General Hospital’s Rory Gibson teases a darker, angrier Michael Corinthos as chaos takes over

On General Hospital, Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) is skating on thin ice. He claims that he didn’t shoot Drew (Cameron Mathison) and has been shoring up his alibi: sex worker, Jacinda (Paige Herschell). On top of that, his grandmother, Monica, played by the late Leslie Charleson, didn’t leave him the house as many expected. Instead, she left it to her recently introduced long-lost sister, Ronnie, played by soap legend Erika Slezak. In a new interview, Gibson previewed what’s next for Port Charles’ most pressured man—and why the darker edge he’s bringing to the character feels more dangerous than ever.

From secret audition to Port Charles firestorm

General Hospital’s Rory Gibson spoke with ABC 11’s General Hospital Spotlight, explaining that his path to Michael wasn’t straightforward: “It was interesting, the way it came about, because initially I wasn't going out for Michael, initially I was going out for the character of Vaughn, the WSB agent.” From that curveball audition to a hush-hush pivot behind the scenes, he pieced together that the mystery role was, in fact, Michael — complicated, messy, and right in his wheelhouse.

His debut was anything but subtle. He blasted into the Nurses’ Ball with the entire cast staring back at him, then had to win over an audience already attached to a legacy character, played for years by Chad Duell. Early nerves aside, the reception surprised him in the best way: “The fans have just been unbelievably lovely. They've been so, so kind to me and so welcoming, and I truly can't thank them enough.”

Leaning into the darker Michael

Part of what’s fueling this new edge is the pressure cooker Michael lives in — a divorce, a custody fight, and now the most inconvenient possible shooting. Even Gibson’s process mirrors that unpredictability: “I know what's going to happen about a week and a half in advance of us filming it.” Translation: he’s discovering the twists almost as fast as viewers do, which keeps his performance reactive and raw.

As for where Michael’s head is at, General Hospital’s Gibson isn’t pretending the halo’s still on straight. He’s embraced the volcanic parts of the character — the bite in the line delivery, the clenched jaw, the barely concealed resentment — and he’s not easing off. If you’re wondering what the next month looks like, he already set expectations with a wink and a warning: “A whole lot of chaos and a whole lot of angst and a lot of brooding, I guess.”

And while Gibson’s loving the chaos, he’s also honest about the pressure that comes with stepping into a character as iconic as Michael. “I’ve been a recast before,” he said, “and there were some people who weren’t totally stoked about me jumping onto the scene just because I was replacing someone who had been there for a long time.”

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Even so, the actor says he’s focused on making this version of Michael entirely his own — sharper, angrier, and a little unpredictable. It’s a gamble that’s paying off, with fans finally seeing a Corinthos who’s more than just a polished heir — he’s a man on the verge.

General Hospital can be seen weekdays on ABC and Hulu.

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