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The main topic of conversation here at TristanRogers.com for the last several months has centered around the paternity of Ethan Lovett on General Hospital. With the return of Emma Samms as Holly Sutton, the (at the time of this writing) mother of Ethan, rumors began to fly hot and heavy about Tristan’s return to GH.
With the recent revelation that Ethan is (at the time of this writing) the son of Luke and Holly, from an affair while both were married (to Laura and Robert, respectively), fans of General Hospital began to roar with disapproval at the massive re-writes to storied, established history.
Many of the actors of the principal characters of the tale, both onscreen and off, spoke out about their feelings on this story. Some at fan gatherings. Others to various magazines. Even though his iconic character’s name and photo were being shown on a regular basis during this story, one actor remained uncharacteristically quiet: Tristan Rogers.
True to his nature, only when word of the fan uproar reached him would Tristan even consider the possibility of weighing in. When the questions began to be directed to him on his Official Message Board, Tristan finally agreed to speak on the subject. If there is one thing we know about Tristan from years now of working with him, it's that the fans are given primary consideration.
We summarized a few of the questions and emailed them to him. Candid as always, Tristan's replies await you after the jump.
During the Wes Kenney years, you fought hard to protect the sanctity of the Robert and Holly romance by refusing to utter lines that would imply that there had been a rift in the marriage of RnH or that Holly had been unfaithful prior to her "death". Why did you make that stand at the time?
My reasoning at the time was very simple. I felt that Emma and I had really done something quite unique with this relationship and there was no reason to screw it up...just because you could. I was not going to be part of another soap sellout. Happily married couples back then were rare. R&H were a high benchmark. They were happy, and also, they liked each other. And all of this came across. As she (Holly) wasn’t on the show anymore, I saw no reason to complicate it by implying that they were having a problem. She was dead. Move on. And that’s all it required. There was nothing more to it than that. Moreover, they could not come up with any sort of reason to imply Holly was in an affair beyond, “that’s the way its always been done”.
How would Robert feel about this recent reveal by Holly and Luke that they cheated on Robert and Laura while both couples were married?
Well, it's been over 20 years and at this point I doubt Robert would get upset about it. I think Robert might realize that the relationship may not have been what he thought it was. Regards the cheating? Again, it has been a long time. He might reflect on it, or he simply may not believe it. I don’t think that something that happened that far back is going to worry him too much. Especially at this point in his life.
GH has shown a photograph of Robert several times and emphatically stated on several occasions that Robert could be Ethan's father. Holly has even said Robert was the father. What has been your contact with TPTB regarding this story and Robert possibly having a son by Holly?
It’s no great secret that TPTB don’t consult me much these days when it comes to story. However, it was said to me that in the beginning this WAS Robert’s child with Holly, and that was how it would be presented. If that had happened, there would be “no harm no foul”. But, of course, it didn’t and from here it will be interesting to see it all play out. The vagueness of the story has somewhat amused me. There are no real specifics here. Holly says one thing then another. Luke wants to be the father but he’s rather challenged when it comes to parenting skills. I mean, it’s a hard sell when it comes to being an engaging story.
Do you feel it was necessary to retcon the history of RnH and LnL to introduce the character of Ethan?
Ethan could have been anyone’s kid. Still could be. Using L&L or R&H or R&A or F&F always looks good on paper and it makes for good media. I expect more of this “bait and hook” approach in the future. I still feel there’s a twist in there somewhere that has yet to surface.