Kelly Monaco ended her 21-year run on General Hospital last week, and now some of her co-stars are sharing their thoughts on her departure.
Monaco, who played Sam McCall on the daytime drama since 2003 and filmed more than 2,200 episodes, was killed off on the October 30 episode, in a decision the actress reportedly said “blindsided” her.
Her character underwent surgery to donate her liver to Lulu Spencer on the October 24 episode and returned to screens on October 30, where viewers found out the surgery was a success. However, soon after Sam got engaged to Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), she started crashing and was transported to the hospital where she later died.
Speaking with Soap Opera Digest, Zamprogna said, “My monologues were her last scenes, so we finished those scenes, and I basically said goodbye to Kelly then and there.”
Even though Monaco left the soap under unceremonious circumstances, Zamprogna revealed she was “amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing” during her final weeks of filming.
The actor also confirmed he still checks in on Monaco every week and said he wouldn’t be shocked if his former co-star found her way back on General Hospital somewhere down the line.
“It’s a soap,” he stated. “Who the heck knows what’s gonna happen?”
Fellow General Hospital star Wally Kurth, who has played Ned Quartermaine on and off since 1991, told Us Weekly that “you can’t take it personally” when it comes to losing an acting gig.
“She was there for 20-something years,” Kurth told the outlet at the Day of Days event in Los Angeles on November 2. “I work at GH sometimes too, and I drove into the studio and there was a sign with LCD lights that said, ‘Kelly Monaco, bring her back,’ and it was like outside our studio, just flashing lights for like a week and that was from fans.”
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“It happens to us all,” he added. “I’ve been fired a few times. You can’t take it personally. We’re actors.”
Monaco broke her silence on her firing last month when she shared an on set photo from the soap. “Last scene with the Davis girls. Still doesn’t make any sense to me,” she captioned the post.
She also responded to a fan in a since-deleted comment, writing, “When Billy Miller was fired, Sam’s storyline stopped. Stripping Sam of every characteristic she had. Something I worked for decades to build… Slowly dismantling her, into a character that I did not recognize, let alone the audience. Call it what you will… retaliation at it [sic] finest. I will give a proper statement. The truth will set you free.”
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
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