General Hospital's "Mike" (Maurice Benard) and Nina (Cynthia Watros) are relieved to see their recent nemesis, Elijah Crowe (Dan White), in jail for his devious plots in Nixon Falls. But could the nefarious real estate developer have more tricks up his sleeve?
Soap Central spoke with White about the character's future and what his experience at GH has been like thus far. He points out that Elijah didn't die and therefore could easily come back to the canvas as at any time -- and he muses about several fun ways the writers could make it happen.
Soap Central: Before we talk about GH, I wanted to quickly ask about something from your past, which is you having done broadcast journalism at one point?
Dan White: Yeah, I was a Broadcast Journalism major in college, and I worked on air at W23BC, which was Jackson State University's news channel. I reported, I anchored, and I also conducted an interview show, as well. I was also a radio personality for like three years, in gospel radio to begin with, and then R&B and hip hop.
Soap Central: That's a pretty varied journalism background. When did your goal go from doing that to being an actor?
White: I've been acting since I was a kid. My first professional audition -- which I actually got -- was for a movie called Toy Soldiers that was in theaters 30 years ago. It starred Sean Astin and Louis Gossett Jr., some real heavy hitters, and that was my first professional audition, and I got it.
Soap Central: Oh, wow. You must have been like, "Dang, I'm really good at this!"
White: [Laughs] You know what's funny though? I auditioned for the casting director, and she didn't say any of the curse words, but then I also auditioned for this guy who was the producer of Beverly Hills Cop, his name was Daniel Petrie [Jr.], I auditioned for him, and he did say all of the curse words, and I got scared and forgot what to say! [Laughs] Here was this big ol' dude with red hair, and he frightened me, and I messed up the audition. So, in answer to your question, no, I did not think, "Oh, I'm going to get this!" Because I really folded under pressure there. [Laughs] I mean, here's this big grown man yelling at you, and you're like eleven years old and like, "What's going on!?" [Laughs] So, I acted as a kid and... I went into Broadcast Journalism because I enjoyed the process of telling stories and bringing information to people. I didn't see myself pursuing news -- I wanted to do entertainment news, and I wanted to act; I wanted to do both. So, journalism and acting may seem like they're two different things, but to me, they went very much hand in hand.
Soap Central: And now you're on General Hospital, which must be a trip for you.
White: It has been so incredible and so much fun. I get the script, I read through it, and I want to know what's happening myself! We know obviously before the viewers know, but as the actors, we're talking to each other, we're putting stuff together, like, "How did this happen?!" That excitement is super fun, and it's always cool to get the scripts and see what's going on.
Soap Central: Has it been difficult for you to keep storylines secret from your family? Because I heard they are big fans of the show!
White: They are big fans! But it hasn't been difficult because I can be superstitious, so whenever I've auditioned for something, they've always wanted to know what it was, and I'm like, "I can't tell you." So, they're conditioned to hear, "I can't tell you" from me! [Laughs] It's been that way for many years. I'm a Scorpio, and I guess Scorpios are supposed to be secretive. I don't really know, but my acting coach tells me I have Scorpio qualities all the time, so maybe being a secretive Scorpio has helped me, so that's not much of an issue, keeping storylines secret!
Soap Central: What were your first thoughts when you first learned about the character of Elijah?
White: "Charming real estate developer with an agenda." That was literally my first thought because that's what the breakdown said. And I was like, "Well, what's his agenda?!" [Laughs] The first couple of episodes, he was on the phone with somebody, and his shadiness came out, but then, also, I thought, well, Phyllis [Joyce Guy] and Lenny [Riff Hutton] took care of this dude in graduate school and have looked out for him, so he must have some love, right? So, I thought, well, this is going to be a fun character, because I could see the complexity. He does care about the people who took care of him, but he's also up to something that we have to figure out. So, in answer to your question, the first thing I thought when I read this was, "Wow, this is going to be a lot of fun if it works out." Being convincing as a charming character who is really up to something, that's a real challenge, you know? And it was something that I was really excited to try to live up to, and hopefully, it resonated.
Soap Central: You were thrown right into storyline with some legends on the show, including Maurice Benard and Cynthia Watros. What has it been like to work with them?
White: It was fantastic, as were my first scenes with Riff Hutton and Joyce Guy. It turned out that Joyce went to Hanson University, and her friends know my parents. And she's friends with my singing coach, too! So, I already had this connection, and these were the first actors that I worked with. They were super giving and prepared and on it and made me feel comfortable from the start. I just wanted to mention them and give them their props, too! But with Maurice, man, stepping onto the stage with Maurice, I had been watching him a long time, and you better bring it when you're there! I wanted to do my best to hold my own and be strong with Maurice as much as I could. He's a dynamo, you know, a really, really wonderful man.
Soap Central: Was Maurice what you expected him to be, having watched him all those years?
White: He's a boxing fan, and I knew that coming in, which I thought was really cool. Speaking of boxing, Muhammad Ali, he was the greatest, but he would be joking around during training because it's something he's passionate about that he has fun with, and that's the energy I got from Maurice. Every time he was on stage, he was having a good time and joking, like, "Hey all, make sure you put that script down!" He's just a funny dude, a good guy, and he made it a fun environment; it was fantastic to be able to play with somebody at that level. We had a really good time going back and forth, trying to one up each other, trying to zing him back or zing him first. And just knowing what Sonny Corinthos would do to somebody like Elijah if he knew who he was, in the back of my mind, I was laughing at what I could get away with as Elijah. That was pretty funny to me. And as far as Cynthia, she's a lovely, lovely person and a giving performer. She was the type to say, "Do you want to run this? Do you have any questions? Are you okay?" It was fun to be charming and try to woo her and have this fun man and woman energy, where I'm putting my vibes out there and hoping she picks them up. That was a lot of fun. What was scary, though, was when things took a turn and I had an altercation with Nina, and I had to grab her and stuff like that. Trust was very important, even though it was regular stage combat -- the person who is holding or hitting doesn't do anything, and it's the person who is supposed to be being hurt is the one that does all the action, so they don't actually get hurt -- but it was very important to me that Cynthia the actor trusted Dan the actor and that we were good the whole time. I just wanted to make sure that she was comfortable. But she asked me if I was okay at the end of all those yelling and grabbing scenes!
Soap Central: Everything came to a head with those scenes, and it seems like Elijah is gone for good, but can you say whether or not you'll be on the show anymore?
White: Elijah is in jail right now -- nobody pushed me down a well or blew me up or anything like that, though with soaps, sometimes that doesn't matter! [Laughs] But I don't know. I haven't been told that he won't be back...
Soap Central: I've seen some comments from fans who think Elijah might somehow have a hand in revealing Nina's secret.
White: Well, he is in jail with an axe to grind! [Laughs] It could be any number of things, I just don't know yet... but wouldn't it be funny if Elijah was actually working for Sonny, but Sonny didn't remember because he lost his memory?!
Soap Central: That's the beauty of soap operas -- they can always pull out the unexpected! I wanted to quickly ask you about playing a doctor on The Young and the Restless back in 2016. What was that experience like?
White: That was my first soap opera experience, and it was great. It was quick, though! That's when I learned about, "Block, rehearsal, shoot." I had been a regular on a single cam comedy series, and I did a lot of day player stuff on a lot of sitcoms, and we'd be chilling, you know what I mean? So, that was one big difference that immediately hit me, how quick the soaps move. It reminded me of live theater because of the lack of the margin of error. But my grandma used to also watch The Young and the Restless, and I was acting with an actor that she liked who plays Nick on the show [Joshua Morrow], and I was taking him to rehab. And there was another thing, too: My parents are doctors, so I finally got to say, "Well, at least I played a doctor on TV! I didn't go to medical school, but today, you'll see me talking about a fibula fracture and moon boots and stuff." [Laughs]
Soap Central: Would you be willing to do another soap opera in your future?
White: Heck, yes! It was fun. I should stop talking about it like it's over, because we don't know! [Laughs] But, it's a blast. There was one line I got to say, "Yeah, I was thinking about candlelight and wine and a nice meal, just the two of us." Do you understand how much fun that is?! My friends from childhood and I, we're always quoting Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction -- movies that 90s dudes be watching over and over again and quote lines from -- and now, my friends quote that line back to me! [Laughs] What's not to love about that? It's just a blast. Especially because General Hospital has been on TV for 58 years. It's part of our collective cultural zeitgeist, if you will, so to do soaps is a wonderful experience. Like I told you, I like being a storyteller, so to get to do that and bring that story and these characters to life, it's an opportunity of a lifetime and a dream come true.
Soap Central: Soap fans are super passionate and supportive, so have you felt your fame rise since being on GH?
White: Oh, yeah, absolutely! It's funny because now, when I'm in pictures on Facebook with my friends, somebody will chime in and be like, "I saw you on General Hospital!" [Laughs] And that is fun. I hadn't really thought about that, but certainly, more people know me now than three months ago, which is awesome. I just hope I'm doing a good job, and I hope that they like what I'm doing and it's resonating. People comment, "He's a character that I love to hate," and that's what Elijah is there for -- hopefully you love to hate him! [Laughs]
Soap Central: Has your daughter seen you on General Hospital, and if so, what does she think?
White: She watched a couple of scenes, but she likes it when I'm the principal on Clarence on Cartoon Network. [Laughs] She really digs it when I do video games and those things. The subject matter of GH is a little beyond her pay grade, age-wise -- she just turned seven -- but what is really cool, today we were talking about the definition of inspiration, and it came up because we were talking about how she likes to watch My 600-lb Life. One lady lost like 200 pounds and spoke to other folks to show them that if she could do it, they could, too. So, my daughter and I were talking about what the word inspire means, and she said something about how me being on General Hospital inspired other people to act, and I thought that was an astute observation for a seven-year-old to make. I was quite impressed!
Soap Central: With good reason! That was very astute -- and probably very true. On that note, is there anything else that you'd like to add before I let you go?
White: One thing I do want to add is how appreciative I am to [GH executive producer] Frank Valentini and [GH casting director] Mark Teschner and everyone who gave me the opportunity. Elijah was only supposed to be on for two, maybe three episodes, so, for it to have gone 19 so far has just been a gift and a blessing that I will always be appreciative of. And Frank Valentini, he just exudes this calm leadership and power that just makes you feel like you're in good hands, which made the whole experience really freeing.
What do you think about our interview with Dan White? Would you like to see Elijah get out of jail and wreak more havoc on the GH canvas? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
