Soap opera actors are generally very mum when it comes to backstage trouble. If they opine publicly against their shows, there’s a fear of being fired. Suddenly their characters get mysterious diseases or are replaced by lookalikes.
“General Hospital” actress Kelly Monaco took a big chance this week. When her co-star (and rumored boyfriend) Billy Miller, was suddenly axed from the ABC soap, Monaco jumped on Twitter. She wrote:
“I feel like I have to address this situation. #BillyMiller ‘s untimely departure from #gh. Honestly, I can not come up with the words to describe how I feel about this decision… a decision that may not be what our audience thinks to be true. I’m heartbroken… more to come.”
Now her fans, and the soap world, waits for that more to come. Will Monaco spill the beans?
“General Hospital,” like the three other remaining soaps, is hemorrhaging ratings. They’ve lost more than 300,000 viewers over the last year. That means quick changes. Miller may be the victim of a new direction for the show even though he’s a multiple winner and nominee at the Daytime Emmy Awards. But there’s a rumor that “General Hospital” may be bringing back fan favorite Tyler Christopher, so Miller’s exit may be budgetary.
What I never understand about these things: why doesn’t Miller head to primetime? He’s more than qualified and would be a terrific addition to a show like “Grey’s Anatomy” and so on. Many have launched from soaps to the big leagues in the past. I say, go while the going is good.
