A show that has been on the air for as long as General Hospital has is bound to have some major changes over the years. The beloved soap opera, which has aired a whopping 15,000 episodes, has been around since the early 1960s, and per IMDb, has featured over 4,000 credited cast members in its legendary run. Now, as it’s currently airing its 62nd season, fans will see yet another change: a recast for Charlotte Cassadine.
The role, the daughter of Alexa Havins‘ character Lulu with James Patrick Stuart’s character Valentin, previously helmed by Scarlett Fernández starting in 2016, will now be played by Bluesy LaRue Burke, 17, who is best known for her appearance in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart.
She is the daughter of none other than Billy Burke, who is best known for his role as Kristen Stewart’s iconic character Bella Swan’s dad Charlie Swan in the Twilight movie saga, plus he is the lead on the CBS drama Fire Country. Her mother is fellow actress Pollyanna Rose, who was married to Billy from 2008 to 2017.
This isn’t the first time Charlotte’s role gets recast. Scarlett, 16, first started playing Charlotte when she was seven years old, and was replaced by Amelie McLain in late 2021. “I’m super grateful for the opportunity that @fvalentinigh and @markteschner gave me in 2016. Playing Charlotte Cassadine was my favorite and I’m sad it’s come to an end. I will miss my castmates and the crew and I know the fans will support the new actor playing Charlotte. Thank you for all the support!” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
In 2023, Amelie eventually also left, and Scarlett returned to her role as Charlotte. Speaking with Soap Opera Digest in November 2023 about the fan reaction to her return, she said: “It was definitely encouraging because I wondered how the fans would feel. I didn’t know if they would be happy that I was back, so it felt good that they were excited to see me,” adding of her nerves: “Before I came back, I was a little worried, wondering if maybe things had changed a lot. But when I got there, it felt very familiar and comfortable right away.”
© Getty ImagesIn August, General Hospital confirmed another cast shake-up: the return of Ryan Paevey to Port Charles, who first joined the show as Nathan West in 2013. However, it is unclear under what capacity he will be returning — his old role or a new character — as Nathan was killed off in 2018. It came as a surprise to fans as much as it does for Ryan himself, who revealed to Deadline that his return first began unfolding he received a text from Executive Producer Frank Valentini, who was the one to bring him onto the show as an on-screen love interest for Kirsten Storms‘ character Maxie Jones.
© Getty“We talked a bit and he asked would I consider returning for a while, talking story, floated different story ideas involving different time commitments of me, and I thought if we’re going to do this we should really do it and surprise the fans with a meaty storyline,” Ryan shared, who returned to set and started filming in late August, and will make his official return to the soap this month, shared.
© ABC“I was surprised by my excitement for a homecoming and reuniting with familiar faces after seven years. I still have my last call sheet from my final taping day on January 18, 2018, tacked up in my home office,” he added. Confirmation of his return comes some weeks after Kelly Thiebaud returned as his on-screen sister Britt Westbourne, after her character was also killed off in January 2023. “It is good to be home,” she told Deadline at the time, with executive producer Frank adding: “I am thrilled to have Kelly back on our show … We have some great twists and turns planned for her character.”
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