This month marked the 40th anniversary of Finola Hughes’ debut as Anna Devane on General Hospital, and looking back at those early days, the actress recalled how her new castmates welcomed her to Port Charles. While the first scene she actually shot for the soap was with a day player, she quickly became close with Tristan Rogers (Roger) and Kristina Wagner (Felicia). But after her first scenes with Rogers, it was another co-star who really made an impression on the future Emmy winner.
“It was probably the next morning that John Reilly (ex-Sean) came over to me and gave me this huge, big bear hug,” Hughes told Soap Opera Digest. “He said, ‘Anytime you need anything, you can just call on me, you can just ask. We’re a family, and you’re part of the family now.’ He was wearing this leather jacket, and he had a little mug of coffee in his hands, and in that moment, I honestly felt that it was so genuine. It was him saying, ‘Whatever it is you need, we’ve got your back.’ And boy, did he ever.”
The former dancer had only a few acting credits to her name when she joined the cast of GH back in 1985, and Reilly became a very important person to her as she navigated the world of daytime television. “He was just somebody I could turn to, that I could talk about anything with,” she explained. “Especially breaking down scenes. He was a master at it, and I spent hours rehearsing with him and Tristan. John really taught me how in-depth he went into a script. I would just sit in his [dressing] room and we’d start breaking down dialogue. He was a really good sort of uncle figure for me there, and really, really kind and genuinely funny. I would say that he was my first touchstone there, someone that I could trust and talk to.”
Now, four decades on, it’s clear that the foundation Hughes established with Reilly and her other co-stars has served her well. “It’s really gratifying to be able to do this work and still have people appreciate it,” she admitted.
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The former dancer had only a few acting credits to her name when she joined the cast of GH back in 1985, and Reilly became a very important person to her as she navigated the world of daytime television. “He was just somebody I could turn to, that I could talk about anything with,” she explained. “Especially breaking down scenes. He was a master at it, and I spent hours rehearsing with him and Tristan. John really taught me how in-depth he went into a script. I would just sit in his [dressing] room and we’d start breaking down dialogue. He was a really good sort of uncle figure for me there, and really, really kind and genuinely funny. I would say that he was my first touchstone there, someone that I could trust and talk to.”Now, four decades on, it’s clear that the foundation Hughes established with Reilly and her other co-stars has served her well. “It’s really gratifying to be able to do this work and still have people appreciate it,” she admitted.
