What multiple Emmy-winner Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) wants, multiple Emmy-winner Anthony Geary gets. At least, that was the case recently when the actor began mulling over whether or not he wanted to stay on board the soap he joined back in 1978.
Catching wind of the news that he might be losing one of Port Charles's biggest stars, GH's executive producer, Frank Valentini, served Geary the Fluke story, which was a platter of drama he'd never seen before (which is quite a feat, considering the actor has 37 years of soap opera experience).
"It all came about because Frank Valentini, our producer, knew that I was getting a little bored with the show and getting a little bored with playing dad; I never saw Luke Spencer as a family man," Geary admitted of the thrust behind one of the ABC soap's best stories yet. "So [Frank] took me into his room, and he said, 'I know you're getting anxious to leave, so tell me what you've never done on the show in 37 years and what would you like to do?'"
It was a big question, but Geary had an immediate answer. "I said 'I'd like to explore the dark side of Luke Spencer,'" the actor recalls. "Because we've never really done that, and he's got a very dark heart. And so he said, 'Well, we'll do it.'"
The result has been months of nail-biting drama in which a presumed Luke lookalike (Fluke) terrorized the citizens of Port Charles. Unbeknownst to the audience, however, Fluke was really Luke, who suffered from a bout of splintered personality after accidentally killing his own mother and then murdering own dad. "They delivered in spades," Geary raves of the story, which is set to provide juicy material for months to come. "They did it so well, motivated it so well, brought in his history and... [now] I can explain all kinds of things about his behavior that I couldn't before, so it's been a thrill to do this. It's been amazing material."
Viewers have spent the past couple of weeks experiencing the fallout of the Fluke story, with Luke finally realizing the truth of what he'd done to his parents years ago. And the drama will continue, with a little bit of it being showcased during GH's special May Sweeps live event taking place on Friday, May 15, and Monday, May 18.
"I started doing live TV; my first soap was Bright Promise in 1970, I think, and we were live," the actor recalls of his first experience filming live. "That was the first thing I did, so I love it. I love live theater, I love live shows, and I think it'll be great."
But does filming live as opposed to on tape take special preparation? Apparently, not for Geary. "[It's] like any other," he says. "You learn your lines and try not to bump into the furniture."
Are you happy Valentini was able to convince Geary to stay? Where would you like to see Luke go from here? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
