Soaps
‘General Hospital’s Jonathan Jackson Reflects on Lucky & Elizabeth’s Return From ‘Full-On Tragedy’
Jonathan Jackson is bidding farewell to Port Charles once again. After just nine months, the actor is stepping away from the role of Lucky Spencer on General Hospital. During his time back in Port Charles, Lucky reconnected with Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst), his on-again, off-again love.
Ahead of his General Hospital exit, the five-time Daytime Emmy winner opened up about the evolution of Lucky and Elizabeth’s relationship. Jackson loved getting the opportunity to showcase a new side of their connection.
“When I was here in 2009 to 2011, it was more of the implosion of Lucky and Elizabeth, and it was just kind of full-on tragedy,” Jackson told TV Insider. “This time, there was a lot of goodness and a lot of sweetness amidst the drama, and it was fun to be a part of that. And the response from the fans was really precious as well.”
Jackson and Herbst have a long history as costars. Their onscreen dynamic began when Herbst first joined the soap in 1997.
“Becky is really one of the most talented people that I’ve worked with,” the actor gushed. “I think Becky is an incredibly intuitive and very smart actress. I mean, she just doesn’t miss things. She’s just really an amazing performer, so it was a joy for me to get to work with her again. There is a certain kind of instinctive reality, not only when you’ve worked with people for so many years, but also when you’ve kind of grown up in the same world.”
Disney / Christine Bartolucci
The Nashville alum noted that he and Herbst have a “shorthand” when they’re working together. “Sometimes if I’m making a choice that maybe isn’t super apparent on the page and wanting to experiment with taking it in a slightly different direction tonally, she’s there,” Jackson explained. “She gets it instinctively, and I hope I’m the same thing for her. So that was a real blessing.”
He continued, “I think sometimes she makes it look so easy and so natural that people aren’t necessarily aware of all the subtle things that she’s doing that are important to the character and to the scenes; the small nonverbal things going on that are really important for the story, too. And she’s just very locked into that stuff, so it makes it fun to get to work with someone who’s moving in that intuitive sphere.”
Ahead of leaving Port Charles, Lucky proposed to Elizabeth, but she turned him down. Even though they share a deep, profound love that’s never gone away, Elizabeth recognized that their lives have been shaped into pieces that no longer fit each other. Her roots are in Port Charles, while Lucky loves being untethered.
Are Lucky and Elizabeth your favorite GH couple? Who is the right man for Elizabeth? Let us know your thought about Jackson’s exit and more in the comments below.
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
