Jonathan Jackson reveals how he got used to the fast pace of General Hospital again

If you blinked, you might have missed Jonathan Jackson’s eagerly awaited return to General Hospital. His reprisal of the role was accompanied by a lot of fun action as Anna (Finola Hughes) and Jason (Steve Burton) raced against time to rescue Lucky from the clutches of Sidwell (Carlo Rota). The goal was to have him return to Port Charles to possibly donate part of his liver to save the life of his sister, Lulu (Alexa Havins). That didn’t work out, but Lulu still survived from another donor. Lucky’s been lollygagging around town since then, but ultimately realized he had the wanderlust, and has decided to leave the city again.

Jonathan Jackson's first return to General Hospital was difficult

Jackson first joined General Hospital in 1993 as Lucky Spencer, the son of the legendary Luke and Laura (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis). The couple had been on the run from the villainous mobster, Frank Smith, and Lucky was born during their travels. He eventually left in 1999 and the part was recast with Jacob Young in 2000, and then again by Greg Vaughan in 2003. Eventually, Jackson went back to the role that started it all in 2009, and he told TV Insider that his return then was not easy.

“It was weird to be 28 years old at that time and pick up a character again that I had last played when I was probably 17,” he explained, noting that a lot had changed for him in real life between those ages. He continued, “So, to go back in there and work with Tony Geary [Luke Spencer] in that context was really exciting, but it was also more jarring.” He further detailed how re-acclimating himself to the grueling pace of a soap with all the dialogue that needs to be memorized required a week for him to get the hang of things again.

It felt natural

General Hospital's Laura and Lucky. | Image Source: ABC

Jackson had exited the show only a couple of years after his first return, but came back in 2015 to help celebrate Geary’s retirement. That visit was extremely short, and it wasn’t until August 2024 that he went back to General Hospital. He noted that in this visit, he didn’t have the difficulty getting into the swing of things as he had previously done. “It felt really natural and really comfortable finding the voice of the character,” he explained. He further remarked that when he came back in 2015, he felt like he didn’t have enough time to reconnect with Francis.

The actor also remarked that the pace of creating a soap opera had increased significantly since he we there last, “But I’ve been able to adjust to it, so it wasn’t completely shocking.” Ultimately, he would be happy if he got asked to return again in the future, but is okay if they end up recasting the part. He stated how grateful he was for the fan support and their understanding that sometimes life gets in the way of things. “The GH fan base is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he remarked.

You can watch new episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.