Erika Slezak reveals her General Hospital Sonny connection

ABC soap fans are in for a treat as One Life to Live legend Erika Slezak continues her role as Veronica Bard on General Hospital — and has a fascinating encounter on Thursday.

When Sonny meets Veronica

Erika Slezak loved meeting Maurice Benard | Image: ABC

After her confrontation with Tracy (Jane Elliot), which infuriated both Veronica and Tracy, Veronica will pay a visit to the memorial wall at General Hospital, where Monica's picture now hangs.

She runs into Sonny there, and they begin to chat. Veronica is still smarting after her tension-filled conversation with Tracy and tells Sonny that she is not about to let Tracy Quartermaine get the best of her.

Slezak, who is bringing this brand-new member of Monica's family to life, was no stranger to GH, as she watched it at the One Life to Live studios as routine. Thanks to Slezak's husband, she was also no stranger to Sonny.

"For all the years I was on One Life, we had a monitor in the makeup room, and every time you went in or out, ABC was on," Slezak told TV Insider. "And I used to watch General Hospital during makeup or whatever, so I knew all the characters. After the show went off the air [in 2012], I didn’t really watch, but my husband, who never ever watched One Life to Live, started watching General Hospital off and on. About a year ago, I said, 'Really, you’re watching GH? You never watched One Life to Live.' He said, 'Well, I have to find out what’s happening to Sonny.'"

When Slezak finally met Maurice Benard, she had to report back to her husband.

"He laughed," Slezak relayed. "I called home the second day I worked with Maurice, and I said, ‘Brian, he’s a really nice man. Very calm, very gentle. He’s not Sonny at all.'"

Is another General Hospital appearance in store?

Veronica had a tense meeting with Tracy | Image: ABC

Slezak is only set to appear on General Hospital for a few weeks as part of a brief story arc. While she loved her time on a soap set again, she has adjusted to a life of leisure over the last dozen years, which she's happy to get back to.

"It’s been fun to do it now for three weeks, but I’ll be glad to go home," she said. "I was on the air on One Life for 42 years, and I had a routine. I knew when to get up in the morning, and I knew what day it was only because I knew what days I was working. And when it stopped, well, every day is Saturday when you’re not working, and it’s a real adjustment to make. So, this is fun to do for a short time. I don’t know that I would want to do it for a longer time, unless it were in New York."

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.