General Hospital Interview: Kimberly McCullough And Michael Sutton
Robin and Stone in 2010. (ABC)
Revisiting the past.
Longtime viewers will get a treat on September 28 and 29 when Michael Sutton reprises the role of Robin’s (Kimberly McCullough) first love Stone Cates. Since Stone died in 1995 from AIDS, his return comes through a vision Robin has after she flees the cabin and falls down a well.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with the actors who portray one of General Hospital‘s most memorable couples about Stone’s return and what it was like to work together again.
Soaps.com: First of all, welcome back to General Hospital Michael, even if it is for a short time.
Michael: I appreciate it.
Soaps.com: What was it like for both of you working together again after all this time?
Michael: It was pretty special. We had a really good time reconnecting and kind of going back to that place that we built fifteen years ago and just that trust that Kimberly and I share. I think we did some heavy stuff back then and emotionally we’re just still connected and it was great just to be able to go right back to that point.
Kimberly: It was really cool to be able to revisit it in a…I guess to have Michael there in person, because Robin talks about Stone a lot, so I think it’s going to be really interesting for the people who maybe didn’t watch back then to see the relationship of Robin and Stone and make sense of all of it.
Soaps.com: Michael, how did you feel coming back to the GH set?
Michael: I wasn’t sure when I decided to do this and I really was surprised that it was nostalgic, it was comfortable. It was a lot more comfortable than I thought it was going to be. There were a lot of familiar faces, which was nice, and I ended up kind of almost thinking no time passed in those fifteen years. It was pretty remarkable.
Soaps.com: Kimberly what was your reaction to learning you would be working with Michael again?
Kimberly: Well, I thought there was a possibility he could be a little rusty. You know, he hasn’t acted in a long time, but he was perfect. And it was more like, ‘Oh, wow. Ooh, okay. I’m gonna step up my game…’
Michael: (laughs)
Kimberly: '…Okay cool, we're doing this. You know, this is for real.' So I was excited about that. He's always been a great actor so it was just nice to see he still is, even though he doesn't get to practice like I do all the time.
Michael: You as well. It was fun because Kimberly was amazing too. You could take for granted, because she's working every day, that she might not have given this the time and the delicacy we did back then, and she did. She committed to it and she was right back as if it was happening fifteen years ago. It was great to see. I'm proud of her.
Soaps.com: Were you surprised by the impact Robin and Stone's storyline had back then and continues to have?
Kimberly: The word I'd like to use is grateful because I think it's so nice when people, the fans, are able to connect to these characters for such a long period of time. This was something that fans have really held on to. I can't tell you how many times people have said they replayed the scenes when Stone died. To be able to have that type of impact, to be able to move people at all, as an actor, that's the greatest gift. I'm just grateful for that.
Soaps.com: Why do think the fans did connect with that storyline and continue to hold on to it?
Michael: For one, [Kimberly] grew up on the show so it was a character that everybody held dear in their hearts and then to have a person they relate to and identify with as their own child go through this serious craziness...
Kimberly: When you're on a soap people say, 'I feel like I know you.'
Michael: They lived it with us. We told it in real time and it really unveiled itself in the nine months or more that this storyline took to go from beginning to end. So I think they were onboard for the journey and we tried to tap into it and be authentic and accurate and delicate with the storyline and the subject matter. I think because of that they were invested with it and so when it was finally done, they had a loss. They were heartbroken and grieving.
Soaps.com: What can you tell us about your upcoming scenes?
Michael: I think the good thing is people are going to see Robin and Stone together and the chemistry and the trust and the love that's there. It's just an inner strength that Robin finds and the mask of that is potentially Stone, but it's stuff that she knows and she kind of gets reacquainted with her own faith and that strength. Like anyone who's affected someone's life, you always have them inside of you and I think that's the beauty of what we did in that couple of shows.
Kimberly: I think Robin really needed Stone to remind her of her own strength. She's going through some stuff right now. (laughs)
Soaps.com: To say the least. Does Robin's vision of Stone help her come to terms with her relationship with Patrick and what he's done?
Kimberly: I think it's more of revisiting her inner strength, the person that she is and a reminder of everything that she's already overcome. Robin is the kid of Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane. They're strong people, they don't crumble, they're survivors. I think when something so horrible happens, like your marriage falling apart, the tendency is to want to crumble, but remembering her love for Stone and everything they went through together and knowing that she got through that, I think it's a good reminder that she can get through this as well.
Soaps.com: What are Robin's feelings regarding Stone at this point? Is he the love of her life? Is he just a special part of her past?
Michael: Do I get to answer that? (laughter)
Kimberly: Yes, I think he's the love of her life. Yes.
Soaps.com: Will Stone resurface again?
Michael: I don't know. They kind of set it up that way. Given the right set of circumstances, you know, I think so.
Kimberly: I would like that.
- Lori Wilson
If you can't get enough of Kimberly you can also read what she had to say to Michael Fairman through his Kimberly McCullough Interview. Join Soaps.com on Twitter @soapoperafan, and Facebook.
