GH's Steve Burton Explains How Head Writer Change Affected Return Storyline
Steve Burton
Steven Bergman Photography
Monday, March 4 marked Steve Burton's return to General Hospital as Jason Morgan. As the multi-soap vet slipped back into his longtime role, he chatted with Soap Opera Digest about his comeback.
RELATED: Steve Burton Returns to General Hospital
Recently, co-head scribes Chris Van Etten and Dan O'Connor exited GH. They've since been replaced by Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahey. That switch-up affected Jason's return storyline, Burton said. The actor explained:
Recommended Articles
Listen, I’ve never been a guy to dictate story. I’ve never been somebody going, 'Hey, I can’t or won’t do this.' If there was anything I needed, it was always on the day [that particular episode was shot], like, 'Hey, this is not really working, can we change something.' [During that process] there was a head writer switch. So apparently there was a whole different story planned and then the head writer switch happened and then they kind of rebooted [the story arc].
He added:
I know Patrick [Mulcahey, one of the new head writers] a little bit, but I really know Elizabeth Korte [who was promoted to co-head writer]. There’s no one in the building that loves that show, knows the history of the character, and is invested in it 100 percent than Elizabeth. There has never been a more deserved promotion, ever. Once I know that she was [one of the head writers], I was like, 'Oh, this is gonna be good! I cannot wait.' And it has been exactly that. Everything has been amazing.
Reflecting on his departure and subsequent homecoming, Burton mused:
GH will always be my home. I’ve left a few times. I left in 2012, which was the big one, and the last one, and it completely changed me as a human being every every time I left and I’m so grateful for that and I’m super-grateful for the opportunity to come back and share myself as a new person, also. [Some people may think] 'Oh, he’s coming back again. Who gives a rat’s ass at this point?' You know, 'What’s different?' Well, a lot is different this time. I’m different. The writing is different. The show is different. And it’s going to be great.
