General Hospital's Erika Slezak reveals the number one reason she agreed to play Ronnie

It had been a dozen years since soap legend Erika Slezak had appeared on our daytime screens when General Hospital Executive Producer Frank Valentini came calling. He only had to tell Slezak one name before she agreed to bring Veronic Bard to life in Port Charles.

The Tracy and Ronnie Show

As Slezak wraps up her run on GH this week, the actress reflected on her time back on soaps and revealed one of the main reasons she decided to take this short-term gig.

"When Frank called me and asked me to do this [and] said I’d be working primarily with Jane Elliot, I went, 'Yes! Okay, I’ll do it!'" Slezak told Soap Opera Digest. "I mean, that’s how simple it was because I’ve watched Jane for years and I’m still amazed at how good she is, how interesting she is, how she can twist a simple sentence into a whole lifetime. She’s amazing!"

It was a pleasure to act for Slezak and a pleasure to watch for longtime ABC soap fans who couldn't believe these two soap opera icons were in the same scenes together. Both Slezak and Elliot began their daytime careers in the 1970s, with Slezak winning a whopping six Daytime Emmys, bringing Victoria Lord and her many alters to life.

Slezak's Ronnie Bard and Elliot's Tracy Quartermaine didn't like one another from the start and sparred like old pros, making Ronnie seem like she had been a member of the Quartermaine clan for years.

Making the rounds at General Hospital

Of course, Elliot wasn't the only big soap star that Slezak worked with. She shared scenes with some formidable players and enjoyed every minute of it.

"They put me together with pretty much every major longtime character on the show," Slezak said. "When I found out that I was going to be working with Maurice [Benard, Sonny], I thought, 'What the hell is she going to say to Sonny?' And then it turned out to be so sweet, and it showed a side of Sonny that I think not too many people see."

In the end, Slezak will bid farewell to General Hospital and Port Charles in emotional scenes airing this week with Tracy. After Ronnie confessed to going along with Marty's fake will scheme, Tracy kicked her out of the house, and the other Quartermaines followed.

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On Thursday, Ronnie returns to the scene of the crime, as Tracy swallows her pride for the sake of Monica and her family. Maybe Slezak and Ronnie can return to town one day, now that it looks like Tracy will allow it. That even sounds like a good idea to Slezak, who told Digest she wouldn't mind a return visit one day.

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

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