Meet Chris McKenna, General Hospital's new Jack Brennan

General Hospital's very own shady WSB agent, Jack Brennan, has a whole new face now that Charles Mesure has exited the role. Chris McKenna made his debut as Carly's latest love interest on the February 4, 2025, episode of the ABC soap.

Old home week for Chris McKenna

McKenna, who grew up before ABC soap fan eyes in the 1990s, saw quite a few familiar faces when he began his GH work. The actor was only 13 years old when he was cast as Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live, working under former OLTL executive producer and current GH executive producer Frank Valentini. When Valentini contacted McKenna to read for Jack, he didn't even know he was auditioning for an established role.

"They wrote a scene for the audition that was in the spirit of Brennan, but they didn’t use the name," McKenna told TV Insider in an interview. "So, it was a unique scene just to get the feel of the character and to see how the chemistry was between Laura and me, and it was great. It was a lot of fun reading with her for the first time in forever."

During McKenna's time on OLTL, Wright was a young actress playing Ally Rescott on ABC's Loving. Both soaps were taped in New York City, and the actors from New York-based ABC soaps mingled frequently.

McKenna found a few other familiar places when he arrived on the GH set.

"It was crazy," he said. “Some of the writers knew me from One Life to Live when I was a kid and said so. And I said, 'Well, don’t think of me that way now. I was going through puberty on TV. It’s a whole other thing. I’m a cool spy now.' Having Frank on set again is great, and one of the cameramen, Bruce, was one of the cameramen on One Life to Live and my favorite guy. I had no idea he was going to be there, and it was so great to see him. One of the directors, Gary Tomlin, was there, so I really felt comfortable right off the bat, and it felt a lot like coming home."

Exploring Jack Brennan

McKenna, who spent one year playing Detective Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless, can't wait to dig into the role of Jack. The character had a slow start as he spent months on end in prison last year, but he's finally found his footing in a romance with Carly. McKenna hopped in not long after Carly and Jack shared their first kiss.

"I’m still learning who the guy is and figuring it out, but it is a lot of fun to get a chance to have a meaty character like this," McKenna explained. "This is the type of character that I’ve been playing a lot the past decade, but a new version. I don’t usually play the guy in the suit; I’m in a tank top in the jungle, that kind of a CIA agent. So, this is a fun little twist on it, the more Bond-ian guy, if you will. It’s a lot of fun to be able to establish a new version of a character and have a new relationship with Laura and learn what’s in store. Every script is really exciting, so it’s fun."

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.