‘General Hospital’: Cassandra James Makes Surprise Return as Dr. Terry Randolph
The Doctor Is In
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Cassandra James, who portrays Dr. Terry Randolph on General Hospital, has revealed she’s returning to Port Charles for the first time since October 2023.
The actress made the announcement on her Threads account on Wednesday, March 6, writing, “First day on set since October. Almost half a year. Choosing gratitude because I know most actors have waited longer.”
She continued, “Just imagine if the job you trained to do, that you’re good at and you love was consistently demonstrated to be ephemeral. That having a second job was not only normalized but systemically suggested. When you come home and stream our work on your TV, artists are wondering why we rarely feel valued enough to make our job a living.”
According to SoapOperaNetwork, James, who is trans, joined General Hospital in June 2018, when her character was introduced as a childhood male friend of Elizabeth’s (Rebecca Hurst). In the story, Terry transitioned later in life to be their authentic self.
Cassandra James and Cyrus Hobbi on General Hospital; ABC/Craig Sjodin
Fans were excited about the news, with many hoping to see Terry reunite with her on-screen boyfriend Yuri (Cyrus Hobbi).
“Hope to see more Teri and Yuri scenes and with Liz! You’ve been missed onscreen, Cassandra hope the new HW team writes better stories for your character,” wrote one fan on Threads.
“I’ll be glad to see you back- your presence has been missed,” said another. “I would love to see your role expanded and for you to have some long term deeper storylines. You’re a kick ass actress. Hugs.”‘
“You’re one of my favorite characters. Glad to hear you’ll be back soon,” added another.
In addition to her work on General Hospital, James has also appeared on the television series Diggstown and Sort Of. She’s also a big-time trans rights advocate; in January, she revealed she was finally granted a new, gender-affirmed passport.
“Bureaucracy is challenging for all of us, forms and paperwork and red tape, but for so many trans folks, it can be really demoralizing and difficult,” James shared on Instagram at the time. “Although I had support and managed to process my name and gender marker change through a court order here in Los Angeles in 2017, it took me seven years to get to this moment, to finally get an internationally recognized travel document that aligns with me authentically.”
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In 2022, James spoke to TVInsider about her work on General Hospital and how the writers make sure to present a trans character with accuracy.
“I was given permission quite early on to reach out if there’s ever anything I felt needed nuancing or changing or massaging,” she said. “I felt so included and that has made me feel really safe as a trans person at the show but also respected and invited as an artist to participate in making Terry the best she can be.”
A new head writing team of Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte recently took over the show, so it will be interesting to see what they have planned for James’ character in the weeks to come.
General Hospital, Weekdays, 3/2c, ABC
