hoped for by many for years, did you ever really think you'd get the chance to work together again?
Tony: I knew it had to happen, but I never thought it would be as Luke and Laura. When you're talking about two actors who have committed their lives to the profession, I have to reject the magic and chemistry that people allude to. I don't really think it's magic. I think it's very simple. We're two actors who have a lot of training and a lot of experience under our belts. Ultimately, what really made it work is that we trust each other. Genie and I have an intimacy that...well, sex is not nearly as intimate as what we have. We listen and we watch each other and we feed off each other. That's what our chemistry is.

Are you worried that it won't be the same?
Genie: It just can't be the same. If I'm coming back and trying to redo my old act, I'm going to do it badly. It's ten years later, I'm not eighteen years old anymore, and we have a child, which changes things drastically. That's another thing to think about. It's not just you and me against the world. We're parents now. We're in a different game now.
Tony: We're not going to go after the fans' reaction. That would be a mistake. They'll either like it or they won't, and of course we hope they like it.
Wendy: I think good stories are good stories as long as we are true to the characters. We didn't just sit down and make a list of things that were done ten years ago and say, "Times are different so we can't do this now."
Tony: What we're trying to do is make our old friends who are coming back to the show feel at home again. Hopefully, we can also bring back some fond memories of where you were ten to fifteen years ago. Maybe that was a happier time for you. I hope through our continuity, we can establish a kind of touchstone of wonderful feelings that you can all relate to.

Sidebar: Frank Smith And The Cassadines Threaten Again!

The ghosts from the past are coming back to haunt Luke and Laura in a big way, and it will take every ounce of their love to get them through the upcoming months. Frank Smith is far from letting his vendetta against the couple fall by the wayside. His actions threaten not only Luke and Laura, but all their family and friends. No one is safe. The Cassadines family is more like an army, and L&L haven't seen the last of them by a long shot. Lucky will be in immediate danger as he is literally snatched from his loving parents' arms. Will they be able to save their precious son from their bitter enemies?