Port Charles was rocked when Michael Corinthos returned this past May, and Rory Gibson quickly won over fans with his fresh take on the character. The General Hospital star joined us on The BUZZ to talk about his early months on the ABC soap, stepping into such an iconic role, and how his daytime experience on CBS’ The Young and the Restless helped prepare him for the challenge.
Before arriving in Port Charles, Gibson portrayed Noah Newman on Y&R. Now, as Michael Corinthos, he shared how much preparation and thought went into taking over a role with such deep history—especially after a two-month audition process that originally had him testing for a completely different character.
“It was tricky. It was a weird route to navigate. Being a recast before on Y&R, I knew there could be some resistance,” Gibson explained. “You can’t replicate what someone else has done—you’re going to fail. I can’t do Michael the way Chad (Duell) did, and he did it in a great way. I had to take a risk and make the character my own.
“From what I heard, the writing for Michael changed a little, so I think they were looking for a character shift. When I got there, they gave me this long email, basically a bible of Michael Corinthos. I learned about the relationships and connections throughout Port Charles—that was it. I didn’t watch old episodes or go beyond what they sent me. This was the information they wanted me to know, so I ran with it and built the rest around that.”
We also looked back at his time in Genoa City, where Gibson shared his reaction to Noah returning to the canvas—now played by Lucas Adams, formerly Tripp on Days of Our Lives.
“I’m very happy they brought Noah back,” he said. “I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about Lucas. I haven’t met him yet, but I hear he’s a great actor and a nice guy. I wish them nothing but the best, and I hope he gets a compelling story.
“I’m curious to see what happens with Noah and Audra. Zuleyka (Silver) and I got to start that, and then it just stopped. I don’t think it got fully fleshed out while I was there.”
As for what’s ahead for Michael Corinthos, Gibson teased a darker edge to the character’s future:
“I think they set Michael on a path everyone is pretty aware of. He’s becoming more of an intense, imposing figure in town. I think he’s going to be trekking down that path for a while.”
We also chatted with Rory about the Who Shot Drew Cain? mystery, whether Michael might find love again, and if he’ll ever learn that Willow took his child with Sasha from the Quartermaine mansion.
Catch Rory Gibson on General Hospital, airing weekdays on ABC and streaming on Hulu.
Watch the full interview with Rory Gibson by clicking the player above.
