Josh Swickard who plays Detective Harrison Chase revealed that this is his first year on the show. “There are a lot of people in the Lil Room,” deVry said, implying the turnout at the Lil Room of Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown. They also praised the venue for its good burgers.
All three actors concurred that it is a “blast” and a “privilege” to be part of the hit ABC daytime show, General Hospital, that has been around for well over 55 years.
As their alternate career choices, Donnell Turner (Curtis Ashford) shared that he would have loved to have been either a psychologist or a professional basketball player.
At this stage of his life, William deVry (Julian Jerome) envisioned the high school version of himself being “retired from Major League Baseball.” “I was going to play to at least 50,” he said. “A 25-year career in baseball, for sure.”
Turner noted that studying the literary word of acclaimed playwright Ira Aldridge has helped mold him into the actor that he is today. “There was always a fear of mine that you’re not really an actor unless you can do some Shakespeare. You can barely understand that script when you read it. When I did Ira Aldridge and his wonderful play, The Black Doctor, I played the lead doctor Fabian. I had to go to school to learn how to speak that language. I studied with a Shakespearean professor and for six months, we learned that. It had 14 monologues in iambic pentameter. He has his highs and lows and a breakdown on stage. When I completed that, I felt I could do anything,” he said.
Several fans expressed their gratitude for the actors coming to perform at Governor’s Comedy Club, but deVry reassured them that it was the other way around. “We appreciate you guys for coming here,” deVry said, underscoring his appreciation.
It was great that the actors took some time to acknowledge several of the audience members’ special occasions which included birthdays, as well as a veteran schoolteacher, Theodora Leperides’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration.
Swickard shared that the best advice he was ever given was to “care properly.” “Don’t be so attached to the outcome. Do your job well and be careful about being too attached,” he explained. “You should care less about what other people think,” he added.
The actors name-dropped several late acting legends that they would have loved to work with had they were still alive. deVry also opened up about his love for rescuing animals and he encouraged more people to get involved in pet rescues, especially cats and dogs. And added bonus was hearing deVry speak some French and Swickard speak a few words in Mandarin Chinese.
To learn more about the upcoming General Hospital fan events, check out the official GH Fantasy website.
