Exclusive Interview
Inside Gio & Emma’s ‘General Hospital’ Romance with Giovanni Mazza & Braedyn Bruner (VIDEO)
What To Know
- Giovanni Mazza and Braedyn Bruner’s General Hospital characters, Gio and Emma, have become one of the soap’s beloved young couples.
- In our Rising Supercouples series, Mazza and Bruner open up to Swooon about their chemistry, Gio and Emma’s most romantic moments so far, and more.
- The actors also tease meaty storylines ahead for their characters.
General Hospital‘s Giovanni Mazza (Gio Palmieri) and Braedyn Bruner (Emma Scorpio-Drake) had a sense their characters might become a couple early on. Bruner was cast in 2024, months after Mazza, and the two were paired together for her screen test. Still, it took nine months before the characters finally shared their first kiss.
Swooon is kicking off a brand-new franchise called Rising Supercouples, where we spotlight the stars behind the young soap couples that are well on their way to becoming a next-generation soap supercouple. In our first edition, Mazza and Bruner open up about their real-life friendship, look back on favorite scenes, tease their characters’ trip to New York City, and more. They also reflect on when they first felt things truly clicked.
“I think that all comes from the fan reactions, honestly,” says Bruner. “Because when it feels good, it feels good, right? But then you never really know how an audience is going to respond to something. And I think truly, it was probably post-Nurses’ Ball with the bridge scenes. It was such a positive, positive response.”
While they waited for Gio and Emma’s love story to unfold on screen, the actors found their own way to build a believable connection. “I think we were playing into it for months,” recalls Mazza. “Because at the Nurses’ Ball, she was there for me, and that was the first time that we held hands. And we would just hold hands constantly, and it sort of became a thing. And we would just hold hands. And I’m not sure if people thought that was a friendship building, but I mean, we were playing into the relationship of it all.”
Disney / Michael Le Brecht II
That moment also marked a milestone for the couple. “That was the first time that we ever got the pair name, Gemma,” notes Mazza. “And it’s been Gemma ever since. It hasn’t changed.”
The strong audience response has been a point of pride for both actors. “You can’t really expect anything,” points out Mazza. “You do your best, and you hope that it sticks, and everyone goes in, does their job as best they can. This has just been the best reaction that we could possibly get, just to put so much work in, and then to be received in a very positive way. It’s just sort of what it’s about.”
Do Mazza and Bruner think Gio and Emma can go the distance like so many supercouples before them? Mazza immediately responds, “Yes.” Bruner adds, “Absolutely. I was gonna say yes.” As for what the immediate future holds for Gemma, Mazza and Bruner are staying mum, but their smiles hint that there’s plenty of good times ahead for this rising supercouple.
Watch the full video above!
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
