Leslie Charleson has portrayed the iconic character of Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital” for as long as many viewers can remember. Given that, it was a bit shocking to many when someone else showed up on camera this week in the role. Where is Charleson and when can “GH” viewers expect her back?
The 'GH' star is gone due to a recent injury
The show shared the initial news on their Twitter page in mid-April, detailing that Leslie Charleson had injured her leg after tripping over her dog.
Unfortunately, the injury was such that the “General Hospital” actress needed to step away from filming her scenes for a short while as she recovered.
Because a number of scenes were already written that involved the character of Monica, a temporary recast was brought in to play Quartermaine. Patty McCormack, an actress some might recognize from her time on “The Ropers” or as Pat Nixon in the 2008 movie “Frost/Nixon,” has started appearing on-screen this week as Monica.
Charleson shares that she's anxious to return to 'General Hospital'
How long will McCormack continue to play Quartermaine? It sounds as if Leslie is still recovering, as she did take to Twitter upon Patty's debut to thank “General Hospital” fans for their support.
Charleson said that she is happy to say she's on the mend and added that she should be back on the set soon.
Given Charleson's latest tweet and the show's taping schedule, it sounds as if “General Hospital” fans should expect to see Leslie out of the mix of things for at least a few more weeks. It's unfortunate for “GH” fans that they are watching these twists and turns in the Nelle storyline play out with a recast in the role of Monica, but viewers can see now why someone needed to be brought in to temporarily play the role.
Many "General Hospital" viewers are feeling shaken by the temporary recast and many are finding it hard to accept somebody else in this core Quartermaine role. Some are connecting to McCormack based on her childhood role in the movie "The Bad Seed," perhaps the role she's most known for despite dozens of gigs over the course of her career, and she's certainly an actress that will seem familiar to many who have seen her in guest stints on various shows.
It's not known at this point how often McCormack will be seen playing Monica during Charleson's absence or how prominent Monica will be in the ongoing Carly and Nelle saga that's heating up. It is clear that Leslie Charleson is anxious to get back to work and "General Hospital" fans hope that she's able to do that sooner rather than later.