‘General Hospital’s Bradford Anderson on Spinelli Going Out Into the Field
Q&A
The Doctor Is In
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Web-wizard Damien Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) is brilliant behind the keyboard and he’s always had a way with words, too. However, as General Hospital viewers are seeing this week, the Jackal’s effectiveness as a field operative leaves a smidge to be desired. His attempt to get some dirt on Dolores Maloney (Andi Chapman), the super-strict probation officer who is keeping supercouple Sam (Kelly Monaco) and Jason (Steve Burton) apart, doesn’t go exactly as he had planned.
However, Spinelli’s not the type of guy to give up easily when it comes to the welfare of his friends and especially the safety of ex-wife Maxie (Kirsten Storms) and their daughter, Georgie, which brings us to Spinelli’s other big challenge these days. Nefarious Peter August (Wes Ramsey) has Maxie snowed, but Spinelli’s clearly onto the new man in his ex-wife’s life. This has led to some terse dynamics between the two men.
TV Insider recently chatted with Anderson about Spinelli’s efforts to help Sam and Jason, being on guard around Peter, and how he and off-screen pal Burton are staying in touch with their fans via podcasts and a new YouTube show. Read on for the scoop!
Spinelli’s great with computers, but he might have to wait before being cast as the next James Bond.
Bradford Anderson: Yes. Spinelli became so enthused that he might have something on Dolores. He wants to help so badly because right now, Sam and Jason are separated. Their happiness is important to him. When he realized that Dolores has a burner phone and was able to trace it, he realized she’s having an affair with a married man and she’s married, too.
That is clear blackmailing material! He wants to get the scoop on this and get irrefutable proof to help Sam and Jason. Unfortunately, he makes a poor choice of getting too close to his target.
Is he comfortable out in the field? Does he like it?
He’d love to be better at it! He’s always kind of wanted to be the in-person hero. He had scenes with Brando (Johnny Wactor) when they were boxing and talking about how wonderful it must be to come to someone’s rescue in the physical realm. Spinelli’s got so many people in his life that do that.
(ABC/Nick Agro)
How disappointing will it feel to fail – will it affect how he feels about Peter?
I don’t think anything will stop his pursuit of Peter. Spinelli doesn’t want to fail at helping get Sam and Jason together. It’s disappointing.
The scenes with Peter are filled with tension. Spinelli all but says to him, ‘I know that you are big trouble and I don’t want you around Maxie and Georgie.’
It’s so much fun for me. No matter what I do, Peter retains his composure. I allow that to get to me. I love Wes. He’s one of the most generous, kind, wonderful people, but I allow myself to hate Peter so much that it’s fun…Spinelli doesn’t really show outward distaste towards people. That’s not what he does. There are very few characters that he’ll feel that way about. Most of the time, he plays nice with Peter so he doesn’t second guess him.
What I love about soaps in general is that you kind of go with your instincts. And I love having this instinct when Peter and Spinelli are in scenes where Spinelli will just throw unmitigated shade at him. It was fun to go to another level in those [recent] scenes in Maxie’s apartment.
In terms of Peter, Spinelli’s concerned not just for Maxie, but for his daughter, too.
Yes. Sam has told Spinelli that if Peter knows you’re onto him, he can make things worse. But Spinelli wants to stand up and protect his loved ones. He feels there’s a real danger there, but Maxie doesn’t see it.
Was there a defining moment when Spinelli was accepted by Sam and Jason and became their pals.
Steve and I end up recalling the story so much. The Metro Court [hostage crisis] was a defining moment. I remember the scene where Spinelli and Jason were trying to get to the hostages. Spinelli told Jason that when he was going through the ventilation system he’d be on his own and he’d have to trust Spinelli to guide him. Jason said he was okay with that. That’s when Jason trusted him as a partner and as a friend. That was the beginning.
What are you doing to pass the time during the new normal now?
I’m spending a lot of time with my kids, which is wonderful. Also, what I feel very lucky to be doing is that Steve and I added another podcast. We have a weekly one on Wednesdays and we have a mini one on Friday. We’re launching on YouTube a show called 7 Questions with Steve & Brad.
The questions are submitted by fans. We’ll edit them together in a fun way. We have graphics and an announcer. We’ll start with just us and then we’ll have guests. We’re also on all our social media platforms. We have this time to connect with people, which is so important during this period of isolation. I’m so lucky that I have so much. My family is safe and healthy.
Steve and I are looking to make a connection and bring laughs and smiles to as many people as we can with our podcast and our YouTube channel. We can’t control anything else. With technology the way it is, we can continue to bring interviews to people. We don’t have to do it in person.
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