When we last saw Holly Scorpio (Emma Samms) on ABC’s General Hospital two years ago, she was presumed dead. However, viewers knew that she was still very much alive, and just being held captive by a mysterious someone in Monte Carlo. Then, COVID came into our lives and threw everything for a loop, including Samms’ return to the show, as the actress describes to TV Insider. “I still very much [have] Long COVID and I was concerned about coming back to work and Frank [Valentini, head writer] assured me they would be accommodating, and they’ve been incredibly kind in working around what I’m capable of,” she says.
As for where Holly has been for the last two years since we saw last her, Samms could only say, “it’s been rough, obviously. Yes, she’s been held captive.” In clips from the show accompanying the interview above, we see Holly sitting next to Robert (Tristan Rogers) and being questioned by Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) with Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) and Ned (Wally Kurth) standing nearby. Does she know how she got from Monte Carlo to Port Charles? That seems to be a question even Holly cannot answer.
In lieu of more story details, Samms was able to talk about working with some of her O.G. cast mates, like Rogers and Genie Francis (Laura) who were on the General Hospital canvas during her time on the show. “The amazing thing is that after about 30 seconds, everyone was acting exactly how they did years ago,” Samms says. “Even some of the crew are the same and that’s just lovely!”
Tristan Rogers and Emma Samms on General Hospital in 1993 (Craig Sjodin/©ABC /Courtesy Everett Collection)
Overall, the actress believes fans of the show are going to be very pleased with Holly being back and the story surrounding her return, since it harkens back to the days when General Hospital was a must-see daytime drama. “A lot of the writing in the show at the moment, you can tell the writers watched the show back in the day when it was so fun and so exciting and so fast paced because that’s what it feels like now,” she says.
Check out our interview for more, including us showing Samms her 1988 TV Guide Magazine cover from when she’d left General Hospital to star as Fallon Carrington Colby on the Dynasty spinoff, The Colbys. She also discusses how fans from the various shows still talk to her about those iconic roles to this day and how fortunate she feels. Watch it all in the video interview above.
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
