General Hospital Issues Intriguing Casting Call

The possibilities implied by a recent casting call on “General Hospital” have our soapy minds wondering!

Fascinating Timing

“General Hospital” (GH) made it known it’s looking for a woman, “27-34, Middle Eastern, beautiful, courageous and tenacious,” according to Soap Opera Digest.

Now don’t get us wrong–this could mean a lot of things and have nothing to do with the character’s ethnicity. Perhaps head writers Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante simply want to fill out the ethnic diversity in Port Charles.

Of course, the part, to begin taping in March, could play into a timely storyline having to do with the precarious position Muslim Americans find themselves in these days, especially with the recent Trump administration executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

A Welcome Addition

We at Soap Cities have long lamented the lack of Middle Eastern/Muslim representation in daytime. Now would be the perfect time to integrate such a character into the rich GH story canvas.

We’ve also wondered why there are so few Jewish characters, and if there are, why their ethnic heritage is only mentioned during Chanukah, or not at all. For example, Hayden Barnes (Rebecca Budig) on “General Hospital” is clearly Jewish given her surname (Berlin) and her mother’s as well (Dreyfus).

An Industry on the Cutting Edge

Though non-soap fans often think of soap operas as retrograde and dated, full of only white, heterosexuals occupying traditional gender roles, soap fans know the truth. Daytime has often led the way in the inclusion of progressive characters and storylines in a tapestry of complex, nuanced tales. The genre is to be lauded for its inclusion of African American, Hispanic, LGBTQ, and differently abled characters, among many others. A Middle Eastern or Muslim character would add another layer of fullness to the inclusivity in daytime.

Give us your input in the comment section below. Check back with Soap Cities for more GH spoilers, recaps, news, and fun! Follow us on Twitter at @soapcities, on Instagram at @soapcities, and come chat with us in our Facebook group. Catch “General Hosptial” weekdays on ABC.