'Blue Bloods' Star Marisa Ramirez Is 'Open' to Returning to 'General Hospital' (Exclusive)

Long before Marisa Ramirez teamed up with Donnie Wahlberg to stop criminals on CBS' Blue Bloods, the actress was a member of the General Hospital family. Ramirez was one of the lead stars on the spinoff Port Charles from 2000 to 2002, before starring in over 100 episodes of General Hospital as Gia Campbell. In a recent interview with PopCulture, Ramirez said she would be "open" to heading back to Port Charles, especially since her character is still alive.

Ramirez was the first actress to play Gia, who was an attorney, model, and publicist during her time on the show. Later, Andrea Pearson played the character until she left for law school in 2003 and never returned. Although it might be difficult for Ramirez to appear on the show anytime soon due to the coronavirus pandemic and it being filmed in California, Ramirez said she would be interested if asked back.

"I mean, California is my home. My family is there. That's where my heart is," the Los Angeles native said. "And any opportunity to go back to California, I'd take. I had such an amazing time on General Hospital. It's such a beautiful learning experience and so many amazing people there. I mean, who knows what could happen? I'm open to anything, but I think that might be here a little while longer, so we'll see."

After her time on General Hospital was over, Ramirez booked roles on several short-lived shows, with an arc on The Young and the Restless in 2006 and 2007 in between. Even before Blue Bloods, many of her roles saw Ramirez starring as a police officer or detective. "It's kind of like my work was going in phases a little bit," the actress said of her career before Blue Bloods. "There was a phase where I was the crying girlfriend. It was the sad girlfriend. It was like a bunch of guest star roles that was happening for a little while. Then maybe something happened in my personal life, where I just kind of evolved as a person and found some strength that was being seen in these casting rooms, and I just kept being cast as a cop."

Ramirez also noted that she was teaching kickboxing for six years and has been doing kickboxing for most of her life for fun. She was also a drill team captain. Being a police officer on screen gave her an opportunity to play powerful women and put some of her off-set interests to work. "There's always been this kind of bossy quality, strength, power, woman of power sort of thing. Maybe I just like to yell at people, and maybe I was good at that," Ramirez joked.

The appeal of playing Detective Maria Baez opposite Wahlberg's Danny Reagan still has not worn off for Ramirez. The character might not always be the focus of the show since she is not a Reagan, but Blue Bloods has provided her with a role she and viewers alike love. "I've created a life for myself here on the East coast, and I had a kid," Ramirez, who has a daughter, explained. "And so, I can still be a mom and have work. Because I am not a Reagan, I get those extra days off. So it's worked out beautifully, and I'm having a good time." Blue Bloods airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET.

Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.