Port Charles will be one fabulous character short for a while, because General Hospital's Genie Fancis (Laura Webber) is taking a break from the ABC soap opera.
Fortunately, as she explains to TV Insider, her break will be a short one. "I've had such a fun time on GH, and I've absolutely loved what the writers gave me to work with this season," Francis shares. "But for now, I've decided to take the summer off."
The actress says that she is "very much looking forward" to spending time with her family and relaxing a bit, but she promises that she won't be gone long: "There are some really great storylines planned for the fall," she teases, adding, "I will be back to Port Charles before you know it!"
The past year has been a good one for Laura fans, who have seen the beloved character in rich storylines that included the reveal that baddie Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober) and attorney Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight) are her brothers; an emotional arc in which Laura watched her daughter, Lulu (Emme Rylan), fall into a serious coma; and plenty of screen time between the character and her mother, Lesley (Denise Alexander).
Francis told TV Insider back in June that she was thrilled about the material she'd been given over the past year. "This all goes back to what makes Laura 'Laura,'" she said. "They've done such a wonderful job of tying her history into the present in such a brilliant way. I'm thrilled that today's audience knows even more about Laura and who she is."
Genie Francis originally joined GH in 1977. She was nominated earlier this year for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actress category and previously took home the gold in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category in 2007.
How do you feel about Genie Francis taking a summer break from GH? Does Port Charles feel different when Laura isn't part of the action? 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.
