Ross Cullum is dead. Andrew Hawkes, however, is very much alive and already talking comebacks. General Hospital killed off its duplicitous WSB villain in the July 2 episode of General Hospital, ending a six-month reign of menace. Yet the actor’s exit interview contains one line fans should not skip. Ask him back as a ghost or a new character, and he says yes “in a heartbeat.” In Port Charles, that is practically a contract negotiation.
A Three-Episode Villain Who Refused to Leave
Here is the juicy part nobody expected. Hawkes originally signed on for just three episodes. Then it stretched to six or eight. By the end, he racked up roughly 40. Villains this good simply do not get cut loose early.
Still, the actor knew the clock was ticking. He calls Cullum’s death “inevitable” and admits he saw it coming. Bad guys this dastardly always pay eventually. But when a three-episode role becomes a forty-episode arc, does anyone really believe the story is finished?
General Hospital: An Epic Sendoff Built Like a Blockbuster
The show did not let Cullum go quietly. His final day packed in stunts, a location shoot and an actual helicopter. John Oliver even guest starred as the mysterious Z. Hawkes sums it up simply. “It was an epic sendoff, without a doubt.”
Most of those final scenes went to Ryan Paevey, and the bromance was real. The pair would huddle in dressing rooms running lines and blocking before every take. Hawkes gushes about Paevey’s motorcycle-riding, surfing, jewelry-making life. When castmates bond that hard, producers notice.
The Goodbye That Reads Like a Love Letter
Hawkes treated daytime like the Royal Shakespeare Company. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re doing Shakespeare,” he declares, putting in Richard III levels of effort. He slept 12 hours after wrapping and calls this one of his career’s greatest experiences.
The tributes flow freely too. Carlo Rota is “so entertaining.” Kelly Thiebaud “lights up every scene she’s in.” And Chris McKenna? “If you don’t like Chris McKenna, I’m sorry, lose my number!” He even adores the young guns, from Asher and Bluesy to Finn Carr. Would he have stayed longer? “Yes, of course.”
General Hospital: The Door Is Not Closed, It Is Wide Open
Fans famously hated Cullum, and Hawkes gets it. They hate him because they love Carly, Britt and Rocco. Meanwhile, the goofball behind the villain won hearts online and on Maurice Benard’s State of Mind, where he opened up about mental health.
Now consider the math. Soaps resurrect villains constantly, and Hawkes has publicly volunteered for ghost duty or a fresh role. What if Cullum’s death is merely intermission? General Hospital knows exactly where to find him. Keep checking Soap Opera Daily to see whether this “heartbeat” answer turns into Port Charles’ next shock return.