Fan opinion is mixed on whether or not daytime soap operas should integrate the real-life coronavirus pandemic into future storylines. Some say they would find comfort in watching their favorite fictional characters battle the same circumstances the world is facing today, while others say there is more comfort to be had in forgetting the real world and finding entertainment in purely fictional stories, thankyouverymuch.
During an exchange to thank fans who donated to healthcare workers in New York City, General Hospital actor Michael Easton (Dr. Hamilton Finn) weighed in with his opinion on the COVID-19 storyline debate.
"It would be up to our writers, but I think it will be hard to completely ignore what's going on in the world right now," he opines of coronavirus coming to Port Charles. "I'm all for escapism but having Finn and the rest of the staff involved in the pandemic on some level would be a wonderful way to bring some much-deserved attention to our frontline health workers who I am in awe of and consider to be true heroes. I would imagine there's tragic, courageous, uplifting stories happening daily in every hospital in America and I think, on some level, our fictional General Hospital might do well to explore that."
At this time, it's unclear if soap operas will bring COVID-19 into their future storylines, but GH fans might not have to wait much longer to find out if it will be integrated into the ABC soap opera. As Soap Central previously reported, GH is currently aiming to resume production later this month, which could mean viewers will see new material as early as August.
And speaking of new material, Easton sounds pretty excited to step back into the shoes of Finn. In addition to chatting about whether or not he'd like to see his GH alter ego battle coronavirus, he reveals that the fictional doctor is one of his favorite characters that he's played to date.
"Finn is lovely and strange and challenging," he shares, adding that playing Caleb Morley on the GH spinoff series Port Charles was also a lot of "fun because there were no boundaries."
For more from Michael Easton on his career, check out his full Facebook chat with fans here.
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