‘General Hospital’ Star Matt Cohen Leaving ABC Daytime Series

General Hospital will soon be down one doctor, with Matt Cohen, who plays Dr. Griffin Munro, announcing that he will be exiting the ABC soap opera once his final episode airs on Friday, March 22.

Cohen arrived on the show three years ago, and told TV Insider that he doesn’t like to stay in one place for too long.

“I did three years at the show. It was a great time and I had great fun playing the character, but I’m a guy who gets uncomfortable when he gets comfortable. I need to give Griffin a little rest right now,” he said. “I’m a guy whose OCD [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder] travels with me. I wasn’t bored with the writing or the storyline, but I’m bored if I don’t have an extreme challenge in front of me.”

The actor shared that things on the show will be left-open ended for him and that his exit is an amicable one.

“There’s always the chance I’ll come back. I have a real family over there with the actors and especially the crew that keeps that show afloat,” he said. “Maybe I’ll pop into GH every once in a while? That’ll be up to Frank [Valentini, executive producer] and the writers as to what we do. We’re leaving it very open-ended.”

“There is no greater compliment to be paid to an actor than to have the possibility of a return,” he added. “The fact that Frank and everybody over there at the network would even consider allowing that is a great thing.”

After leaving GH, Cohen will hone his directing skills, sharing that he’s planning on directing a feature film, which will follow his latest project, Mama Bear.

“I’ve wanted to direct some feature films for a long time,” he said. “I directed a ‘proof of concept’ [which shows I can do the entire film]. People told me I can’t direct. I said, ‘Well, I’ve studied and followed directors.’ I felt I was ready and I think it came out great.”

To mark Cohen’s exit, the show surprised him with a cake before the actor offered a few words.

“I wanted to keep it short and sweet. We did it on a break,” he recalled. “The hustle is very real. I didn’t want to take up a lot of time. But I wanted everyone to take away one thing from knowing me, which is we need to care for each other a lot. When you’re working on a show that has a cast of 30 people and a crew, heads can butt and best friends can get in fights. I want everyone to know I love everyone there and I was so grateful for them. I want everyone to just be good to one another. Any one of us could walk out of that building and that could be the last time we ever see each other. There are so many beautiful, talented hardworking individuals. I said to everyone, ‘Go enjoy your break and I’ll be back.’”

Photo Credit: ABC