Interview: Robert Scorpio Is Back!

The last time we saw the debonair Robert Scorpio, he was at the ceremony for Luke and Laura’s vow renewal, which was almost two years ago. And, as far as Tristan Rogers knows, “He’s still sitting in that park, on that chair. We never did get to see him leave or find out where he went.”

Well, last Tuesday on SOAPnet, fans of “General Hospital” at least got to find out where Scorpio is now — he is the hospital as his daughter, Robin, tries to save his life. In season two of SOAPnet’s breakout summer hit, “General Hospital: Night Shift,” faithful viewers will be treated to the appearance of a number of familiar faces returning to Port Charles.

Tristan explains, Scorpio’s health “will be a singular cementing point in the story line. There are two elements to this story: the father/daughter connection and the father/doctor connections.”

Tristan readily admits that taking orders from his daughter, the doctor, will be hard for Scorpio. “He’s a stubborn person, and he won’t slide into the role of patient that easily — until she gives him a reason, which she does. But it’s a challenge for him; he’s never had to deal with this.”

However, Tristan had no trouble dealing with re-creating his iconic role on the “Night Shift” stage. Tristan tells me: “When you’ve been doing a character this long, you have thorough insight on how this character is going to react, so it comes rather easily.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the show,” Tristan continues. “Filming ‘Night Shift’ has been a completely different experience. We film only two days a week — which is such a luxury, getting two days to film one hour of television. We’re in a separate studio with our own separate resources: writers, producers, directors. I think this is a good thing — it’s the same, but different.”

While the experience has been positive for Tristan, it also feels a bit like déjà vu. When he first heard of the “Night Shift” concept, he thought: “Hey, we discussed this back in 1981. I spoke with Gloria Monty (then-executive producer and head writer) about it. It was going to be called ‘The Young Doctors of General Hospital.’ But we were very busy with the current story line, so the idea fell by the wayside.”

Another concept that sets “Night Shift” apart from Scorpio’s appearances on “GH” is his condition. “Robert is coming in as a patient; he’s not here to save the world or to unravel a mystery. Although he still looks sideways at everybody, he knows he needs help.”

Tristan also knows he and the folks at “Night Shift” are onto something special. “This is a different version of ‘General Hospital,’ no question about that. It gets back, in some respects, more to the roots of the show. I wasn’t around when the show first started, but it would certainly seem to touch on a lot of those themes of when the show first originated.

“It has a great entertainment value. Fans basically get to see another version of the show. ‘Night Shift’ is ‘Night Shift’ and ‘General Hospital’ is ‘General Hospital.’ We get to see a lot more of the medical side; we don’t go outside the world of the hospital. While we are in the same building, it definitely is different.”

You can catch Tristan on “General Hospital: Night Shift” Tuesday nights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SOAPnet.

PHOTO CREDIT: SOAPnet/Craig Sjodin

Tristan Rogers, Antonio Sabato Jr. Join GH: Night Shift

PRESS RELEASE

Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney ABC Television Group, today announced that two award-winning actors, Antonio Sabato Jr. and Tristan Rogers, will reprise the roles they created for General Hospital of Jagger Cates and Robert Scorpio, respectively, for the second season of General Hospital: Night Shift. The SOAPnet series, which is the network’s most-watched of all time, follows the lives of doctors, nurses and patients as they embark on journeys of self discovery, love and heartache. The season premiere is TUESDAY, JULY 22 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT on SOAPnet.

In other casting news, Billy Dee Williams (Touissant Dubois), Kimberly McCullough (Dr. Robin Scorpio), Jason Thompson (Dr. Patrick Drake) and Sonya Eddy (Epiphany Johnson) will be back for the show’s sophomore season. In addition, other members of the cast include Adam Grimes as Dr. Kyle Julian, Carrie Southworth as Dr. Claire Simpson, Ethan Rains as Dr. Leo Julian (he is taking over the role from his real-life brother, Dominic, who was unavailable for Season 2) and Azita Ghanizada as Dr. Saira Batra.

In storyline, Jagger will return to Port Charles after a 13-year absence with his five-year-old son, Stone, in tow. He will reconnect with Robin (Kimberly McCullough), meet some new residents – including Robin’s boyfriend Patrick (Jason Thompson) – along the way and, most importantly, face a difficult internal struggle as he grows emotionally as a man and a father. As for Scorpio, the super spy will have to face the fact that he is getting older and his health is failing. Upon his arrival in town, he’ll check into the hospital as a patient where his daughter, Robin, will be providing his care. Father and daughter will struggle to figure out their relationship as grown adults.

“It is very exciting to kick off the second season with casting two accomplished actors who will undoubtedly bring their A-game to the series,” said Frons. “Because of their own histories with the original top-rated show, the audience will be able to immediately connect with them and their characters’ upcoming storylines.”

On the casting of Sabato, executive producer Lisa De Cazotte adds: “I couldn't be happier to have Antonio Sabato, Jr. join us this season, as he will bring so much to this season because of Jagger's complex character and for the obvious natural charm he brings to the screen.” Head writer Sri Rao continues, “Antonio is a true star. We are proud that he can trace his roots to ‘GH’ and see it as befitting for him to return to Port Charles in the legendary role that helped propel his career.”

As for Rogers, Rao enthusiastically says: “I am thrilled that Tristan will be returning to reprise his iconic role, and I can guarantee fans that they will not be disappointed. Robert’s storyline will be heartfelt, funny and robust.” De Cazotte continues, “Tristan’s return to Port Charles will come with an important story for his character and for his daughter, Robin, that promises to be compelling and touching.”

Mr. Sabato originally created and played the role of Jagger Cates on ABC’s top rated daytime drama, General Hospital. After leaving the show in 1995, he continued work in a variety of different projects for film and television, including The Bold and the Beautiful, Melrose Place, Charmed and Becker, and is currently seen in the successful summer series Celebrity Circus. (Check him out here on The Wheel of Death.)

Mr. Rogers originally created and played the role of Robert Scorpio on General Hospital more than two decades ago. An accomplished actor, other appearances in his acting career include feature films and television series Opportunity Knocks, Family Law, The Wild Thornberrys, V.I.P. and The Bold and the Beautiful.