A crossover between General Hospital and the Broadway musical Aladdin kicks off on April 23, when Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza) and Emma Drake-Scorpio (Braedyn Bruner) travel to New York City. There, they reconnect with Gio’s old friend, Michael James Scott, who stars as the Genie in the long-running production.
For Mazza and Bruner, the opportunity to film on location was a welcome surprise. When executive producer Frank Valentini first told them about the special event, “I don’t think we knew what that meant initially,” shares Bruner. “I didn’t understand that it was actually going to be a part of the show itself. I thought we would just be going to New York and doing a promo of some sort. But then I found out that no, Emma and Gio are going to New York as part of the storyline. That was really, really exciting, because we just don’t go on location a lot at all. I know GH used to go a lot, but it’s just a rare, rare thing. So that felt really special.”
Scott, for his part, was just as enthusiastic about appearing on the soap. “General Hospital is such an iconic show; it’s a situation!” he exclaims. “I’ve never done a soap opera, so when the opportunity came, I think I was kind of like, ‘Wait, what?’ But I’m so excited about this crossover event that’s happening. It was such a cool opportunity, so for me, it was like, ‘Oh, this is a no-brainer. Sign me up. But how are we actually doing this?’”
Disney/Michael Le Brecht II
Within the storyline, Gio and Michael share a history: Gio once played violin in the orchestra for the musical, where he befriended Scott. For Scott, who also appears on Scrubs as Nurse Francois Dubois, portraying himself presented a unique challenge. “I have not played myself before in a television show, so I had to really go deep and really get into character to figure this out,” he quips. “Honestly, I joke about that, but when I was doing it, I was like, ‘Well, wait a minute, I’m playing myself. Am I playing a version of myself or myself?’ But when I got the script, you’ll see that I really am playing myself. I’m getting to be a working actor in a Broadway show who happens to have a connection to Gio.”
Beyond the novelty of the role, Scott was also struck by his costars. “Well, they are the nicest,” he praises. “They are what you see. The genuine connection that they have, that’s on-screen and off-screen, and they just are the sweetest, loveliest people. It was so fun to get to welcome them to my world, which was really, really cool. I think what I loved about being a part of their world was seeing just how impressive these young actors are. They really take their work seriously, and it’s a lot of work!”
Disney/Michael Le Brecht II
The admiration was mutual. “Michael James Scott is such a lovely person, but has so much energy, which is so great,” raves Bruner. “And obviously, he’s played the Genie for 12-plus years on Broadway, which is amazing. I feel like he fit in so perfectly; it didn’t feel like he didn’t work at General Hospital.”
Adds Mazza, “He knew all his lines, and he had a lot of material, and it’s hard to just jump into [soap work], and he jumped in and had so much energy, and he was just so much fun to work with. Came with so many ideas, and it was great.”
Bruner and Mazza say they made the most of their time in New York City and carved out time to explore. “We were walking distance from the New Amsterdam Theatre [where Aladdin plays], which was super cool,” relays Bruner. “We went to Times Square at midnight, and they had this cool art installation. We went to dinner. We shared a lot of pasta. They had just had that huge blizzard, so there was a lot of residual snow left on the ground. It was very cold, so we ended up having that first day off. We went to [The Museum of Modern Art] and looked at a lot of art, and then we went and actually saw Aladdin later that night, which was really cool and informative for what we do in the show.”
Disney/Michael Le Brecht II
The timing of the episodes carries added significance for Scott. As an original cast member in Aladdin who is also the longest-running Genie, he is set to wrap his run on May 3, a day before appearing again on GH, but this time in Port Charles. Balancing that milestone alongside his work on Scrubs makes the experience all the more meaningful. “This definitely is a true, pinch-me moment and a moment in time in my career that I will look back on and just smile,” he reflects. “I’ve been around this business for quite some time. My Broadway career has been, like, 22 years. I’ve put in a lot of work and discipline, and it has been my dream since I was a little boy. So, I’m just grateful that I’m able to be one of those people working, and I’m just grateful that I’m getting to do it with a company like Disney/ABC. It’s a dream come true, really.”
And as his time in Aladdin winds down, Scott is open to future soap opportunities. “Of course! I loved it. Listen, it’s hard work, and it’s definitely not something you could just roll up into. So, it definitely would be interesting to see what it could be, and it’d be fun to play some fun character on a soap. The fans are amazing, and they are devoted. You always know where you stand, and I just love that [this genre] has stood the test of time. That, to me, is just so impressive and so incredible.”
For Bruner and Mazza, the trip is one they won’t soon forget. “It was fun and special,” notes Bruner. Concludes Mazza, “It was an honor. I don’t take it lightly. I appreciate the offer to have this awesome opportunity and be a part of this memorable moment for the show.”
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