Post by thenexttweety on Nov 7, 2006 1:02:53 GMT -5
Interviews & Features
Monday, November 6, 2006
General Hospital's Luke and Laura: The 25th-anniversary Q&A
by Michael Logan
Anthony Geary and Genie
Francis, General Hospital
They set the country on fire. On November 16, 1981, General Hospital's Luke and Laura said "I Do" to a record audience of 30 million viewers. Exactly 25 years later to the day, the now-divorced soul mates will marry again. Will lightning strike twice? TV Guide caught up with five-time Emmy winner Anthony Geary, 59, and Genie Francis, 44, who is making a brief return to GH after a four-year absence, to get their take on the pressures of fame and their upcoming nuptials — the ultimate soapy sweeps stunt.
TVGuide.com: What made GH, and especially the wedding, so hot and memorable back in the '80s?
Tony Geary: The soap medium had become pretty staid – it was like radio with pictures – and we really shook it up. Unlike today, we weren't afraid to tell a great romantic story. We were fun and dangerous, and we teased the fans unmercifully. Luke and Laura were flirting for almost a year before running away, and then during the runaway they didn't jump into bed — not only because she was married [to Scotty] but because of Luke's guilt for having raped her. By the time they married, there was a real visceral release.
Genie Francis: People still mark time with that wedding. They remember where they were, what class they cut to get in front of a TV.... GH moved into the pop culture. Suddenly watching us was no longer just for housewives – it was the cool thing for kids to do. It was a social phenomenon.
TVGuide.com: Would you have ever guessed you'd still be here 25 years later?
Francis: Oh, no! And getting married again? Absolutely not.
TVGuide.com: This all seems sort of rushed, doesn't it? Laura comes out of her catatonic stupor after four years, they remarry, and then you're gone again? There's so much to cover: Lulu's abortion, Lucky's drug addiction, Luke's marriage to the town bitch... and that little matter of Laura killing her own stepfather.
Francis: I think the whole story's been done in fast-forward, which is a little sad, because there are such terrific writing and acting opportunities in the story of the Spencers. It's a shame to gloss over them quickly.
Geary: The reality is that [Genie's return] is only about the 25th wedding anniversary. They want to squeeze the last bit of blood out of this franchise that they can.
TVGuide.com: Genie, you've moved to Maine with your husband, Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and now run a home-furnishings store. Are your Hollywood peeps shocked that you quit the biz?
Francis: Most of my actor friends don't believe it's possible to let go of it and be happy, and for a while that was true for me. For the first two years I ached, every day. And I had such bad dreams. But then I made the decision to start working on my little shop and all that went away. To create a success solely on my own — away from ABC, away from GH, away from Tony — was huge for me. A lot of actors think they can't be happy without the acting.... But I think I couldn't be happy with it anymore.
TVGuide.com: Tony, you've made a similar escape to Amsterdam, where you have a second home.
Geary: During the heyday of Luke and Laura, I had no life. I never could hold a relationship. I was miserable. The downtime from the show was terrifying to me. And I had a lot of bad behavior during that downtime, and it slopped over into [the show] as well. Unless I was being Luke Spencer, I didn't know who to be anymore. So when I came back to GH in 1991, I promised myself that I was going to find a retreat somewhere where no one knew me — and that didn't leave a lot of the world. When I found Amsterdam, I'd never felt so at home. They could not care less about celebrity. Nobody knows me, and I love it.
TVGuide.com: Genie, you really cut loose in your 2001 Lifetime Intimate Portrait, admitting you had drug and alcohol problems during your younger days on GH. What did you think when Gloria Monty – when interviewed by Lifetime — expressed surprise at your substance abuse? As the executive producer of GH back in the '80s, wasn't she like the all-time control freak? How could she not know?
Francis: No, she wasn't surprised. She knew. I think she was stunned that I finally spoke out. Stunned.
Geary: In a moment of self-preservation, Gloria probably opted to act surprised. But she knew. The woman knew everything that was going on everywhere in that studio.
TVGuide.com: Rumor is, Laura will slip back into catatonia and Genie will exit GH by the end of the month. So that's it for the Luke and Laura reunion? What a rip.
Francis: [Shrugging unhappily] So far, ABC has only engaged me for a limited period of time, and there's been no talk of anything further. So it would be premature for me to say anything on the subject.
Geary: It speaks to the power of Laura as a character and Genie as an actress that the audience feels their presence even when they're not around. The viewers adore Genie. And even if she's off the canvas, the story will continue anyway. One of Luke's lungs will always breathe for Laura.
Send your comments on this Q&A to letters@tvguide.com.
Friday, November 3, 2006
General Hospital's Genie Francis: The Daytime Diva's Comeback Q&A
by Daniel R. Coleridge
Genie Francis, General Hospital
God bless November sweeps. ABC's General Hospital lured in a record 30 million viewers for Luke and Laura Spencer's wedding on November 16, 1981. Flash forward 25 years to this Nov. 16, when daytime TV's best-known supercouple will remarry! Sure, they're divorced and Luke (Tony Geary) is now married to rich bitch Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot). But since Laura just woke up from a four-year catatonic trance, she's a fragile flower and needn't be troubled with such pesky details, right? In this in-depth Q&A with TVGuide.com soap expert Daniel R. Coleridge, Genie Francis (Laura) dishes on checking back into Hospital and all of her daytime drama on-screen and behind the scenes.
TVGuide.com: How long are you back on GH?
Genie Francis: Four weeks.
TVGuide.com: What would it take for you to come back to GH full time?
Francis: Oh, gosh. So far, just so you know, that has not been offered yet. They wanted to do a special short appearance and I was thrilled to be asked. If it were offered, that would pose some big questions in my life, so I'm actually quite grateful that it hasn't been posed yet.
TVGuide.com: Well, I'm posing those questions anyway!
Francis: [Chuckles] Inquiring minds want to know.
TVGuide.com: Exactly. So you live in Maine with your husband, Jonathan Frakes, and your two kids. You also run your own boutique there. Is there any way you could manage to return to work in Los Angeles?
Francis: If I did it from Maine, I'd have to keep it to a real minimum or only do it in the summer, when my kids could come with me. I don't like to be separated from my kids. Or if I wanted to do it more fully, then I would have to find a way to be OK with being in Los Angeles. What that would boil down to, really, is finding suitable schools for my children.
TVGuide.com: I hope a longer-term offer is made because you're very missed.
Francis: Oh, thank you!
TVGuide.com: Anyway, how did this return come about? There were hard feelings when you left. Did the passage of time help?
Francis: I think so. That's a big part of it. Also, I was in England for three of my four years away from the show. So now that I'm on American soil, I think it seemed more doable from their point of view.... I had not heard from GH in a long time. I did contact them once on my own, and it just wasn't going to happen. They didn't seem to need Laura much at that time, and they weren't really willing to make me any offer. There's timing to everything! With this 25th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding, ABC really wanted it and pushed to make it happen.
TVGuide.com: Very smart on their part.
Francis: I was happy that on my final day of work, [GH head writer] Bob Guza was down on the studio floor and he came to chat with me. [Chuckles] He never does that! So that was very encouraging. It was really very sweet how happy he was to have me back. He said he would like to have me visit again. I said I would like to visit again. So that was a very positive note on which to end.
TVGuide.com: It's great to see Laura awake. It was so depressing to think of her sitting alone in Shadybrook mental hospital, staring blankly at a wall for years. That seemed like an undignified way to leave things, both for you and for the character.
Francis: Yes, I know, I know. Believe me, I was not happy at all, but there was nothing that I could do. I did make one appeal at the end [of my run in 2002] to change the story. They said, "Sorry, it's already been written, but if you do come back, we will address it on your return." They do a more dignified departure for me this time. They also deal with some other aspects of that hasty way they sent me out the door. So they are making some efforts to rebuild the character from the way they left her before — this made me very happy. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Your TV doctor, Robin Scorpio, has hinted that the cure for Laura's catatonic state might only work temporarily. So we can guess what that means...
Francis: [Laughs] It's a medication that only works during a Sweeps period.
TVGuide.com: I'm confused about something. How can Luke remarry Laura if he's currently married to Tracy Quartermaine?
Francis: Luke never tells Laura he's married to Tracy, and Tracy never tells her. I thought they'd get rid of me this time by having Tracy come tell me the whole story and Laura loses it again. But that's not how it happens. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: So is it a legitimate wedding?
Francis: I don't know whether it is a faux marriage or not, but we're re-taking the vows. There's an exchange of rings and it's very much a beautiful wedding ceremony. Hey, Laura believes she got married! [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Eh, details. It's all about the romance! How was it to reunite with your old acting partner, Tony Geary?
Francis: It was great. We always work well together and we enjoy working together. Just the fact that we are together raises the bar in both of our minds. We both want to be on top of our game because we've got a lot to live up to. I know Tony feels that way and I feel that way. Fortunately for us, that chemistry was still there — which was a terrific relief to me! Apparently it's still very much alive for both of us. We're a good team.
TVGuide.com: You and Tony are very special as pop-culture icons. Except for maybe Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, nobody in daytime even comes close to where Luke and Laura were at the zenith of their popularity. I imagine that's a blessing and a curse to live with.
Francis: It was more of a curse when we were younger and we were more eager to move on and do other things. Now that we're both beyond that... I basically consider myself retired. So now it's feeling much more like a blessing! [Chuckles] That's life. That's the way it goes.
TVGuide.com: By the way, it was so nice to see your on-screen reunion with Denise Alexander as Laura's mom, Leslie.
Francis: I know, there are a couple of really nice scenes with us and I love that they let me have that. That's important to me.
TVGuide.com: It honors the history.
Francis: The history! These three actresses. Look at Denise, me and my little girl, Lulu. Julie Berman is really, really good. She's so much like me, it's kind of freaky. She's totally believable as my daughter at 23 and me at 44. That looks real. She doesn't seem 23, she seems 18. It's quite believable that she is my daughter.
TVGuide.com: I'll bet you're not just talking in terms of Julie Berman's physical resemblance to you.
Francis: No, I'm talking about her approach to the craft of acting. She also has a little bit of a dingy quality, like me. [Laughs] I swear to God, she does! Little things make me go, "Oh my God, she is my daughter." We both have the same hobby. We love to paint. And when we cry, the tears pop out of our eyes and drop off our chests. She's a faucet like her mother!
TVGuide.com: The ability to cry like a faucet is very helpful for a soap-opera actress.
Francis: Apparently it's a prerequisite!
TVGuide.com: Funny how Laura pointed out that Lulu looks so grown up, but she didn't seem to notice that Lucky is much bigger and hunkier with Greg Vaughan in that role.
Francis: The only child I recognize is Nikolas. Tyler Christopher originated that role and I love him in that role. He brings a sweetness to that character that I really like. Although he looks like a Cassadine, his heart is pure Laura.
TVGuide.com: Isn't it nice that your Cassadine son named his kid Spencer?
Francis: Isn't that sweet? You know that little child is also named Spencer in real life! Isn't that funny?
TVGuide.com: But back to Lucky. Of course, we miss Jonathan Jackson as Lucky. What's your take on Greg Vaughan?
Francis: I think he did very well with me. I found those scenes easy to play. He has a very sweet, almost vulnerable quality in him that makes him easy to love. To feel love for his character was a piece of cake. I like Greg in the role, and I think he's doing a good job. I liked my mother-son scenes with him. I wish I had more time to develop that, but what we did felt right on.
TVGuide.com: So Genie, tell me about your shop in Maine?
Francis: Yes, it's called The Cherished Home. We opened this summer in Belfast, Maine with a lot of good response. It's so seasonal there; we're trying to get people interested in [shopping on] our website, TheCherishedHome.com.
TVGuide.com: Consider them informed.
Francis: Thank you! I like to do a little bit of everything in the shop. I like being the boss and making my own hours. I do all the buying with my own taste. It's been an awful lot of fun for me. I found that after I quit working at GH, I needed to find something that would fill that creative void. I saw this old Victorian house for sale that was falling apart. It had been a general store and then an antique shop. I decided, "Now's the time to stop dreaming about it and just do it!"
TVGuide.com: It must be nice for you to get far away from showbiz and have a normal family life.
Francis: I'm about an hour south of Acadia National Park. It's beautiful. Imagine, we're surrounded by such incredible natural beauty in Maine. People up here are not impressed by show business. They don't care about it. They are all here for the same reason: They want a nice, peaceful Norman Rockwell existence, and they can have it up here. And they give it to us as well. They don't intrude on us, but they also include us in the community. It's really nice.
TVGuide.com: Tell me about your kids.
Francis: Eliza is my nine-year-old daughter, and my 12-year-old son is "Jamo." That's his nickname. His full name is Jameson.
TVGuide.com: Maine sounds like an idyllic place for them to grow up. Raising kids in Hollywood could be a little crazy, huh?
Francis: I think so, too. I worry about there being too much too soon... there's all that focus on wealth and fame. My daughter recently came to L.A. and visited me while I did General Hospital. We were driving down Sunset Boulevard and there was a big billboard ad for designer jeans — and there are these huge bare bottoms on it. My daughter was appalled! [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Oh my God, I see that billboard all the time! I'm always mooned on my drive to work at TV Guide.
Francis: [Laughs] Eliza said, "What is that?!" I said, "We don't see that in Maine, do we, honey?"
Click here to share your thoughts on Genie's return to GH with your fellow soap fans.
www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Soaps/QA/default.aspx?posting=%7B63C9DBA1-AECD-40B1-8BAC-F04A4B6338F6%7D
Monday, November 6, 2006
General Hospital's Luke and Laura: The 25th-anniversary Q&A
by Michael Logan
Anthony Geary and Genie
Francis, General Hospital
They set the country on fire. On November 16, 1981, General Hospital's Luke and Laura said "I Do" to a record audience of 30 million viewers. Exactly 25 years later to the day, the now-divorced soul mates will marry again. Will lightning strike twice? TV Guide caught up with five-time Emmy winner Anthony Geary, 59, and Genie Francis, 44, who is making a brief return to GH after a four-year absence, to get their take on the pressures of fame and their upcoming nuptials — the ultimate soapy sweeps stunt.
TVGuide.com: What made GH, and especially the wedding, so hot and memorable back in the '80s?
Tony Geary: The soap medium had become pretty staid – it was like radio with pictures – and we really shook it up. Unlike today, we weren't afraid to tell a great romantic story. We were fun and dangerous, and we teased the fans unmercifully. Luke and Laura were flirting for almost a year before running away, and then during the runaway they didn't jump into bed — not only because she was married [to Scotty] but because of Luke's guilt for having raped her. By the time they married, there was a real visceral release.
Genie Francis: People still mark time with that wedding. They remember where they were, what class they cut to get in front of a TV.... GH moved into the pop culture. Suddenly watching us was no longer just for housewives – it was the cool thing for kids to do. It was a social phenomenon.
TVGuide.com: Would you have ever guessed you'd still be here 25 years later?
Francis: Oh, no! And getting married again? Absolutely not.
TVGuide.com: This all seems sort of rushed, doesn't it? Laura comes out of her catatonic stupor after four years, they remarry, and then you're gone again? There's so much to cover: Lulu's abortion, Lucky's drug addiction, Luke's marriage to the town bitch... and that little matter of Laura killing her own stepfather.
Francis: I think the whole story's been done in fast-forward, which is a little sad, because there are such terrific writing and acting opportunities in the story of the Spencers. It's a shame to gloss over them quickly.
Geary: The reality is that [Genie's return] is only about the 25th wedding anniversary. They want to squeeze the last bit of blood out of this franchise that they can.
TVGuide.com: Genie, you've moved to Maine with your husband, Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and now run a home-furnishings store. Are your Hollywood peeps shocked that you quit the biz?
Francis: Most of my actor friends don't believe it's possible to let go of it and be happy, and for a while that was true for me. For the first two years I ached, every day. And I had such bad dreams. But then I made the decision to start working on my little shop and all that went away. To create a success solely on my own — away from ABC, away from GH, away from Tony — was huge for me. A lot of actors think they can't be happy without the acting.... But I think I couldn't be happy with it anymore.
TVGuide.com: Tony, you've made a similar escape to Amsterdam, where you have a second home.
Geary: During the heyday of Luke and Laura, I had no life. I never could hold a relationship. I was miserable. The downtime from the show was terrifying to me. And I had a lot of bad behavior during that downtime, and it slopped over into [the show] as well. Unless I was being Luke Spencer, I didn't know who to be anymore. So when I came back to GH in 1991, I promised myself that I was going to find a retreat somewhere where no one knew me — and that didn't leave a lot of the world. When I found Amsterdam, I'd never felt so at home. They could not care less about celebrity. Nobody knows me, and I love it.
TVGuide.com: Genie, you really cut loose in your 2001 Lifetime Intimate Portrait, admitting you had drug and alcohol problems during your younger days on GH. What did you think when Gloria Monty – when interviewed by Lifetime — expressed surprise at your substance abuse? As the executive producer of GH back in the '80s, wasn't she like the all-time control freak? How could she not know?
Francis: No, she wasn't surprised. She knew. I think she was stunned that I finally spoke out. Stunned.
Geary: In a moment of self-preservation, Gloria probably opted to act surprised. But she knew. The woman knew everything that was going on everywhere in that studio.
TVGuide.com: Rumor is, Laura will slip back into catatonia and Genie will exit GH by the end of the month. So that's it for the Luke and Laura reunion? What a rip.
Francis: [Shrugging unhappily] So far, ABC has only engaged me for a limited period of time, and there's been no talk of anything further. So it would be premature for me to say anything on the subject.
Geary: It speaks to the power of Laura as a character and Genie as an actress that the audience feels their presence even when they're not around. The viewers adore Genie. And even if she's off the canvas, the story will continue anyway. One of Luke's lungs will always breathe for Laura.
Send your comments on this Q&A to letters@tvguide.com.
Friday, November 3, 2006
General Hospital's Genie Francis: The Daytime Diva's Comeback Q&A
by Daniel R. Coleridge
Genie Francis, General Hospital
God bless November sweeps. ABC's General Hospital lured in a record 30 million viewers for Luke and Laura Spencer's wedding on November 16, 1981. Flash forward 25 years to this Nov. 16, when daytime TV's best-known supercouple will remarry! Sure, they're divorced and Luke (Tony Geary) is now married to rich bitch Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot). But since Laura just woke up from a four-year catatonic trance, she's a fragile flower and needn't be troubled with such pesky details, right? In this in-depth Q&A with TVGuide.com soap expert Daniel R. Coleridge, Genie Francis (Laura) dishes on checking back into Hospital and all of her daytime drama on-screen and behind the scenes.
TVGuide.com: How long are you back on GH?
Genie Francis: Four weeks.
TVGuide.com: What would it take for you to come back to GH full time?
Francis: Oh, gosh. So far, just so you know, that has not been offered yet. They wanted to do a special short appearance and I was thrilled to be asked. If it were offered, that would pose some big questions in my life, so I'm actually quite grateful that it hasn't been posed yet.
TVGuide.com: Well, I'm posing those questions anyway!
Francis: [Chuckles] Inquiring minds want to know.
TVGuide.com: Exactly. So you live in Maine with your husband, Jonathan Frakes, and your two kids. You also run your own boutique there. Is there any way you could manage to return to work in Los Angeles?
Francis: If I did it from Maine, I'd have to keep it to a real minimum or only do it in the summer, when my kids could come with me. I don't like to be separated from my kids. Or if I wanted to do it more fully, then I would have to find a way to be OK with being in Los Angeles. What that would boil down to, really, is finding suitable schools for my children.
TVGuide.com: I hope a longer-term offer is made because you're very missed.
Francis: Oh, thank you!
TVGuide.com: Anyway, how did this return come about? There were hard feelings when you left. Did the passage of time help?
Francis: I think so. That's a big part of it. Also, I was in England for three of my four years away from the show. So now that I'm on American soil, I think it seemed more doable from their point of view.... I had not heard from GH in a long time. I did contact them once on my own, and it just wasn't going to happen. They didn't seem to need Laura much at that time, and they weren't really willing to make me any offer. There's timing to everything! With this 25th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding, ABC really wanted it and pushed to make it happen.
TVGuide.com: Very smart on their part.
Francis: I was happy that on my final day of work, [GH head writer] Bob Guza was down on the studio floor and he came to chat with me. [Chuckles] He never does that! So that was very encouraging. It was really very sweet how happy he was to have me back. He said he would like to have me visit again. I said I would like to visit again. So that was a very positive note on which to end.
TVGuide.com: It's great to see Laura awake. It was so depressing to think of her sitting alone in Shadybrook mental hospital, staring blankly at a wall for years. That seemed like an undignified way to leave things, both for you and for the character.
Francis: Yes, I know, I know. Believe me, I was not happy at all, but there was nothing that I could do. I did make one appeal at the end [of my run in 2002] to change the story. They said, "Sorry, it's already been written, but if you do come back, we will address it on your return." They do a more dignified departure for me this time. They also deal with some other aspects of that hasty way they sent me out the door. So they are making some efforts to rebuild the character from the way they left her before — this made me very happy. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Your TV doctor, Robin Scorpio, has hinted that the cure for Laura's catatonic state might only work temporarily. So we can guess what that means...
Francis: [Laughs] It's a medication that only works during a Sweeps period.
TVGuide.com: I'm confused about something. How can Luke remarry Laura if he's currently married to Tracy Quartermaine?
Francis: Luke never tells Laura he's married to Tracy, and Tracy never tells her. I thought they'd get rid of me this time by having Tracy come tell me the whole story and Laura loses it again. But that's not how it happens. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: So is it a legitimate wedding?
Francis: I don't know whether it is a faux marriage or not, but we're re-taking the vows. There's an exchange of rings and it's very much a beautiful wedding ceremony. Hey, Laura believes she got married! [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Eh, details. It's all about the romance! How was it to reunite with your old acting partner, Tony Geary?
Francis: It was great. We always work well together and we enjoy working together. Just the fact that we are together raises the bar in both of our minds. We both want to be on top of our game because we've got a lot to live up to. I know Tony feels that way and I feel that way. Fortunately for us, that chemistry was still there — which was a terrific relief to me! Apparently it's still very much alive for both of us. We're a good team.
TVGuide.com: You and Tony are very special as pop-culture icons. Except for maybe Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, nobody in daytime even comes close to where Luke and Laura were at the zenith of their popularity. I imagine that's a blessing and a curse to live with.
Francis: It was more of a curse when we were younger and we were more eager to move on and do other things. Now that we're both beyond that... I basically consider myself retired. So now it's feeling much more like a blessing! [Chuckles] That's life. That's the way it goes.
TVGuide.com: By the way, it was so nice to see your on-screen reunion with Denise Alexander as Laura's mom, Leslie.
Francis: I know, there are a couple of really nice scenes with us and I love that they let me have that. That's important to me.
TVGuide.com: It honors the history.
Francis: The history! These three actresses. Look at Denise, me and my little girl, Lulu. Julie Berman is really, really good. She's so much like me, it's kind of freaky. She's totally believable as my daughter at 23 and me at 44. That looks real. She doesn't seem 23, she seems 18. It's quite believable that she is my daughter.
TVGuide.com: I'll bet you're not just talking in terms of Julie Berman's physical resemblance to you.
Francis: No, I'm talking about her approach to the craft of acting. She also has a little bit of a dingy quality, like me. [Laughs] I swear to God, she does! Little things make me go, "Oh my God, she is my daughter." We both have the same hobby. We love to paint. And when we cry, the tears pop out of our eyes and drop off our chests. She's a faucet like her mother!
TVGuide.com: The ability to cry like a faucet is very helpful for a soap-opera actress.
Francis: Apparently it's a prerequisite!
TVGuide.com: Funny how Laura pointed out that Lulu looks so grown up, but she didn't seem to notice that Lucky is much bigger and hunkier with Greg Vaughan in that role.
Francis: The only child I recognize is Nikolas. Tyler Christopher originated that role and I love him in that role. He brings a sweetness to that character that I really like. Although he looks like a Cassadine, his heart is pure Laura.
TVGuide.com: Isn't it nice that your Cassadine son named his kid Spencer?
Francis: Isn't that sweet? You know that little child is also named Spencer in real life! Isn't that funny?
TVGuide.com: But back to Lucky. Of course, we miss Jonathan Jackson as Lucky. What's your take on Greg Vaughan?
Francis: I think he did very well with me. I found those scenes easy to play. He has a very sweet, almost vulnerable quality in him that makes him easy to love. To feel love for his character was a piece of cake. I like Greg in the role, and I think he's doing a good job. I liked my mother-son scenes with him. I wish I had more time to develop that, but what we did felt right on.
TVGuide.com: So Genie, tell me about your shop in Maine?
Francis: Yes, it's called The Cherished Home. We opened this summer in Belfast, Maine with a lot of good response. It's so seasonal there; we're trying to get people interested in [shopping on] our website, TheCherishedHome.com.
TVGuide.com: Consider them informed.
Francis: Thank you! I like to do a little bit of everything in the shop. I like being the boss and making my own hours. I do all the buying with my own taste. It's been an awful lot of fun for me. I found that after I quit working at GH, I needed to find something that would fill that creative void. I saw this old Victorian house for sale that was falling apart. It had been a general store and then an antique shop. I decided, "Now's the time to stop dreaming about it and just do it!"
TVGuide.com: It must be nice for you to get far away from showbiz and have a normal family life.
Francis: I'm about an hour south of Acadia National Park. It's beautiful. Imagine, we're surrounded by such incredible natural beauty in Maine. People up here are not impressed by show business. They don't care about it. They are all here for the same reason: They want a nice, peaceful Norman Rockwell existence, and they can have it up here. And they give it to us as well. They don't intrude on us, but they also include us in the community. It's really nice.
TVGuide.com: Tell me about your kids.
Francis: Eliza is my nine-year-old daughter, and my 12-year-old son is "Jamo." That's his nickname. His full name is Jameson.
TVGuide.com: Maine sounds like an idyllic place for them to grow up. Raising kids in Hollywood could be a little crazy, huh?
Francis: I think so, too. I worry about there being too much too soon... there's all that focus on wealth and fame. My daughter recently came to L.A. and visited me while I did General Hospital. We were driving down Sunset Boulevard and there was a big billboard ad for designer jeans — and there are these huge bare bottoms on it. My daughter was appalled! [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Oh my God, I see that billboard all the time! I'm always mooned on my drive to work at TV Guide.
Francis: [Laughs] Eliza said, "What is that?!" I said, "We don't see that in Maine, do we, honey?"
Click here to share your thoughts on Genie's return to GH with your fellow soap fans.
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