More than two years after General Hospital killed off Dr. Britt Westbourne, portrayer Kelly Thiebaud is returning to Port Charles in July, our sister site Deadline reports.
“It’s good to be home,” the actress told the website. What she didn’t say, however, was whether she would be reprising her role of Britt, which she played off and on from 2012 to 2023.
Executive producer Frank Valentini didn’t clarify the matter, either. “I am thrilled to have Kelly back on our show,” he said. “We have some great twists and turns planned for her character.”
Yeah, yeah, but what character? If Britt is being resurrected after dying at the hand — well, the hook — of Heather Webber, she would hardly be the first character to make a round trip to the hereafter. (Look at all the others — including her former lovers, Nikolas Cassadine and Jason Morgan!) But General Hospital has a habit of rehiring actors for new parts.
Consider: Michael Easton played One Life to Live’s John McBain on General Hospital, then Dr. Silas Clay, then Dr. Hamilton Finn. Roger Howarth played One Life to Live’s Todd Manning on General Hospital, then Franco Baldwin, then Austin Gatlin-Holt. Tamara Braun played Carly Spencer, then Dr. Kim Nero. Sarah Joy Brown played Carly, too, then Claudia Zacchara.
Heck, even Anthony Geary once played a character other than Luke Spencer; he was Luke’s cousin, Bill Eckert. So it’s been done… a lot. (Check out the long list of stars who tackled two roles on the same show.)
Whomever it turns out that Thiebaud is playing, she’s been taken aback by the response to the news that she’ll be playing anyone. “You guys rock!!!” she exclaimed on social media. “I am blown away by the outpouring of love and [excitement] from y’all! You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you.”
