Michael E. Knight: General Hospital’s Michael E. Knight says Tracy and Martin’s fire may be hiding something deeper

Martin Grey has been doing laps around his own guilt lately on General Hospital, and he finally stopped long enough to tell Laura (Genie Francis) the truth — that he forged Monica’s (the late Leslie Charleson) will. Right as the dust settled, Michael E. Knight stepped in with a little perspective of his own, hinting in a new interview that Tracy (Jane Elliot) and Martin’s crackling animosity may not be the whole story.

A dynamic that refuses to sit still

General Hospital’s Michael E. Knight spoke with Michael Fairman TV about what’s going on with Martin. He didn’t dance around the simple truth of why Tracy and Martin’s scenes land the way they do — they’re unpredictable by design. “There’s something that’s just priceless about the Tracy and Martin relationship,” he said, summing up the spark in a way only someone in the trenches with Jane Elliot can.

He pointed out how the GH writers seem to understand the alchemy, too. Whether it’s a Metro Court stare-down or a fork-waving standoff, the show leans into the friction because both actors stretch the material until it hums. Knight noted, “It’s all this kind of sticking it to each other,” a tug-of-war played with a wink and just enough danger.

Beneath the snarky arguments and back-and-forth sniping, there’s a grudging recognition between the two, Knight noted. “Only a person that you have a tremendous amount in common with can piss you off that much,” he stated. That’s the heartbeat he sees forming, whether the characters want to admit it or not.

What fuels the fire beneath the bickering on General Hospital

General Hospital's Tracy and Martin trading barbs. | Image Source: ABC

Knight also talked about the real secret weapon here: Jane Elliot. He described the General Hospital actress as endlessly inventive, a scene partner who never leaves a moment untouched. “She’ll just find something that always takes it to another level,” he said, and you could hear how much that energizes him. He enjoys when she’s his scene partner, he explained, adding, “It’s always fun to work with somebody who’s just going to give you more than is on the page.”

But Knight also stated that the tension between them isn’t merely written in the script; it’s sparked in real time. He teased how a simple gesture, a line shift, or one of Elliot’s sharp little asides can turn a straightforward exchange into something electric. “I’m usually having so much fun,” he admitted, the kind of fun that leaks into the final cut.

And then he dropped the thought that ties the whole thing together — the reason viewers feel the pull even when the characters are at war. When asked if he thought there could be something romantic between the enemies, he said, “I think it's possible. The thing is, when you get a hatred that burns that hot, hatred that burns that bad is usually fashion.” He then added, “There's got to be some kind of recognition, there's got to be some kind of kindred spirit.”