New General Hospital star Cassandra James (Dr. Terry Randolph) opens up about taking on her new Port Charles alter ego and the most exciting things on the horizon.
When General Hospital introduced Elizabeth's childhood friend, Dr. Terry Randolph, viewers weren't sure what to expect from the pediatric oncologist. But it's becoming more and more clear that the Port Charles newbie will be playing a big hand in whether or not Oscar will survive his cancer treatment. The story is getting good, so it was the perfect time for the doc's portrayer, Cassandra James, to answer fans' burning questions online.
When asked if the actress did any kind of research for the role, she revealed that she has regretfully experienced something similar in her day-to-day life.
"There is someone battling cancer in my family currently so unfortunately, I have some real-life experience to draw from," she confided. "It's important to me that Terry be optimistic because I know how dense all the information and treatment options can be."
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And as for whether or not she thinks her alter ego will succeed when it comes to saving the boy's life?
"You'd better believe Dr. Terry Randolph is going to do everything in her power to save Oscar!" she says.
Though most of Terry's time will be taken up by Oscar's brain tumor and treatment, James hopes that eventually there will be time for love.
"I can't wait for Terry to have a romance in Port Charles," she responded in answer to a fan asking what kind of non-hospital story she'd like to be involved in. "I think it's so important for transgender people to be seen as lovable, datable."
Speaking of gender identity and issues, James says that, being a transgender woman herself, portraying a transgender woman is extremely significant on a personal level.
"Terry means so much to me and is so important for my beautiful trans community," she shares. "I feel honored to be contributing positively to this amazing time of trans visibility in Hollywood. I'm so proud of everyone at GH for being so committed to having a trans actor portray this exciting trans character."
Does that mean that the ABC soap opera will be delving deep into Dr. Randolph's love life?
"Terry's got her hands full with Oscar right now, but she hasn't talked about her transition since she appeared at Liz's front door," James teases. "We'll have to wait and see what's next for the doctor!"
What do you think about some of the answers James gave during her online chat with fans? What would you like to see storyline-wise for the new GH actress? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
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