There has been a great deal of fan backlash over this story as noted in the recent SOD and SID. Do you feel this is a natural response to the story that TPTB just didn't take into account?

I believe TPTB were hoping just such a thing would happen. I mean GH doesn’t garner much interest at any level these days. The fact that this would ignite controversy and get the boards posting and this would in turn get people watching had to be a prime factor in this story moving ahead. Whether this is reflected in the ratings is hard to tell. As long as the fans are watching, I doubt that TPTB care what they say or think. The fact that the magazines have gone with it is also a plus. You remember that old saying, “It doesn’t matter what they say as long as they say it”. Right now if all the “brouhaha” brings people to watching, even if they comment negatively, well it’s all ratings. But I feel the backlash has more to do with the on-going failure of the show rather than indignation of the messing with history….again. If the show was making the grade with stories that hooked people in, I doubt there would have been the uproar. But when you see your favorite show constantly going in directions that are counter to what a large portion of the fans want, then it gives them another reason to scream. The constant drop in ratings over the last three or more years has picked up because the “foundational viewer” sees nothing to engage or compel them to watch. They have no investment in any of the new characters, and can’t relate to the stories. Why would they watch? At some point, all of those viewers will be gone and the show will have noting to support it.

Months ago you stated on Twitter that "Robert has no other elements in his family". What do you say to those fans that still hold out hope that Ethan is Robert's child?

I really don’t think it will happen. By now, there would be some question of the possibility of it being Robert’s child. But from what I hear there isn’t. And even if he was, there is no certainty that this would involve bringing me back. It seems in this day you can still be part of a story and never set foot on the set. In fact, it’s much cheaper that way. They don’t have to pay me. Hey, maybe that’s the future. The WHOLE show takes place off camera, no one gets paid, and the stories can be anything you want them to be. And no one can interfere.

Speaking for Robert, how would he feel knowing his best friend Luke slept with Holly while Robert was married to her, and Holly gave birth to Ethan, apparently, when Robert thought Holly was dead from a plane crash? (Only on a soap would this question actually make sense).

Again, this all happened a long time ago. Since then Robert has gone through many transitions. His biggest being a run-in with cancer that changed his thinking totally. He isn’t going to give something like this too much time. He might sit down quietly with Luke somewhere and talk about it. But if you think that this could develop into some highly-charged moment with these two screaming at each other, you’re wrong. The relationship with Holly could have gone either way back in 06’. Who knows? Maybe he already knew about her. I mean SO much of the show takes place off camera these days. But the writers wrote what they wrote and that was that. It’s on camera. It’s documented. Unless they choose to do otherwise, it’s unlikely that this will change in the future.