Word on the street is that another series regular may soon be leaving General Hospital and he comes in the form of Rick Hearst.  The 43-year-old actor has been with the ABC soap since 2002 as Ric Lansing, a role that earned him seven Daytime Emmy Award nominations, winning for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" in 2004 and 2007.  Recently, however, he has expressed concern over his character's lack of new story.  And while the actor has no intentions to willingly leave the show, he does hint that General Hospital executives might have other plans.

"I've got three months left on my contract," Hearst commented at the General Hospital Fan Club luncheon in July.  "We'll see if it's in the minds of our creators if I'll get a chance to go further.  It would be nice.  We'll see what happens."

Hearst's contract is set to expire in October.  ABC, on the other hand, remains tight-lipped regarding the actor's contract negotiations but has reaffirmed that "Rick Hearst continues to be a member of the General Hospital cast."

Meanwhile, Hearst remains optimistic about his status on the soap.

"There's a lot I'd like to see happen with this character," Hearst said.  "I love this character.  I've been blessed to play this character, but there are steps that need to be taken.  If [the writers] are going to continue to dive into and revisit the relationships Ric has, we need to find something new.  I can't continue to reinvent the wheel."

Prior to General Hospital, Hearst appeared on Days of our Lives from 1989 to 1990 as Scott "Scotty" Banning II.  He was then cast on Guiding Light in 1990 as Alan-Michael Spaulding, a role he portrayed for six years.  Moreover, he also landed roles as the sinister Matt Clark on The Young and the Restless and as Whipple "Whip" Jones III on The Bold and the Beautiful.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Soap Central
(Image courtesy of ABC)