General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna opens up about Sam’s heartfelt farewell

It’s a time of sadness for General Hospital fans. The funeral for Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) is at hand, and all of her friends and family will be in attendance. Fans were heartbroken after her death, and many are still having a hard time wrapping their brains around Monaco’s exit.

Shortly before Sam died of a heart attack, her boyfriend Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) popped the question, and after she said “Yes,” it looked like they would have a bright future together. Sadly, that’s not going to happen, and Zamprogna discussed the emotions behind Sam’s funeral scenes.

Although fiction, the emotions were real

Zamprogna had a discussion with Soap Opera Digest about the funeral and described it as “beautiful,” and was filled with various stories about Sam and character monologues singing her praises. But he did have some nervousness as he had to bring his A-game like he knew his castmates would, remarking:

Let me tell you, standing in front of, you know, 30 of your peers [and delivering a scripted eulogy] is not easy! It’s really kind of crazy saying goodbye to a fictional character.

He was worried that his performance wouldn’t be as good as that of the actors who’ve been on the show almost as long as Monaco was. But he was glad things ultimately turned out really well, as he explained:

When you’re up there, in front of your peers acting and you look out and look into their eyes and they’re crying because of what you’re saying, it means a lot.

It was a sad day, but a day filled with a lot of support for everyone and from everyone.

While fans are eager to see Alexa Havins play Dante’s erstwhile wife, Lulu Falconeri, as she emerges from her coma, Zamprogna noted that Dante and Lulu’s relationship was vastly different from his and Sam’s. He felt there had been little growth when Dante and Lulu were together, but when he got together with Sam:

It was life-altering for that character. It didn’t feel conscious, but it felt like this unspoken kind of maturity came out of [Sam and Dante being together].

The actor also explained that Sam’s death will have ripple effects on Dante for years to come. He stated that he threw a lot of energy and creativity in bringing Sam and Dante’s romance to life, and it won’t go away very easily. Noting that in the real world, people don’t immediately move on when their partner dies, and the grieving process is a long one.

He wants to incorporate that grief as part of who Dante is moving forward and stated:

[That loss] is devastating and real, and I want to try my best to bring that to every scene that I’m in.

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So even though Lulu is waking up, it’s not like she and Dante will get back together immediately. The two are divorced, and Lulu will have four years to catch up on, so she’ll be rather busy in the foreseeable future.

Watch full episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.

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