Mark Lawson opens up about his General Hospital exit: "I wanted a lot for Dustin... and I got that"

General Hospital star Mark Lawson is still sad about the show's decision to kill off Dustin, but he says that he at least got the exit storyline that he always dreamed of.

General Hospital viewers are still mourning the loss of Dustin (Mark Lawson), who was unexpectedly killed in the explosion at the Floating Rib during the ABC soap's November Sweeps extravaganza. His death was incredibly sad, especially because his final moments showed how much he loved and cared for Lulu (Emme Rylan).

"I wanted a lot for Dustin," Lawson shares with Soap Opera Digest. "I really respected his fundamental chivalry, and so I really wanted that last scene, particularly, to feel like he's still trying to fight to get back to Lulu, he's still trying to fight to make sure that she's taken care of. I feel like I got that out of that scene and I was very happy with it."

Of course, no one would expect any less of an awesome performance from Lawson, who did his level best to bring 100% of his talent 100% of the time. He did the same at One Life to Live, where he played the role of Brody Lovett from 2008 to 2012, and he promised himself that he'd go even further in his next daytime gig.

"I decided a long time ago that if I got another run at a soap, I would just squeeze the juice out of every moment and I feel like that's what I've done," he shares. "There was no promise [that the role] was going to go very long, so every day on that set, to me, was like golden time. Every day was like, 'Hey, I didn't expect this one!' I'm not trying to down-talk some of the work that we did, but there were days that felt like pretty mundane, 'We're going to the coffee shop' kind of scenes. And even those, I was really trying to mine everything I could out of it and appreciate it."

Lawson shares that having that attitude throughout his GH run was incredibly helpful. "I feel much sharper and much more mature and connected to who I am as a man, and I think that is going to serve me well in the future," he says. "I feel like I've got more momentum, and I'm moving with confidence, more so than I did when I finished One Life. I'm just forever grateful."

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For more from Lawson on his time at GH and Dustin's demise, check out SOD's full interview here.

How do you feel about the way GH writers handled Dustin's exit? Are you hoping the powers that be find a way to bring him back in the future -- perhaps a new character or an evil twin? 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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