INTERVIEW: Roy Thinnes

For the first three years of ABC's General Hospital, Roy Thinnes was the first actor to play the role of Doctor Phil Brewer. In this exclusive interview, Roy Thinnes talks about his time at the ABC soap opera and what it was like to play the role of Phil and be on a brand new half-hour soap!

THE INTERVIEW!

SOAPY INTERVIEWS:  How did you get your part on General Hospital?

ROY THINNES: I had worked for ABC, some of their court shows, and game shows, and such. And, one day, I went over to the General Hospital studio and I auditioned for the role of Phil Brewer on this brand new half-hour soap opera...and...I just got lucky I guess. And, at my audition, I got to meet Emily McLaughlin (Jessie Brewer) and John Beradino (Steve Hardy). And, the rest is history.

SOAPY INTERVIEWS:  So, one of your first big stories on the show was the affair that your character Phil engaged in with the character of Cynthia Alison. What was it like for you as an actor to play this red-hot affair storyline?

ROY: Well, it was exciting, because I knew it was going to be a story that would be followed heavily by the audience. And, that was because the audience felt so compassionate for Jessie. And, the audience really got to see the true emotions of what the affair did to the marriage of Jessie and Phil. So, yes, it was exciting for the very fact that the audience could follow it so closely.

SOAPY INTERVIEWS:  So, Jessie and Phil ended up getting back together upon Jessie revealing that she was in fact pregnant. Unfortunately, Jessie lost the baby. So, what was it like for you as an actor to play the emotions of a miscarriage storyline with Emily?

ROY: Well, it was great to have material that you could really sink your teeth into. And, it was great to play something so real. Because, again, the audience could connect with this relationship on a whole new level. And, I must say, Emily was such a lovely and powerhouse actress in those scenes!

SOAPY INTERVIEWS:  What was your favorite part about working at General Hospital for the three years that you did?

ROY: Well, I had done radio and television when I was younger. But, this was quite the exercise. I went to a job everyday. And, I had tons of lines to memorize. And, I had tons of scenes to film. And, it was quite the challenge doing this show and investing in this character. But, my favorite part about working at General Hospital was the fact that I got an education out of it on how to act better, and how to do a job quickly, and how to memorize lines quickly, and so on, and so forth.

SOAPY INTERVIEWS:  In honor of the shows 52nd anniversary, back in 2015, General Hospital took actors out of their current cast and had them play original characters. They also set the show back in 1963 and the episode was in black and white. Anyway, Ryan Carnes played the role of Phil Brewer and did a fabulous job. Did you know about this special episode at all?

ROY: Yeah. I heard about it. And, it was because a lot of my friends kept asking why is this being mentioned. So, I checked it out. And, honestly, I was shocked General Hospital decided to remember their history. And, they did it so well. Frank Valentini and the writers really did a wonderful and beautiful job with that episode.

SOAPY INTERVIEWS: So, my final question is this, if General Hospital wanted you back as Phil for one special episode as a ghost, would you want to do it?

ROY: Yes. Absolutely. Of course, I would have to make sure my schedule was free. But, yes, I would love to return for a special episode as Phil's ghost. That would be wonderful.