EXCLUSIVE: General Hospital star Daniel Goddard says there's more to Henry Dalton than meets the eye

Joss (Eden McCoy) may have pulled a fast one by getting Professor Henry Dalton's (Daniel Goddard) coveted research assistant spot on General Hospital. But has the WSB agent-in-training truly gotten two steps ahead of the enigmatic Dalton? Goddard chatted with Soap Central about his mysterious new character.

Getting to know you on General Hospital

Viewers are still learning about Professor Henry Dalton, and Daniel Goddard says he is, too. The actor says when The Young and the Restless cast him as Cane Ashby, he endeavored to learn everything he could about the character. He'd talk to the writers, and he tried to discover what other Genoa City citizens were saying about Cane.

"I've done none that here at General Hospital," Goddard tells Soap Central. "I think it's interesting because I don't know anything that someone is saying about [Henry]. I have not watched myself on the show, nor do I necessarily intend to. I want to go on the journey."

The actor shares that he explained his process to GH executive producer Frank Valentini when he saw him on his first day of taping. "We had a bit of a chat and I said to him, 'I don't want to know anything,'" Goddard shares. "'Just write for me and I will play it.'"

Goddard says he learned the lesson of not having too much dialogue with the writers from an actor he respects: Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R). "He told me this years ago," Goddard recalls. "I asked him if he ever went to the writers. He looked at me and said, 'I have never done that, and I never will. I tell them I'll play it.' I was like, 'Okay!' I take that mindset to this [role]. Give it to me and I'll play it."

One thing Goddard does know through his scenes is that Sidwell (Carlo Rota) is involved in Dalton's research. "He's helping fund it so there's all these things going on where you have the [good] forces [like Joss] looking into Dalton and you've got evil-doers [like Sidwell] interested in him, too,'" Goddard observes. "Dalton's in the middle. You're wondering where he's going. I find that interesting."

When Henry Met Anna

At the end of April, GH tested the chemistry between Goddard's Henry and Finola Hughes's Anna when the two shared a drink at the Savoy. Goddard says that there's a lot of synchronicity between Brits and Australians, and he felt that dynamic shine in their scenes.

"Finola's great," Goddard says. "We ran the scene, and she asked, 'Is there anything you need from me?' I said, 'Let's just have fun.' She said, 'I would love that!' She's such a strong actress and a great person. I truly enjoyed our scenes."

Goddard says he reconnected with Genie Francis, who played his mother Genevieve on Y&R, in the General Hospital makeup room. "I was sitting in a chair getting my hair cut, and she sat down next to me," Goddard says with a smile.

How Goddard came back to daytime

The actor's return to soaps was facilitated by his manager, Michael Bruno, the man who has his finger on the pulse of daytime. Goddard learned about Bruno years ago, when the talent rep was interviewed about rising soap stars.

"I'll never forget Michael saying [about me], 'He's a good-looking actor, a nice person, and he's a big, big find for Y&R,'" Goddard recalls. "I thought, 'Wow, who is that guy?'"

Additionally, Goddard is thankful to Valentini and GH casting director Mark Teschner for his new role. The Beastmaster actor is also giving a shoutout to his fanbase that's followed him to GH and also to veteran GH fans who've welcomed him to Port Charles.

Trending

"I put a post on social about joining GH and it got like 1000 comments in the first eight hours or so," Goddard recalls. "Every single comment was, 'We missed you. We can't believe you're back.'"

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