Fans were no doubt surprised by the news that Charles Mesure was out as General Hospital‘s Jack Brennan and daytime dial hopper Chris McKenna (ex-Dr. Hayden, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-Mark Harding, The Young and the Restless; ex-Joey Buchanan, One Life to Live) was in — but none more so that the ABC sudser’s latest hire!

Chris McKenna Talks Joining GH Cast

“I got word late on a Sunday night that Frank Valentini [executive producer, who was also the EP at OLTL] wanted me to chemistry read with Laura Wright [Carly Spencer],” the actor relayed to TVInsider‘s Stephanie Sloane. “I know Laura, but I hadn’t seen her in 30 years, so I said, ‘Well, of course, I’ll be there.’

“On Tuesday, I went in, and Laura saw me in the hallway and ran over. We hugged and said hello and we caught up really quick and she wished me luck. The last time I saw her, I think she was the pitcher and I was the catcher at a Make-A-Wish softball game in 1994. So, it was trippy.”

As is custom, McKenna didn’t know exactly what role he was testing for — what was important was whether he sizzled or fizzled opposite his would-be onscreen love. “They wrote a scene for the audition that was in the spirit of Brennan, but they didn’t use the name. So, it was a unique scene just to get the feel of the character and to see how the chemistry was…and it was great. It was a lot of fun reading with her for the first time in forever.”

Since his hiring, McKenna has been getting to know his alter-ego. “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.

“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.”

But there still remains a pressing mystery: What’s become of Brennan’s accent?

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