GH alum Gregory Zarian on his Netflix rom-com, That's Amor, and his return to Venice

Go deep with Gregory Zarian (ex-Julius, General Hospital), who's celebrating 17 years of sobriety as his career skyrockets with Netflix's That's Amor and a much-anticipated return to the digital drama Venice.

If you're looking for a feel-good film, look no further than the new Netflix movie That's Amor. The sweet romantic comedy tells the story of Sofia (Riley Dandy), whose entire life falls apart when she turns 30, prompting her to enroll in a cooking class that not only teaches her about Spanish cooking, but also shows her that love can be found in the most unusual of places.

The rom-com, available for streaming on Netflix beginning Thursday, August 25, stars General Hospital alums Bryan Craig (ex-Morgan Corinthos) and Gregory Zarian (ex-Julius), the latter of whom tells Soap Central that it was a joy to star in such an uplifting project.

"It's a feel-good movie. It's about love, and we all find love in many magical ways," he enthuses. "To play in a love story with some lovely people, it's a dream job. It truly is. Especially where we are in the world and where we are now."

Zarian plays David opposite Paul Witten as Todd, a married couple who own a creamery and have also enrolled in the cooking course.

"What I really love is we are two guys who happen to be married -- it wasn't like, 'Okay, and here are the gays.' We just happened to be gay, and it wasn't kitschy, and it wasn't over the top or 'Let's have them be bitchy today,'" the actor shares. "It was just we were two guys that are protective of this girl that we've grown fond of."

Zarian is friends with Witten in real life, but he says that despite their already-established real-life connection, he went the extra mile in making their on-screen relationship as believable as possible.

"I got us matching bracelets, and I made us take a walk, and I said, 'Okay, how do you hold hands? How do you interlock your arms? What are some of your personal secrets? Do you snore? Do you sleep on your right side?'" he recalls. "And maybe it was ridiculous to him or to some, but for me, it just made it more real. As I put my arm around his shoulder, I know that he sleeps on his side... I've been on jobs where it hasn't been as cohesive, and you can feel it and you can see it. So, it's really important [to get that connection], because you as an audience need to believe this relationship."

Unfortunately, Zarian didn't get to work with Bryan Craig very much, but he enthuses that the talented GH alum shines in his role as Richard.

"Bryan plays the not-good-guy, and on set, he was like, 'Once again, I'm the a**hole!'" Zarian says with a laugh. "As an actor, when you find that part and that character, and you can springboard off it, hats off to you. He was super, super nice."

However, the actor says it was slightly difficult to be nice back to Craig, considering the nature of their roles and how David and Todd end up being rather protective of Sofia when Richard comes on the scene.

"Our characters so love the lead, Sofia, played by Riley Dandy, and even as actors, we were very protective of her. We were just doing a scene, but for days, we were celebrating this new love story, and we were like [to Craig/Richard], 'Oh, you're the jerk, we're not going to be nice to you,'" he says with a laugh. "Art imitates life, and when you're telling a story, especially this great love story, you're rooting for the girl that has been betrayed and hurt, so the person that comes in [who might hurt her again], you're like, 'No, I'm not going to be nice to you, because I like her!' And... there would be moments where Paul and I would body block him from seeing her, so it was just very, very funny."

On a more serious note, there are some similarities between the premise of That's Amor and a deeply personal issue in Zarian's life. In That's Amor, the lead character finds her life crashing all around her on her 30th birthday, but she eventually turns things around and has a happy ending. Zarian has his own redemption tale.

The actor was famously discovered and offered the role of Days of our Lives' Brent while he was working a retail job in Los Angeles in 1986, which he followed with countless television jobs, including his memorable GH run as Kate Howard's (Megan Ward) flamboyant fashion designer/assistant, Julius. Unfortunately, Zarian's career somewhat stalled when he found himself struggling with addiction issues that not only nearly derailed his career but also nearly derailed his life.

"I was drinking a liter of vodka a day. I just wasn't the biggest fan of who I am. I didn't like myself," Zarian recalls of the very dark period in his life. "This is one thing I say about addiction: there are voices in our head that are telling us non-truths. In our lives, we are the worst to ourselves. So, for me, if I drank or I was doing something else, the voices would stop. And you just want the voices to stop."

He eventually went to an 12 step meeting after running out of excuses to give to a concerned friend. "I was so tired and tired of giving her excuses, so I said, 'Let's do it.' I just didn't want to hear it anymore, and I didn't want to have to get the lecture," he recalls.

That meeting ended up changing his life, and Zarian is currently celebrating 17 years of sobriety.

"It's one of the things I'm most proud of," he shares, adding that he realized that an unhealthy attitude toward his career was one of the things that contributed to his disease. "When I think back to my soap opera days, I was taken off [of DAYS because I wasn't good enough], and I have chosen a career where people either say, 'Yay or nay,' so every day is a job for me to realize that if I don't get a job, I'm still okay. I live my life now not defined by my job; I live my life now defined by the choices that I make and how I want to show up in this world. And how I choose to show up is with 'thank you' and 'please,' and I truly, truly, truly try to live with kindness. It is such a kinder way to live."

Living a sober life with kindness has definitely been a game-changer for Zarian, who's now known in the entertainment industry as one of the most warm, loving, and supportive performers out there. He's secured a lot of roles just by being a kind human being (together with his talent, of course!), including his Daytime Emmy-nominated role as Nate in the digital drama Venice: The Series. And he tells Soap Central exclusively that he's returning to the series this year!

"Season seven of Venice is coming soon, and Nate is coming back for season seven! I'm super excited," he enthuses. "[Series creator] Crystal [Chappell, ex-Carly Manning, DAYS; ex-Olivia Spencer, Guiding Light] invited me at the end of last week. She said they're writing season seven, and we will go into production very soon. Nate is coming back to tell more stories. She gave me the storyline, which I love. I can't say anything else, but I'm very, very excited."

Considering his role on Venice earned him an Emmy nomination in 2020, does Zarian hope that this time, he might get the chance to take home the gold?

"I would love nothing more than to win an Emmy for Nate. Every job I do is personal, and every job I do I'm grateful for, however, Nate was and is special," he enthuses. "There's a Venice box in my heart... and being nominated for the Emmy gave me the opportunity to bring so much awareness to bullying, connected to a digital soap opera that just tells stories about love. It touches me every time I think about it. I would love nothing more."

Zarian's new film, That's Amor -- which he calls "a delicious tale of betrayal, paella, friends, gazpacho, hope, ceviche, family, and love" -- is now available for streaming on Netflix.

What do you think about our interview with Gregory Zarian? How do you feel about the premise of That's Amor, which also stars GH's Bryan Craig? How do you feel about Zarian returning to his Emmy-nominated role as Venice's Nate? We want to hear from you -- and there are many ways you can share your thoughts.