General Hospital's Marcus Coloma Talks Nava, Being A Recast, and Much More! Check it out here --->>
Soap Opera News had the great opportunity to chat with General Hospital’s Marcus Coloma about his first year on the ABC soap and what we can expect next for Nikolas Cassadine!
The majority of the time when we ask an actor what led to them choosing their profession we get a similar response. That they were always interested in entertaining from a young age and worked their way up. However, that isn’t Marcus Coloma’s story. At 18, he found himself dropping out of junior college, unsure of what he wanted to do in life. “I ended up moving back in with my parents for like three months and I would just watch movies all day long as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. It was nowhere on the map to be an actor but I talked to my uncle who said ‘Two industries will never die: entertainment and computer technology.’ I think because I had been watching so many movies and I would watch them differently than most. I would really study them. I’d watch two or three different movies again and again. That was enough for me to pursue acting.”
When he landed his role in General Hospital the star admitted that he had no idea of the show’s cultural impact. “It’s completely different from anything I’ve ever done. It’s a very unique, special world. I had no idea there was such a loyal, dedicated fan base that spans generations. So, it’s really fun to be part of something that people are really invested in and care about.”
As soap opera fans will understand, accepting a recast can be hard. Especially for a character that had been so beloved and established in the show’s history. Coloma shared that he was warned by some of his fellow cast members about the difficulties. “I had been forewarned by people that it’s rough being a recast and to expect hell. It was challenging for sure but I’ve found that the vast majority of people that have been vocal have been positive,” he acknowledged. “I’m sure there are people who don’t like me but they haven’t been as vocal. I haven’t heard as much about it like some of the horror stories from others who experienced it.”
Coloma, who celebrated his one year anniversary with General Hospital a few months ago, told us that he feels that his take on Nikolas Cassadine has really taken on a life of its own. “It’s funny. I had an idea at the beginning where it would end up but it's very different. I don’t know...I just feel like he has more of a sense of humor to him than I thought. I don’t necessarily feel like he’s the comedian of the crowd. He’s just amused by things more than I intended or initially thought. There’s definitely a different character that I’ve come to find than has been in the past.”
Photo: ABC
Fans have really come to love not only this “new” version of Nikolas but his relationship with Ava Jerome (Maura West) as well. Coloma shared that the working chemistry between the two actors is just as strong as it is between the characters. “[Maura] is really dynamic. A lot of people use this word and I get it. She’s generous. She is obviously such a pro in daytime. It’s really nice working with an actress who just goes into the scene and they’re just the character. We are very similar in the sense that when I’m in the scene I’m not the actor. I’m hopefully Nikolas, you know? I feel like she does the same thing with Ava. What’s cool about that is I’m not judging her as an actor and I don’t think that she is judging me as an actor. I think we’re just both living the scene as the characters. That’s my favorite type of actor to work with because it just lends itself to the world of makebelieve.”
When we asked about what is next for the fan-favorite pairing he teased, “There’s going to be some outside attacks on Nikolas and Ava. It’s going to really be about if they can survive these attacks. I don’t necessarily mean life or death but relationship-wise I think they are going to really be put to the test.”
The actor also told us about his love of working with his on-screen mother, Genie Francis. “What I love about Genie is...and I mean this in a great way...she has the same kind of passion and care for her role and the entire show as a beginner actor. There’s still that passion for running lines and trying to make scenes better. It’s really nice seeing someone so established and in such a position of power on the show...I mean she’s a legend but still approaching it as if she was a new, hungry, passionate actor. I’m really inspired by that passion.”
One of our readers wanted to know if we would see Nikolas performing at the Nurse’s Ball since Marcus is a talented musician. He shared that there were initial talks of him performing last year but that it changed at the last minute due to the restructuring of the event due. “I think it’s highly possible that I could because anybody and everybody does something. Which I think would be interesting because I don’t know how they would fit that in character-wise. But I guess what I love about soaps is that they are more focused on the plot. Like one day you could be a wizard,” he laughed.
As for what his dream storyline would be? “I really like comedy a lot and maybe having Nikolas and Franco team up almost like a buddy cop situation where there’s fighting but they ultimately become friends would be fun. I think there could be a lot of humor in it.” He also shared with us the two goals that he is currently working towards. “I just started learning piano in December. I really want to get to the point where I feel proficient to just comfortably play. Career-wise I'm really playing with the idea of writing something. I would love to write a movie or a pilot and get it made.”
Thank you, Marcus, for the fun chat!
Tori
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