When Ingo Rademacher returned as General Hospital's Jasper "Jax" Jacks last year, viewers were thrilled to see the character connect with his daughter, Josslyn (Eden McCoy), in the emotional moments following the death of the teen's boyfriend, Oscar (Garren Stitt). It was touching to see Jax in those daddy/daughter moments, especially as he'd been away from the canvas and his child for so long. Unfortunately, the pair hasn't shared much storyline since, which Rademacher hopes changes once GH eventually resumes production.
"It's amazing to work with Eden when we have really good, emotional stuff like we did at the beginning with Oscar dying and all that," he tells Soap Opera Digest. "I hope that we get into it more when we get back. For the last two-and-a-half months, I haven't been part of that storyline, just being involved with Carly and the relationship with Josslyn and Sonny [Maurice Benard]. I was busy making out! [Laughs]"
He continues, "But I love playing that stuff. I love working with Laura Wright [Carly] because we've had that history for so long. We're like a married couple when we get together. We just know exactly who the character is and how the character is going to react. Those years of that chemistry, it shows in the scenes, and I love that. Even if they're not together, just having that, you know, 'I have to deal with her and with Sonny because of my daughter,' it makes for a very interesting story. I hope that we can work Jax into all of those stories when we get back."
He's especially keen to get more daddy/daughter moments with Josslyn in order to help right Jax's wrongs in terms of being an absent dad.
"The fact that he was gone for so long and [parented by Skype], that was kind of brutal!" he opines. "How do you really explain that? I don't know. To leave your daughter behind? None of that is realistic."
And Rademacher would know, as he's a father himself and strives to be as present as possible in the lives of his sons, eight-year-old Pohaku and eleven-year-old Peanut.
"I hope they remember all of the adventures that we had, the bonding moments, the conversations, that their dad was focused on them," Rademacher muses. "I mean, I do get busy and distracted with other things, for sure, and sometimes they call me out on it. I think one of the hardest things you have to learn as a parent is to really listen to your kids. The most important thing is to let them talk and listen to them. At the end of the day, isn't that what life's about?"
For more from Rademacher on how he's been raising his two boys, how fatherhood has changed him, and how his strained relationship with his own dad influenced it all, check out Soap Opera Digest's full interview with the actor here.
What do you think about the way GH has handled the connection between Jax and Josslyn? What would you like to see for the father and daughter duo when the show returns with new material? 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.
