‘General Hospital’ casts well-known soap veteran in new role — what to know about his character

“General Hospital” is adding a new character to the mix — and the actor playing him is no stranger to soap operas.

“All My Children” and “Days of Our Lives” alum Daniel Cosgrove is joining the “General Hospital” cast as Ezra Boyle. He’ll make his debut during the Friday, March 21, episode of the ABC series.

Cosgrove’s past soap opera roles include Scott Chandler on “All My Children,” Aiden Jennings on “Days of Our Lives,” Christopher Hughes II on “As the World Turns,” and Bill Lewis on “Guiding Light.”

Cosgrove was originally called to audition for the recast of “General Hospital” character Jack Brennan, a part that ultimately went to Chris McKenna.

“Then they asked if I’d be interested in this new character, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And that was Ezra Boyle,” Cosgrove told TV Insider in an interview published on Thursday, March 20. “They told me a little bit about him, and one or two people I’d be working with, but they kind of kept things tightlipped. Now, I probably have been filming for the past month and a half.”

Cosgrove revealed that Ezra is a politician.

“At first, he seems to be aligning with Drew Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison), and there’s some shenanigans going on. But the character is kind of mixing it up with a lot of the cast, from Genie Francis [who plays] Mayor [Laura] Collins, to the Quartermaines, to just kind of creating a little bit of a thorn in the side to some of the good folk of Port Charles,” he said. “He comes across as maybe a little arrogant and full of himself, but it’s definitely been fun so far.”

Cosgrove’s role on “General Hospital” has been a reunion of sorts for him. He previously appeared on “All My Children” with Mathison and on “Guiding Light” with Laura Wright (Carly Spencer).

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“We were just doing a lot of reminiscing, and we looked at some pictures of those old Pine Valley days and it was really great,” Cosgrove said of reconnecting with Mathison. “We were in our mid-20s then, and you’re working to get your start. I was single, and now here we are in our 50s. I’m married with four kids, and we’re creating some more memories.”

“General Hospital” airs on ABC weekdays at 3 p.m. EST. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu the day after they air.