General Hospital's Réal Andrews Dishes On Taggert's Surprise Return and So Much More! Check it out here ---->>>
Soap Opera News had the honor of speaking with the wonderful Réal Andrews! Join us below as the actor discusses his path to stardom, Taggert’s surprise return on General Hospital, and why his dog Diamond has turned into a diva!
“I actually had no desire to be an actor. My original dream was to make the 1984 Olympics. In school, I was the jock that dated the drama queen. So, I used to go watch her practice her plays, thinking it was stupid,” Andrews laughed. Though, as Canada’s film industry began to grow, a film needed a young African-American for their production. “There was not a lot of us where I grew up. They went around to schools and found some kids to read for this movie and I got the part. That was the beginning.” While working on the project he became friends with the stunt coordinator who advised him that he should become a stuntman due to his athleticism. “I heard him say that I could make a lot of money and I said okay. I was the first African-American stuntman in Canada. Then you know, being Black, especially back then, whenever they had a bad guy he had to Black. So, because of that and because I could throw a punch and take a punch I worked like crazy. I played every bad guy, drug dealer, pimp. You name it, I played it.”
Andrews recalled that he quickly started to get the “fear” that he wanted to fully pursue an acting career. Deciding that he was going to do whatever it took, he began to put in the hard work and dedication on every set. “When all the other extras were sitting in the back smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee or whatever. I had aspirations to be one of those guys in front of the camera. I would get as close to the set, pay attention, and make friends with the set people.” Soon his persistence paid off and he moved to Hollywood. “The rest is history!”
In 1992, he found himself cast as Danny Guerra on Santa Barbara. “That was really cool because once again I was in the right place. You just reminded me of this. I was in Gold’s Gym in North Hollywood. I was on the treadmills that were right by the front desk. Somebody from Santa Barbara called the gym and I could hear them. They asked if they knew any actors that had a boxing background. I heard it and said, “I can!”
It’s always fun to learn something new and Réal shared an interesting tidbit about his first soap opera role. While his first on-screen role came with Santa Barbara, it wasn’t actually his first! “My real soap opera debut was on Generations. I got cast and we did the advertisements. Then they cast somebody else and I never actually acted in the show but I was the guy in the ad for it.”
While he has appeared on several daytime dramas over the years, General Hospital is where he calls home. “That acting stable is beyond phenomenal. It’s a whole other level. You better know your stuff when you show up on set at General Hospital,” he acknowledged. Andrews has played the role of Marcus Taggert for more than 20 years now but it was just within the last year that the character has flourished. “Taggert was the one-note character. He had no color. No storyline. When he came back I was like “Oh, my God. They’re giving me depth, family, and involvement in two or three major storylines. Me, my agent, and even Maurice [Benard] thought it was amazing.”
With such a shocking comeback it’s safe to assume that he would get a ton of media attention...but it’s his beloved pet that has been the star of recent. “If you don’t talk about Diamond she’ll get pissed off. She’s on the cover of Soap Opera Digest and now she’s demanding. I’ve got to get special food. She threatens to fire me all the time,” he joked.
Always dedicating himself to his craft, he revealed that a film, which he serves as Executive Producer on, is in development. He also shared the exciting news that he just finished writing his first book! To keep up to date on his latest exciting projects you can check out his website here.
Knowing that the actor is such a positive light for fans we had to ask him if he had any advice for us and our readers on how to keep up with our mental wellness. “The body is a miracle and we need to get our mind right before everything else can fall into place. I’ve partnered with an amazing company, Amare Global. It’s just been a game-changer for me. Don’t look at your challenges as negatives. Look at them as positives because the challenges are what make us who we are. And the last thing which is really important is if you’re in a really dark place seek professional help.”
Thank you, Réal, for the wonderful chat! We cannot wait to see what Taggert gets into next on GH!
Tori
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