GH's Steve Burton Chats On Jason's Complicated Life With Sam, Elizabeth, and Franco!

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254 July 17th, 2012 GH’s Steve Burton Chats On Jason’s Complicated Life With Sam, Elizabeth, and Franco!

Courtesy/ABC

For Jason Morgan, there have been many shocking developments in recent months on General Hospital. The woman he loves Sam, gets raped by Franco! Then she is pregnant, and has a baby, that Jason can’t deal with because it’s his twin brother, Franco’s! But fate and Todd and Heather intervene and that baby ends up in the hands of Tea Delgado, and Sam grieves the loss of her child. However, little does Jason know he is the true bio-dad! As Sam and Jason’s marriage starts to unravel, she turns to John McBain, who Sam has some kind of magnetic pull towards. Sam kisses him. Jason then kisses his old flame, Elizabeth and we are off to the races in the complicated life of one of the all-time most popular characters on daytime television.

But even more popular than the loveable hit man Jason Morgan, is the Daytime Emmy winning actors who portrays him day in and day out, Steve Burton. On-Air On-Soaps chatted with Steve at the General Hospital on-set Emmy victory celebration. We checked in with the soap superstar to get his thoughts on GH’s new regime, JaSam’s perils, the lip-lock with Elizabeth, and Franco, who even though he is not on the canvas still haunts the cast of characters! After the jump, read what Steve had to share on the myriad of subjects!

Has it been a big adjustment for you having the new GH regime come in under EP Frank Valentini, and seeing the old regime under former EP, Jill Farren Phelps go away?

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

STEVE: Change is always difficult for everybody. For Frank’s crew coming in, for our crew, and for the crew leaving. There is always a period of feeling everybody out and if everyone is jellin’ and vibin’. Some people lose their jobs. Some people get new jobs. We got though that and it’s good. It’s great that the show won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. To win ten Emmys considering where Daytime is, that is amazing! All around everything has been good.

Do you think head writer, Ron Carlivati gets Jason Morgan? Have you seen a change in the way Jason is written? Former GH head scribe, Bob Guza was so integral to so many of Jason’s stories and so much of his history.

STEVE: Yes. I think it is difficult when new writers come in who haven’t written for you before. There is going to be that period of talking to Frank, or talking to Ron, and saying, “Hey we need to try this, and this is where I would kind of go here.” They have been open to it. Frank wants to know. He has said, “You know the history better than we do. So, let’s talk about it.” They have been open that way, which is great. It is what it is, and you move on and do your thing.

Courtesy/ABC

Has it been hard to play this recent beat in the story with Jason kissing Elizabeth, Sam finding solace with John McBain, and the baby-switch drama? Do you think the powers-that-be really needed to attempt to break up Jason and Sam at this point?

STEVE: Listen, most writers don’t like couples happy. So for us, we were like, “Oh we are going to get a week of happiness!” And then, that ended so quickly. I understand why they did it. But for me, I would love to not play dead baby, break up, kill myself or someone story. I would rather have a week or two of happiness. It’s just a new show now at GH.

How has it been getting to work again with Becky Herbst (Elizabeth)? There is such passion from all the fan bases right now involving Jason’s gals!

STEVE: It’s good drama working with Becky. I love it. People are going crazy right now because of everything, and that is what they want. They want people talking.

Courtesy/ABC

What did you think of the Franco reveal, when lo and behold, he turns out to be Jason’s twin? Did you know about the story was ultimately going to unravel this way?

STEVE: No, I didn’t know! That was made up the new regime, I believe. I had no idea. I was like, “What?” It was difficult to get the words out of my mouth, “My bro! You are my twin?” I think I am ten years older than James Franco! (Laughs) That was hard to say. I guess, I could have a worse twin that James Franco, right? (Laughs)

What can fans look forward to coming up with Jason?

STEVE: For Jason, Sam, and Elizabeth, it’s just beginning from what I hear! And I yell, “How can it be just beginning?” As I punch myself! (Laughs) We don’t even expect the twists and turns that are coming. I don’t read my scripts till the night before I shoot. So when I look at it I go, “Oh! Wow! OK? How are we going to do this one?” So there are always surprises for all of us. I think it’s been good for the fans. They are engaged. They care. That is what you need. Whether they like it or not, you want them to have an opinion, if they have no opinion, than we suck! (Laughs)

Courtesy/ABC

When you and Kelly Monaco (Sam) saw in the scripts that the baby “died” and there was going to be a baby-switch, what went through your minds initially?

STEVE: Well, it was more that we both thought, “Just give Jason and Sam their baby and let them relax for awhile and then do something.” Let them be a family. We have been going so long to get to this point to have it ripped out. And for me, I did not want to have to play: divorce, dead baby, cheating on me, cheating on you. It’s drama, but that is what we do! That is what you got to do if you are on a soap.

So soapers, what do you think about Steve’s comments on the happiness of JaSam, the future of the story between Sam, Elizabeth, and Jason, the baby drama, and the new GH? Let us know your thoughts!

Tags: Bob Guza, daytime emmys, Elizabeth Webber, Frank Valentini, General Hospital. Jason Morgan, james franco, Jasam, jill farren phelps, john mcbain, kelly monaco, Liason, michael easton, On-Air On-Soaps Interview, Rebecca Herbst, Ron Carlivati, Sam McBall, Steve Burton