Daytime fans have been bursting into spontaneous dance since news broke that All My Children alum Kim Delaney (ex-Jenny Gardner) is heading to General Hospital, and now everyone can get even more excited because her character details have been revealed -- and it's a major blast from the past.
According to Delaney's new costar Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio), the actress has taken on the role of tough-gal reporter Jackie Templeton, who was famously played by Demi Moore from 1982 to 1984.
Daytime Confidential reports that Rogers leaked the "OMG!" character news in a Cameo video, stating, "There was a huge storyline planned around Robert going out to find Emma [Samms], Holly, [who returned to GH earlier this month]. Well, we went into lockdown, she came down very, very hard with Covid, and she's been battling it ever since, so that storyline is on the back-burner. But what you are going to see is some of Robert's old flames return, maybe not played by the originals. But like for instance -- she goes to air next week -- but Jackie Templeton comes back on the show, played by just a wonderful actress called Kim Delaney."
As longtime GH fans may recall, Robert and Jackie met in the early 80s while chasing after the villainous David Grey (Paul Rossilli), who was thought to be connected to the disappearance of Jackie's sister, Laura Templeton, and Luke's (Anthony Geary) love, Laura Webber (Genie Francis). When the dust settled, sparks flew between the reporter and the WSB agent, and Jackie decided to put down roots in Port Charles. Unfortunately, their relationship became strained when Luke brought beautiful Brit Holly Sutton to town. Robert was smitten, and, following a storyline in which Luke was presumed dead, Robert married Holly so she could stay in the country. Obviously, that didn't go over well with Jackie, who found herself caught up in the Susan Moore (Gail Ramsey) murder mystery before she eventually left town.
"Now where does this go? Does it mean that there's a romantic thing happening?" teases Rogers about whether or not GH viewers will see Robert and Jackie hook up again. "Probably not. They've got all sorts of stuff attached to her right now and I don't know where it's going."
Besides, as the actor points out, "They've also got me kind of involved with Lisa LoCicero, who plays Olivia. That's interesting, too. [Laughs] It's interesting because of the age difference between the two people and I'd like to play that; whether I'll be allowed to is another thing altogether."
In a separate Cameo video, though, Rogers teased that Robert's connection to Olivia might be a red herring meant to distract fans from something else brewing... so viewers will have to keep tuning in to GH to find out what will happen.
No matter what storyline material is set for the weeks and months ahead, though, Delaney is sure to slay it. She carries enormous nostalgic value, having played the beloved character of AMC's Jenny from 1981 to 1984, and she has found primetime success on shows like Army Wives and NYPD Blue, the latter of which led to Delaney winning an Outstanding Supporting Actress Primetime Emmy in 1997.
What do you think about GH bringing the role of Jackie Templeton out of the vaults? What are your thoughts on Kim Delaney taking on the classic character? What kind of storyline do you think the writers have planned for Jackie? 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.
