'General Hospital' Cancelled? 8 Major Players In Port Charles Exiting Soap Series In Next Few Months, Will Show Survive Without Them? [PHOTO]
There's about to be some huge shake-ups in Port Charles as several members of the General Hospital cast prepare to say their goodbyes.
According to Celebrity Dirty Laundry, seven characters on the show have already wrapped or will soon be wrapping up their current storylines, with some slated for permanent leaves from the show and others taking temporary time away from the set. With so many characters potentially leaving the soap for good however, it could spell bad things for the show's future--as big casting shake-ups of such an extent aren't always a good sign.
According to the website, the actors leaving the show are:
1. Bradford Anderson (Damian Spinelli): Spinelli will soon make his leave from Port Charles once again, after arriving to stir up trouble for Maxie (Kirsten Storms) and Nathan (Ryan Paevy). Anderson was not back on contract however, so his departure isn't surprising not that Spinelli and Ellie (Emily Wilson) have reunited and can officially return to their life together in Portland.
2. Ian Buchanan (Duke Lavery): Duke Lavery is a permanent exit for the show, as the character was shot and killed. It is unclear what Buchanan may be planning to do with his future, but he has allegedly said he is done with the role for good this time (Duke was previously 'killed' in the past).
3. Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer): After a big year which saw Luke dealing with his inner demons, Anthony Geary has officially decided to call it quits on his iconic role after working so hard and dealing with a major surgery on his back last year. Though he has said he isn't retiring, he did say he doesn't want to collapse in a heap and die while working on the show's set, which could explain his desire to leave his Emmy winning role.
4. Rebecca Herbst (Liz Webber): An unexpected (but unconfirmed) addition to the list is Herbst, who's character Elizabeth just learned that Jake Doe is really Jason (Billy Miller) back from the dead. However, rumors are swirling she wants to leave the show because she actually dislikes Miller, and their lack of chemistry has suposedly spurred the decision.
5. Finola Hughes (Anna Devane): Following Duke's shocking death and the fact that she hasn't heard much from Robin recently, Anna will leave the city to deal with her fragile emotional state. The exit is only temporary, as she is set to direct her second feature film, Byrd and the Bees, in the meantime.
6. Wally Kurth (Ned Ashton): Wally officially went back on contract as Justin Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives, meaning his current storyline as Ned won't continue on. However, he could be back in the future, as he often takes period of time away from one soap in favor of the other, so if his character once again heads to the back burner on Days, he will likely head back to GH.
7 Lisa LoCiCero (Olivia Falconeri): Olivia is officially leaving town for a while as she worries about having just given birth to Julian's (William DeVry) baby as the mob wars reach their most tense point. But, LoCiCero won't be gone long, as her exit is only to accommodate her real-life maternity leave.
8. Emily Wilson (Ellie Trout): After a brief appearance for the Nurses' Ball, she too will be making her exit.
These exits also come with the still up-in-the-air situation concerning Maura West (Ava Jerome), whose character was allegedly killed--but neither West or anyone else at GH has confirmed if her absence was a permanent one. In addition, Jeffrey Vincent Parise (Carlos Rivera) may also be out, after Anna shot him in the chest during the show's live May 15 episode.
