Emma Samms on 60 Years of ‘General Hospital’ & Why Calling Soaps a ‘Training Ground’ Is Insulting

Emma Samms became an instant fan favorite when she joined the cast of General Hospital in 1982 as Holly Sutton, a con artist who romanced Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) and later, found an even greater love with Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers).

The actress still pops back into Port Charles to reprise her role as the English beauty, and now, ABC has tapped her once again to be part of a nighttime special, General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling. TV Insider chatted Samms, who resides in England, about the special, why she dislikes the term “training ground” when it’s applied to soaps, and her praise of Frank Valentini, GH’s showrunner.

A tribute to General Hospital’s 60^th would not be complete without you!

Emma Samms: Thank you! I was delighted to be asked. I still feel so connected to the show even though I can’t watch it [in England]. But I do stay connected to it through social media… I was thrilled that they asked me to do this. It’s a wonderful way to say thank you. GH has welcomed me back so many times. They don’t have to do that. I’ve gone off to England, raised my kids, done other things, and yet am warmly welcomed back each and every time when I come back to GH.

In 2022, Holly had faked her death by pretending to be set ablaze. The payoff shot was seeing you revealed as being unharmed. GH director Phideaux Xavier said at the Daytime Emmys that that episode was on the show’s winning directing reel.

Oh, Phideaux! I hadn’t realized that was one of the directing episodes. I saw the clip of the stunt woman [Colby Lemmo]; she was outstanding! I believe she’d never done a burn scene like that before. She’s an ex-ballet dancer. Of course, if you can do ballet, you can do anything! That’s my belief.

What role do you play in General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling?

I talk about all the famous names who have worked on the show over the years and who have gone on to do other things in movies and nighttime. The list is impressive. It really puts a perspective on the outstanding work being done on GH. I would never, ever say [soap operas] are a good “training ground.” I feel that [expression] insults the show and the incredible actors on it. One of the amazing things about being on GH is that if you can do that, you can do anything. It is the most superb place to prove yourself. I think that’s how I got my job on Dynasty [as Fallon].

How so?

Tori Spelling saw me on General Hospital and said to her father Aaron [Spelling, executive producer, Dynasty], “There’s an actress and a character on GH you might like to look at.” I really think that if you can flourish with that schedule and within that environment, it says a lot about you. When you’re on General Hospital, you’re consistently learning a large amount of dialogue with little time for rehearsal. These are things that are essential to making the show work and being financially viable. We’ve all seen people who are used to nighttime and movies and they come to daytime and say, “What?”

And that was the old production pace; now, the train goes even faster.

Yes. I think producers [like Aaron Spelling] who hire actors from daytime appreciate that we are there on time and we know our lines. How many other people in entertainment can say they’ve had the same job for 40 years? I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that I’ve been on and off GH for 40 years.

Robert and Holly’s romance is one of GH’s – and all of soaps – greatest love stories. After learning she was pregnant with Luke’s baby and Luke was believed dead, Robert proposed to Holly to prevent her from being deported. They fell in love for real after she miscarried. I think the original plan was to reunite Holly and Luke after he came back.  

Yes. I believe that was the plan. Gloria Monty [GH’s late legendary producer] was spectacularly good at seeing what the audience was responding to and going with that. The writing was so spot-on. They didn’t write our story a year in advance. They’d see what was working and what wasn’t and they were flexible.

Holly and Robert’s relationship had drama but also wit, romance, and even comedy, at times.

Yes. We were also a happily married couple on TV that the audience didn’t find dull. That was due to the writing. That holds today. I think the audience is still rooting for [Robert and Holly]. I know they are. The audience is there.

There’s not just one but two songs associated with Holly; her love sone with Luke was “Baby Come to Me,” and her love song with Robert was “How Do You Keep The Music Playing.” Both songs/duets were sung by James Ingram & Patti Austin.

We could hear the music coming through a cameraman’s headset when we were on stage. We were very well aware of the songs associated with our characters. It was a real thrill. “Baby Come to Me” had a resurgence on the charts [after it was played so often on GH]. James Ingram once said to me, “Thank you so much!” Also, Dave Koz had a theme [“Faces Of The Heart” in 1994] for GH that was a big success. I do miss the love songs.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to see the GH special if it doesn’t air in England.

I definitely want to see it. I think it’s going to be a marvelous celebration and will show respect for what GH has done and also for what Frank [Valentini] has done and does for the show. He’s had to face challenges with budgets, the pandemic, and then, losing so many people this past year.

He honors the history of the show, which has been absolutely fantastic. That means a lot to me. It’s very important to Frank that we get it right. He’s very keen to make sure we do the best possible job of honoring the history of the characters. Frank is so committed to make the show as good as it possibly can be. He’ll come down on set and say, “Can you try this?” He’s really involved with the production. He’s absolutely devoted to making GH the best it can possibly be, and it shows.

General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling, Thursday, January 4, 10/9c, ABC