Swickard portrays Detective Harrison Chase on the hit ABC drama General Hospital. On February 22, Swickard will be appearing at Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown on Long Island, along with fellow General Hospital cast-mates William deVry and Donnell Turner. “I am super excited about it,” Swickard said. “The three of us get along really well, and it will be fun to meet the fans, and have that time together.”
On the following day, these three soap actors will be appearing at Rockwells in Pelham, New York, for yet another special event, and Swickard expressed his excitement about that show as well.
To learn more about these upcoming General Hospital fan events in 2019, check out the official Coastal Entertainment website.
On May 4, Swickard will be a part of the “Teal’s Got Talent” event, which benefits the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. “That event is really fun for me. I love doing philanthropy. I grew up as a pastor’s kid, and I love incorporating charitable causes into my work,” he said.
Speaking of charity work, Swickard had nothing but the greatest remarks about yet another nonprofit organization, Contractors for Kids, which is making a difference in people’s lives. “I love getting involved as much as possible to do some good,” Swickard said. “It’s pretty unreal how much they do. It’s just a testament to the hard work they put in, and they believe in it. I love what they are all about.”
Each day, as an actor, Swickard is motivated by his ability to do different things. “We have the power to make other people feel, and forget about life for the hour. We make them laugh, cry, or hate you if you are the villain, and we get to entertain. That’s what keeps me going,” he said.
As a daytime actor, Swickard has to learn a great deal of dialogue and scripts on a regular basis. “You read the script constantly, and the brain is a muscle, where little by little, you get faster at it,” he explained. “Once you know your character, your scene makes a little more sense faster.”
Swickard acknowledged that he loves doing scenes with fellow actor Michael Easton. “We have a blast together. Kudos to the writers for developing our relationship. The deeper we go into that, only gets better and better. Michael is really like a big brother off-screen. He helps me out and he’s just an absolute veteran in the genre. I study him and I watch him, and I am really lucky that I got partnered with him to be my brother,” he said.
When asked what advice he would give his 18-year-old self, Swickard admitted, “I would tell myself to work harder, and don’t care about what other people think.”
Swickard revealed that he stays in top-notch physical shape through boxing and working out. “I really love boxing and I am learning how to diet. It’s a new thing for me,” he admitted.
His advice for aspiring actors is “to study and to get into an acting class.” “Get in a class and decide if you want to do this, and if you do, study and don’t quit. Find a hobby, outside of the industry, that you can also enjoy,” he said, noting the important to have balance.
If he weren’t an actor, he shared that he would be a “high school Spanish teacher” as his alternate career choice. “I would be a teacher, and I would work with kids,” he said. “I would have made teaching really fun and creative, but I fell into the acting world, and I am enjoying it.”
Digital transformation of the entertainment business
On the impact of technology on the entertainment industry, especially with streaming services taking over, Swickard said, “It’s where the world is headed, with the On Demand. Everybody can go there according to their own schedules, which is really nice, and they can binge-watch.”
Swickard continued, “With technology, you can watch General Hospital on the ABC app or on Hulu. It allows viewers to watch at their convenience, and if they are a month behind, it allows them to catch up. Technology is totally where the world is headed. Props to Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu for creating such amazing content lately.”
The heartthrob actor stated that when it comes to scripts, he is old school, and he uses hard copies as opposed to digital ones. “I start studying them as soon as I can, and I take notes on them,” Swickard said. “Whenever I don’t have my scripts with me, I use my phone to learn my lines.”
For his fans, Swickard said, “Thank you so much. Fan support means the absolute world to me. I don’t take it for granted. I am very appreciative of it.”
He defined the word success as “Being truly happy and feeling fulfilled getting out of bed in the morning. Then, you are extremeley successful.”
For more information on actor Josh Swickard, follow him on Twitter, and on Instagram.
