Fans who would love to see Luke and Laura's son back on General Hospital will be thrilled to hear that his original portrayer, Jonathan Jackson, is counting down the days until he can step back into the shoes of Lucky.
The actor -- who played Genie Francis and Anthony Geary's on-screen son from 1993 to 1999, from 2009 to 2011, and again in 2015 -- recently appeared on Dishing with Digest and revealed that GH is very close to his heart. So much so, he continues to be open for future returns.
"I always had it in my mind when I left, even in '99, that I wanted to be able to come back," Jackson shares. "It was such a foundation inside of me, that I always wanted to be able to come back and work on GH from time to time."
As fans of the actor know, he originally left the ABC soap to pursue other projects but was lured back a decade later for a run that lasted just over two years. Then, in 2012, he landed the role of Avery on the primetime series Nashville. That became his focus during the hit show's six-season run, but he did make a brief return to GH for Geary's retirement sendoff in 2015.
"I'm so thankful I got to do that," Jackson says. "I shot four episodes over the course of two days. It was an insane amount, and I remember having the biggest splitting headache in between scenes but also loving every minute of it."
Now that Jackson is no longer busy with Nashville, it would be a lot easier for him to return to the role of Lucky. Well, partially: the actor now lives in Ireland, which means he's a long way from Port Charles!
"Logistically, [a return] becomes more difficult to figure out, not only living in Ireland, but on top of that with the travel restrictions [due to COVID]. But it is a strange thing that Lucky left to live in Ireland and that I've ended up living here. Maybe that means something," he says before joking, "It's a method acting thing; I'm getting into character!"
In all seriousness, though, Jackson confesses that he is both surprised and grateful that GH fans still want him back on the show after all this time and after two other actors (Jacob Young and Greg Vaughan) have been in the role.
"It still amazes me. After so many years, receiving messages from people on social media asking about GH and 'Are you coming back?'... it's an amazing thing," he shares. "It's always going to be a huge part of my life. I always look at GH with such gratitude and love. We'll see..."
In the meantime, Jackson is proud to share details about the most recent project he has on the horizon, a book called The Harrowing of Hell. In a special message to fans on the fundraising site Indiegogo, he shares that the book -- described as a modern Paradise Lost and Regained -- has been ten years in the making.
"I first began writing it when my oldest son was six years old. He's now sixteen and a writer himself. I wanted to write a heroic epic my children could grow up with and pass on to their children. Now, the time has come to share it with the world," he writes.
For more information on Jackson's book and how you can help fund its publication, click here.
Would you like to see Jonathan Jackson return as GH's Lucky? If so, how do you think the powers that be could bring Luke and Laura's son back into the fold? 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.
